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Agum IIInscribed ''a-gu-um-ka-ak-ri-me'' in his eponymous inscription, elsewhere unattested. (also known as Agum Kakrime) was ''possibly'' a
Kassite The Kassites () were people of the ancient Near East, who controlled Babylonia after the fall of the Old Babylonian Empire c. 1531 BC and until c. 1155 BC (short chronology). They gained control of Babylonia after the Hittite sack of Babylon ...
ruler who may have become the 8th or more likely the 9th king of the third
Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
ian dynasty sometime after Babylonia was defeated and sacked by the Hittite king
Mursilis I Mursili I (also known as Mursilis; sometimes transcribed as Murshili) was a king of the Hittites 1620-1590 BC, as per the middle chronology, the most accepted chronology in our times, (or alternatively c. 1556–1526 BC, short chronology), and wa ...
The Edict of Telepinu
§9.
in 1595 BC (
middle chronology The chronology of the ancient Near East is a framework of dates for various events, rulers and dynasties. Historical inscriptions and texts customarily record events in terms of a succession of officials or rulers: "in the year X of king Y". Com ...
), establishing the ''Kassite Dynasty'' which was to last in Babylon until 1155 BC. A later tradition, the Marduk Prophecy,The ''Marduk Prophesy'', Tablet K.2158 in the
British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
.
gives 24 years after a statue was taken, before it returned ''of its own accord'' to Babylon, suggesting a Kassite occupation beginning around 1507 BC. The only historical source describes him as son of Urzigurumaš,Some commentators read this name as ''taš-ši-gu-ru-maš''. the 6th king of the dynasty, but the ''Synchronistic King List''A neo-
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 ...
n ''Synchronistic King List'' A.117, tablet Ass. 14616c (KAV 216), in the
Assur Aššur (; Sumerian: AN.ŠAR2KI, Assyrian cuneiform: ''Aš-šurKI'', "City of God Aššur"; syr, ܐܫܘܪ ''Āšūr''; Old Persian ''Aθur'', fa, آشور: ''Āšūr''; he, אַשּׁוּר, ', ar, اشور), also known as Ashur and Qal'a ...
collection of the İstanbul Arkeoloji Műzeleri.
has two lacunae where the 8th and 9th kings precede Burna-Buriaš I, who was the 10th. The 7th position is occupied by a name containing “Ḫarba.”Variously restored as Ḫarba-Šipak, and Ḫurbazum. It has been suggested that the 9th position may show traces of the name “Kakrime”, purported to mean ''Sword of Mercy'' or ''Weapon of Thunder''.


