Ārik-dēn-ili

Ārik-dēn-ili (earlier also read as Pudi-ilu), son of Enlil-nirari, was a Middle Assyrian king and ruled for 12 years according to the Assyrian king list . Its exact date is disputed:

author	Reign	Remarks
Olmstead 1920	1315-1300
Grayson 1969	1319-1308 BC Chr.	middle chronology
Gasche et al. 1998	1311-1301	Ultra-short chronology
Freydank 1991	1307-1296

title

Ārik-dēn-ili called himself “legitimate king” (usually a sign of the opposite), “strong king” and “king of Assyria”. This is a clear change compared to the title of its predecessors, who consistently referred to themselves as the Viceroy of Aššur ( išši'ak Assur ). Adad-nārārī calls him governor of Enlil , viceroy of Aššur, conqueror of the lands of Turuki and Nigimti in their entirety, together with their kings, mountains and highlands, of the vast Quti , the land of the Ahlamu , the Suti , the Iari and their lands who expanded the borders of the country.

swell

Ārik-dēn-ili is the first Assyrian king from whom historical texts ( annals ) have come down. The reports on individual campaigns are separated from each other by lines, the information is, apart from toponyms , sparse and formulaic.

government

The first campaign was against Iašubakula on the border with Elam . A very fragmentary text from the Assyrian Chronicle tells of a campaign against Esini who owned thirty chariots. The fifth campaign was directed against Esini again, so Ārik-dēn-ili was not granted any lasting success. Arnuna / ni in Nigimhi, Kutila, Tarbisi and the land of Ḫalaḫi were conquered, Ārik-dēn-ili brought rich booty to Aššur, cattle, but also food and metal. He used at least 90 chariots and battering rams. The third campaign was directed again against Kutila, Tarbisi and Kudina, who were perhaps in the land of the Guti , that is, in southern Zagros . In the same year Ārik-dēn-ili crossed the Maštuate River with thirty chariots, defeated 600 chariots and Rim Aku, the ruler of the city of Namubilhi. The 4th campaign was directed against Ḫalaḫi again. Probably at the same time there were clashes with the Iauri (Iari), Ahlamu and Suti , steppe nomads who are sometimes identified as Arameans . The 5th campaign also brought rich booty, a coalition around Esini was overthrown. Victories against Qummuḫ and his allies on the Upper Euphrates were achieved.

So rik-dēn-ili carefully avoided a conflict with Hanilgabat . He expanded the Assyrian territory along the Tigris to the north, especially on the eastern bank of the river, and subjugated the nomadic tribes there. In doing so, he probably reached the southern border of Mitanni.

buildings

Ārik-dēn-ili built the temple of Šamaš , "the exalted God" "for posterity". Harvest failures in Assyria were attributed to the wrath of the god whose temple had been abandoned. He also appears to have carried out repairs to the royal palace in Assur , as the brick inscriptions with his name show.

Eponyms

• Berutu, son of Eriba-Adad I.

literature

• Helmut Freydank : Contributions to Central Assyrian chronology and history. Berlin 1991.
• Albert Kirk Grayson : Assyrian Royal inscriptions. Wiesbaden 1972, Doc. 348-377.
• DD Luckenbill : Inscriptions of Early Assyrian Rulers. In: The American Journal of Semitic Languages ​​and Literatures. 28/3, 1912, pp. 153-203. ( JSTOR 528609 )
• AT Olmstead: Kashshites, Assyrians, and the Balance of Power. In: The American Journal of Semitic Languages ​​and Literatures. 36/2, 1920, pp. 20-153. ( JSTOR 528231 )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ D. D Luckenbill: Inscriptions of Early Assyrian Rulers . The American Journal of Semitic Languages ​​and Literatures 28/3, 1912, p. 161
2. ↑ D. D Luckenbill: Inscriptions of Early Assyrian Rulers . The American Journal of Semitic Languages ​​and Literatures 28/3, 1912, p. 161
3. ↑ AT Olmstead: Kashshites, Assyrians, and the balance of power. The American Journal of Semitic Languages ​​and Literatures 36/2, 1920, 20-153
4. ^ MB Rowton: The Background of the Treaty between Ramesses II. And Hattušiliš III . Journal of Cuneiform Studies 13/1, 1959, 4

predecessor	Office	successor
Enlil-nirari	Assyrian king 1307 BC BC – 1296 BC Chr.	Adad-nārārī I.