Shamash-eriba
Shamash-eriba | |
---|---|
King of Babylon King of the Lands | |
King of Babylon (revolt against the Achaemenid Empire) | |
Reign | Summer 482 BC – March 481 BC |
Predecessor | Xerxes I |
Successor | Xerxes I |
Died | March 481 BC |
Akkadian | Šamaš-eriba |
Shamash-eriba (Akkadian: Šamaš-eriba) was a Babylonian rebel leader, leading a revolt against the Achaemenid Empire in 482–481 BC. Shamash-eriba rebelled against the Persian king Xerxes I in the summer of 482 BC[1][2], proclaiming himself King of Babylon and King of the Lands.[3]
Shamash-eriba succeeded in taking control of Babylon itself, and other prominent cities such as Borsippa and Dilbat. A previous Babylonian revolt against Xerxes by the rebel leader Bel-shimanni had been defeated relatively quickly, but the Persian response to Shamash-eriba's insurrection was slow. Although he was eventually defeated, the siege of Babylon lasted for months, ending in March 481 BC.[1]
Although no concrete evidence exists of retribution against the city after it was successfully retaken[4], classical sources suggest that Babylon was punished severely for the revolt. Its fortifications were destroyed and its temples were damaged as Xerxes ravaged the city. It is possible that the statue of Marduk, which represented the physical manifestation of Babylon's patron deity Marduk, was removed by Xerxes from Babylon's main temple, the Esagila, at this time.[1]
References
- ^ a b c Dandamaev 1993, p. 41.
- ^ Horowitz 1995, p. 66.
- ^ Waerzeggers & Seire 2018, p. 6.
- ^ Waerzeggers 2004, p. 150.
Cited bibliography
- Dandamaev, Muhammad A. (1993). "Xerxes and the Esagila Temple in Babylon". Bulletin of the Asia Institute. 7: 41–45. JSTOR 24048423.
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: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) - Horowitz, Wayne (1995). "An Astronomical Fragment from Columbia University and the Babylonian Revolts". Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society. 23 (1): 61–67.
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: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) - Waerzeggers, Caroline (2004). "The Babylonian Revolts Against Xerxes and the 'End of Archives'". Archiv für Orientforschung. 50: 150–173. JSTOR 41668621.
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: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) - Waerzeggers, Caroline; Seire, Maarja (2018). Xerxes and Babylonia: The Cuneiform Evidence (PDF). Peeters Publishers. ISBN 978-90-429-3670-6.
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: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)