Iamani ( akk, 𒅀𒈠𒉌 ''ia-ma-ni'', "

Ionia Ionia () was an ancient region on the western coast of Anatolia, to the south of present-day Izmir. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements. Never a unified state, it was named after the Ionian ...

n") or Iadna ( akk, 𒅀𒀜𒈾 ''ia-ad-na'', "

Cypriot Cypriot (in older sources often "Cypriote") refers to someone or something of, from, or related to the country of Cyprus. * Cypriot people, or of Cypriot descent; this includes: **Armenian Cypriots **Greek Cypriots **Maronite Cypriots **Turkish C ...

") was a

Philistine The Philistines ( he, פְּלִשְׁתִּים, Pəlīštīm; Koine Greek (LXX): Φυλιστιείμ, romanized: ''Phulistieím'') were an ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan from the 12th century BC until 604 BC, when ...

king of

Ashdod Ashdod ( he, ''ʾašdōḏ''; ar, أسدود or إسدود ''ʾisdūd'' or '' ʾasdūd'' ; Philistine: 𐤀𐤔𐤃𐤃 *''ʾašdūd'') is the sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District, it lies on the Mediterran ...

during the reign of Neo-Assyrian emperor

Sargon II Sargon II (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , meaning "the faithful king" or "the legitimate king") was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 722 BC to his death in battle in 705. Probably the son of Tiglath-Pileser III (745–727), Sargon is general ...

. His names, meaning "Ionian" and "Cypriot", seemingly indicate he was of Greek extraction, and therefore a foreigner amongst the Philistines, although the names themselves are Semitic. According to Sargon II's annals, the emperor had deposed Azuri, the previous king of Ashdod, for plotting to skirt the paying of tribute to Assyria, and replaced him with his brother, Ahi-Miti. However, shortly afterwards, the

Hittites The Hittites () were an Anatolian people who played an important role in establishing first a kingdom in Kussara (before 1750 BC), then the Kanesh or Nesha kingdom (c. 1750–1650 BC), and next an empire centered on Hattusa in north-centra ...

apparently invaded Ashdod and placed Iamani, a member of the lower class, on the throne. Much like Azuri, Iamani did not respect Neo-Assyrian suzerainty, and so in c. 712 BCE Sargon marched with his personal retinue to the Levant. When Iamani became aware of the emperor's advance, he fled to

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 ...

, leaving behind his family. Upon his arrival, Sargon captured Ashdod and

Ashdod-Yam Ashdod-Yam (lit. "Ashdod on the Sea" in Hebrew) is an archaeological site on the Mediterranean coast of Israel. It is located in the southern part of the modern city of Ashdod, and about 5 kilometres northwest of where Ashdod stood in the time ...

, as well as Gath; which Ashdod apparently controlled during Iamani's reign. Incidentally, this is the last time Gath appears in historical records, which may indicate Sargon II's forces destroyed the city rather than simply capturing it. In any event, Sargon's successful invasion marked the end of an independent Philistia, which would now persist under direct Assyrian rule until the empire's collapse. After Ashdod's capture,

Shebitku Shebitku ( egy, šꜣ-bꜣ-tꜣ-kꜣ, Neo-Assyrian: , grc, Σεθῶν ) also known as Shabataka or Shebitqo, and anglicized as Sethos, was the second pharaoh of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt who ruled from 714 BC – 705 BC, according to t ...

, the king of Egypt, apparently found Iamani in the midst of a people whom the Assyrians had never heard of, or rather, " hoe ancestors

rom the Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * R ...

distant astuntil now had nev r snt their mounted messenger(s) to the kings, (Sargon II's) ancestors, in order to inquire about their well-being", and captured Iamani and sent him to Assyria for fear that the empire would inflict a similar fate upon Egypt.Iamani (KING OF ASHDOD)

Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus The Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus, or Oracc, is an ongoing project designed to make the corpus of cuneiform compositions from the ancient Near East available online and accessible to users. The project, created by Steve Tinney of the Univ ...

At this point, Iamani disappears from the annals, and his fate is never mentioned. That said, despite his sedition, Sargon probably allowed him to return to the throne.

References

Philistine kings Philistines 8th-century BC rulers Ashdod {{royal-stub