Agum-Kakrime Inscription

Everything that is known about him is through the Agum-Kakrime Inscription, an
Akkadian Akkadian or Accadian may refer to: * Akkadians, inhabitants of the Akkadian Empire * Akkadian language, an extinct Eastern Semitic language * Akkadian literature, literature in this language * Akkadian cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo- syllabi ...
text written in the neo-Assyrian cuneiform script but in very short lines in imitation of an antiquarian style. It is extant in two copies,Tablets K. (for Kouyunjik collection) 4149, 4203, 4348 and Sm. (for
Smith Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people wi ...
collection) 27 in the British Museum.
Tablet Rm 505 in the Rassam siglum of tablets in the British Museum. which describe the King's recovery of the cultic Statue of
Marduk Marduk (Cuneiform: dAMAR.UTU; Sumerian: ''amar utu.k'' "calf of the sun; solar calf"; ) was a god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon. When Babylon became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time of ...
from the land of Ḫana (KUR ''ḫa-ni-i''), pilfered by the Hittites during their sack of Babylon, and its restoration in the newly refurbished temple of Ésagila. In it, Agum portrays himself as the legitimate ruler and caring “shepherd” of both the Kassites and the Akkadians. He asserts his suzerainty over Padan and Alman and also the Guteans, “a foolish people,”UN.MEŠ ''saklāti''; some translations say “a barbarous people” (''saklu'', CAD S p. 80). groups variously located in regions of the
Zagros mountains The Zagros Mountains ( ar, جبال زاغروس, translit=Jibal Zaghrus; fa, کوه‌های زاگرس, Kuh hā-ye Zāgros; ku, چیاکانی زاگرۆس, translit=Çiyakani Zagros; Turkish: ''Zagros Dağları''; Luri: ''Kuh hā-ye Zāgro ...
. The inscription begins with an introduction, giving the King's name, genealogy, epithets and so on. He is a descendant of Abi
attash Attash may refer to: * Abd al-Malik ibn Attash, Fatimid da'i involved in Muhammad Tapar's anti-Nizari campaign * Attash Durrani (1952–2018), Pakistani writer * Hassan bin Attash (born 1985), Juvenile held at Guantanamo Bay * Walid bin Attash (born ...
“the fierce hero.” It continues with a long narrative of the return of Marduk and his consort Zarpanītum and then lists Agum-Kakrime's many generous donations to the temple and includes descriptions of the purification of the house itself by a snake charmer and the construction of protective demons for the doorway. Of uncertain provenance, it is on two tablets, one of which covers 8 columns and more than 350 lines, and including much esoteric detail concerning the temple and its rituals. One was found in the
library of Ashurbanipal The Royal Library of Ashurbanipal, named after Ashurbanipal, the last great king of the Assyrian Empire, is a collection of more than 30,000 clay tablets and fragments containing texts of all kinds from the 7th century BC, including texts in vari ...
, purporting to be a copy of an inscription made in antiquity while the other was found elsewhere in
Kouyunjik Nineveh (; akk, ; Biblical Hebrew: '; ar, نَيْنَوَىٰ '; syr, ܢܝܼܢܘܹܐ, Nīnwē) was an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located in the modern-day city of Mosul in northern Iraq. It is located on the eastern ban ...
, ancient Nineveh. The Library of Ashurbanipal copy contains two colophons, and apart from the standard library identification, the earlier one reads ''mudû mudâ likallim'', which has been translated as “Let the learned instruct the learned” or alternatively “The initiate may show the initiate.” For those disputing its authenticity, it is a later pseudonymous propaganda piece for the cult of Marduk, emphasizing certain tax exemptions granted for the restoration of the statues. Kassite era royal inscriptions are usually inscribed in Sumerian. Those supportive of its authenticity cite the iconography of the demons described on the door of the cella, which represent Marduk's defeated foes,“Venomous Snake” (
Bašmu Bašmu or Bashmu ( akk, 𒈲𒊮𒉣𒇬, bašmu; cuneiform: MUŠ.ŠÀ.TÙR or MUŠ.ŠÀ.TUR,  "Venomous Snake") was an ancient Mesopotamian mythological creature, a horned snake with two forelegs and wings. It was also the Akkadian name ...
), “hairy one” ( Laḫmu), “Bull-Man” (
Kusarikku Kusarikku ("Bull-Man"), sometimes inscribed GUD.DUMU.dUTU, GUD. DUMU.AN.NA and sometimes phonetically ''ku-sa-rik-ku''(''m''), synonymous with the Sumerian GU4/gud-alim and perhaps also alim (see below for caveat), was an ancient Mesopotamian myt ...
), “Big-Weather Beast” (
Ugallu A panel with two divine palace guards, one of which is Ugallu. Ugallu, the "Big Weather-Beast", ( Sumerian inscribed 𒌓𒃲U4/UD.GAL-˹''la''˺, Akkadian: ''ūmu rabû'', meaning "big day"), was a lion-headed storm-demon and has the feet of a ...
), “Mad Lion” (
Uridimmu Ur(i)dimmu, meaning "Mad/howling Dog" or Langdon's "Gruesome Hound", ( Sumerian: 𒌨𒅂UR.IDIM and giš.pirig.gal = ''ur-gu-lu-ú'' = ''ur-idim-'' 'mu''in the lexical series ḪAR.gud = ''imrû'' = ''ballu''), was an ancient Mesopotamian mythic ...
), “Fish-Man” (
Kulullû Kulullû, inscribed ku6- lú-u18/19-lu, "Fish-Man", an ancient Mesopotamian mythical monster possibly inherited by Marduk from his father Ea. In later Assyrian mythology he was associated with ''kuliltu'', "Fish-Woman", and statues of them were a ...
) and “Carp-Goat” (suhurmašu)
the gods of cities conquered by Babylon, such as Ešnunna and are illustrative of a middle Babylonian theology. Marduk has yet to attain sovereignty over the universe characterized by the Enûma Eliš and the struggle with Tiāmat.


Primary publications

* pl. 38, no. 2 (line art), K.4149 misidentified as a tablet of Ashur-bani-pal; titles and prayers. * pl. 33 line art for tablets K.4149+4203+4348+Sm 27 * full text. * pl. 36 tablet Rm 505 (the duplicate copy). * no. 4. * * full text. * translation only. * transliteration, translation and photographs


Inscriptions


Notes


References

{{Babylonian kings 16th-century BC Babylonian kings Kassite kings