Naram-Sin of Assyria

Naram-Sin of Assyria

Naram-Sin, or Narām-Sîn or –Suen, inscribed in cuneiform on contemporary seal impressions as dna-ra-am-dEN.ZU, had been the "waklum" (ugula, Overseer) or "Išši’ak Aššur" (énsi da-šùr, Steward of Ashur) of the city-state Assur, listed as the 37th king of Assyria on the later Assyrian King Lists, where he is inscribed mna-ram-dEN.ZU, or a fragmentary list where he appears as -d30. He was named for the illustrious Naram-Sin of Akkad and took the divine determinative in his name (just like Naram-Sin's grandfather: Sargon I, who may have been named after Sargon of Akkad.) Naram-Sin should not be confused with the Naram-Sin who had ruled Eshnunna for around twelve years (the successor and son, as identified on an inscription, of the long-reigning Ebiq-Adad II.) It is probable that Naram-Sin of Assur was, however, contemporaneous with the earlier part of Ebiq-Adad II’s reign (whose last attestation was in the Mari Eponym Chronicle B line 25 some 56 years after Naram-Sin’s inauguration.): 46  Naram-Sin of Assyria was the son and successor of the short-reigning Puzur-Ashur II, filiation preserved in his seal impression on the envelopes of the waklum-letters to his expat Anatolian-based traders at the karum Kanesh and in the later Assyrian King Lists. The length of Naram-Sin's reign is uncertain, however; based on various excavated "limmu" (eponym) lists, the reigns of Naram-Sin and his son and successor Erishum II had a combined length of 64 years.: 29  The Assyrian King List records that Shamshi-Adad I, “went away to Babylonia in the time of Naram-Sin.” Shamshi-Adad I did not return until he had taken Ekallatum, after which he paused for three years and then overthrew Erishum II. The Mari Eponym Chronicle, which resumes the listing until the seizure of Ekallatum by Shamshi-Adad I, provides no clue as to when the succession of Erishum II had taken place. Read more on Wikipedia

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