Adad-nirari II (reigned from 911
to 891 BC) was the first
King of Assyria in the
Neo-Assyrian period
The Neo-Assyrian Empire was the fourth and penultimate stage of ancient Assyrian history and the final and greatest phase of Assyria as an independent state. Beginning with the accession of Adad-nirari II in 911 BC, the Neo-Assyrian Empire grew t ...
.
Biography
![Assyria in reign of Adad-nirari II](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Assyria_in_reign_of_Adad-nirari_II.jpg)
Adad-nirari II's father was
Ashur-dan II
Ashur-Dan II (Aššur-dān) (934–912 BC), son of Tiglath Pileser II, was the earliest king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. He was best known for recapturing previously held Assyrian territory and restoring Assyria to its natural borders, from Tur ...
, whom he succeeded after a minor dynastic struggle. It is probable that the accession encouraged revolts amongst Assyria's nominal vassals.
He firmly subjugated the areas previously under only nominal Assyrian vassalage, conquering and deporting troublesome
Arameans
The Arameans ( oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; syc, ܐܪ̈ܡܝܐ, Ārāmāyē) were an ancient Semitic-speaking people in the Near East, first recorded in historical sources from the late 12th century BCE. The Aramean ...
following a battle at the junction of the Khabur and Euphrates in 910 BC. After subduing
Neo-Hittite and
Hurrian
The Hurrians (; cuneiform: ; transliteration: ''Ḫu-ur-ri''; also called Hari, Khurrites, Hourri, Churri, Hurri or Hurriter) were a people of the Bronze Age Near East. They spoke a Hurrian language and lived in Anatolia, Syria and Northern ...
populations in the north, Adad-nirari II then twice attacked and defeated
Shamash-mudammiq
Šamaš-mudammiq, inscribed md''Šamaš-''mu''mudammiq'' (mdUTU-''mu''-SIG5),''Synchronistic King List'' fragment, KAV 182, Ass 13956dh, iii 9. meaning “ Šamaš shows favor,” was the 4th king of Babylon in a sequence designated as the Dynasty ...
of
Babylonia
Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...
, annexing a large area of land north of the
Diyala River and the towns of
Hīt
Hīt, also spelled ''Heet'' ( ar, هيت), ancient name ''Is'', is an Iraqi city in Al-Anbar province. Hīt lies northwest of Ramadi, the provincial capital.
Straddling the Euphrates River, the city of Hīt was originally a small walled town sur ...
and
Zanqu in mid
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...
in the same year. He made further gains over
Babylonia
Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...
under
Nabu-shuma-ukin I
Nabû-šuma-ukin I, inscribed md''Nābû-šuma-ú-kin'',''Synchronistic King List'' iii 16 and variant fragments KAV 10 ii 7, KAV 182 iii 10. meaning “Nabû has established legitimate progeny,” was the 5th king listed in the sequence of the so ...
later in his reign. He also campaigned to the west, subjugating the
Aramean
The Arameans ( oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; syc, ܐܪ̈ܡܝܐ, Ārāmāyē) were an ancient Semitic-speaking people in the Near East, first recorded in historical sources from the late 12th century BCE. The Aramean ...
cities of
Kadmuh and
Nisibin
Nusaybin (; '; ar, نُصَيْبِيْن, translit=Nuṣaybīn; syr, ܢܨܝܒܝܢ, translit=Nṣībīn), historically known as Nisibis () or Nesbin, is a city in Mardin Province, Turkey. The population of the city is 83,832 as of 2009 and is ...
. Along with vast amounts of treasure collected, he also secured the
Kabur river region.
His reign was a period of returning prosperity to the Middle East region following expansion of
Phoenicia
Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...
n and Aramaean trade routes, linking
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
under the Libyan
22nd Dynasty, Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean.
Adad-nirari II's son was named
Tukulti-Ninurta II Tukulti-Ninurta II was King of Assyria from 890 BC to 884 BC. He was the second king of the Neo Assyrian Empire.
History
His father was Adad-nirari II, the first king of the Neo-Assyrian period. Tukulti-Ninurta consolidated the gains made by his f ...
who continued to wage war against
Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the A ...
's enemies.
Because of the existence of full eponym lists from Adad-nirari II's reign down to the middle of the reign of
Ashurbanipal in the 7th century BC, year one of his reign in 911 BC is perhaps the first event in ancient Near Eastern history which can be dated to an exact year, although the
Assyrian King List
The king of Assyria (Akkadian: ''Išši'ak Aššur'', later ''šar māt Aššur'') was the ruler of the ancient Mesopotamian kingdom of Assyria, which was founded in the late 21st century BC and fell in the late 7th century BC. For much of its ear ...
is generally considered to be quite accurate for several centuries before Adad-nirari's reign, and scholars generally agree on a single set of dates back to
Ashur-resh-ishi I in the late 12th century BC.
References
10th-century BC births
891 BC deaths
10th-century BC Assyrian kings
9th-century BC Assyrian kings
Year of birth unknown
Kings of the Universe
{{Assyrian-stub
sv:Assyriska kungar#Nyassyriska perioden