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REGINE PRUZSINSZKY

MESOPOTAMIAN CHRONOLOGY OF THE 2nd B.C. ÖSTERREICHISCHE AKADEMIE DER WISSENSCHAFTEN DENKSCHRIFTEN DER GESAMTAKADEMIE, BAND LVI

Contributions to the Chronology of the Eastern Mediterranean

Edited by Manfred Bietak and Hermann Hunger

Volume XXII ÖSTERREICHISCHE AKADEMIE DER WISSENSCHAFTEN DENKSCHRIFTEN DER GESAMTAKADEMIE, BAND LVI

REGINE PRUZSINSZKY

MESOPOTAMIAN CHRONOLOGY OF THE B.C. An Introduction to the Textual Evidence and Related Chronological Issues Vorgelegt von w. M. MANFRED BIETAK in der Sitzung am 20. Juni 2008

Spezialforschungsbereich SCIEM 2000 „Die Synchronisierung der Hochkulturen im östlichen Mittelmeerraum im 2. Jahrtausend v. Chr.“ der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften beim Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung

Special Research Programme SCIEM 2000 “The Synchronisation of Civilisations in the Eastern Mediterranean in the Second Millennium B.C.” of the Austrian Academy of at the Austrian Fund

British Library Cataloguing in Publication data. A Catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library.

Die verwendete Papiersorte ist aus chlorfrei gebleichtem Zellstoff hergestellt, frei von säurebildenden Bestandteilen und alterungsbeständig.

Alle Rechte vorbehalten ISBN: 978-3-7001-6504-0 Copyright © 2009 by Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften Wien Grafik, Satz, Layout: Angela Schwab Druck: Wograndl Druck GmbH, 7210 Mattersburg http://hw.oeaw.ac.at/6504-0 http://verlag.oeaw.ac.at

Printed and bound in Austria TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abbreviations ...... 9 Preface by the Editor ...... 13 Foreword ...... 15

1. GENERAL REMARKS ON MESOPOTAMIAN CHRONOLOGY ...... 17 1.1. Preface ...... 17 1.2. From Relative to Absolute Chronology ...... 18 1.3. Main sources for Mesopotamian chronology ...... 22 1.4. Chronological Systems ...... 23 1.4.1. General ...... 23 1.4.2. Review ...... 24 1.4.3. Recent Developments and Preview ...... 29 1.5. Basic Synchronisms ...... 30 1.5.1. Comments on absolute dates cited in various modern tables ...... 31 1.5.2. Specific studies and comments on chronology ...... 33 1.6. Synchronisms (General) ...... 33 1.6.1. Synchronisms for the first half of 2nd millennium BC ...... 34 1.6.2. Synchronisms for the second half of 2nd millennium BC ...... 35 1.7. Periodization ...... 39 1.7.1. Old Assyrian Period ...... 39 1.7.2. Early Old Babylonian Period: Dynasty of , Isin I Dynasty, I Dynasty ...... 40 1.7.3. Late Old Babylonian Period/Fall of Babylon: Kassite Dynasty, Sealand Dynasty ...... 41 1.7.4. Middle Babylonian Period: Kassite Dynasty, Isin II Dynasty ...... 42 1.7.5. Middle Assyrian Period: including part of the Kassite and post Kassite Period ...... 43

INTRODUCTION TO RELEVANT ISSUES OF MESOPOTAMIAN CHRONOLOGY

2. ASSYRIAN KING LIST ...... 45 2.1. Gaps and Omissions ...... 53 2.1.1. KAV 14 (VAT 9812) ...... 53 2.1.2. Šalmaneser II (no. 93) ...... 55 2.2. Divergences ...... 55 2.2.1. Regnal ...... 55 2.2.1.1. Išme-Dag¤n I (no. 40) ...... 56 2.2.1.2. Puzur-Aššur III (no. 61) ...... 57 2.2.1.3. Tukult²-Ninurta I (no. 78) ...... 58 2.2.1.4. Aššur-n¤din-apli (no. 79) ...... 59 2.2.1.5. Ninurta-apil-Ekur (no. 82) and Aššur-d¤n I (no. 83) ...... 60 2.3. Different genealogies ...... 62 2.4. Variations in royal names ...... 62 2.5. DUB-pi-šu ...... 62 2.6. Missing reign lengths: Aššur-rabi I (no. 65) and Aššur-n¤din-a©©® I (no.66) ...... 64

3. ASTRONOMICAL DATA ...... 69 3.1. En¥ma Anu Enlil tablets (EAE) ...... 69 3.1.1. Venus Tablet (VT) ...... 70 3.2. -lengths ...... 72 3.3. Lunar eclipses ...... 73 3.4. Solar eclipses ...... 75 6 Table of Contents

3.5. Historical Omens and the Historicity of Eclipse Data ...... 78 3.6. Venus Cycle ...... 79

4. BABYLONIAN KING LIST ...... 83 4.0. “Old Babylonian KL” ...... 84 4.1. BKL A ...... 84 4.2. BKL B ...... 85 4.3. BKL C ...... 85 4.4. Ur-Isin KL ...... 85 4.5. Larsa KL ...... 85 4.6. Dynastic Chronicle ...... 85

5. IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 2nd MILLENNIUM BC BABYLON I DYNASTY, THE EARLY KASSITE DYNASTY AND THE SEALAND DYNASTY ...... 93

6. ...... 103 6.1. ...... 103 6.2. Assyrian Calendar ...... 104 6.3. Astronomical Data and Calendar (month-length data) ...... 104 6.4. Assyrian versus Babylonian Calendar ...... 106 6.5. Local ...... 108

7. CHRONICLES ...... 111 7.1. Synchronistic History ...... 115 7.2. King Chronicle ...... 116 7.3. Chronicle P ...... 117 7.4. Eclectic Chronicle ...... 121 7.5. Weidner Chronicle ...... 121 7.6. Tummal Chronicle ...... 122 7.7. Chronicle BM 27796 ...... 122

8. DENDROCHRONOLOGY ...... 125 8.1. K¤rum Kaniš (Kültepe) ...... 126 8.2. Acem-Höyük ...... 127 8.3. Porsuk/Uluk¦hla ...... 128 8.4. Kara-Höyük/Konya ...... 129 8.5. Anatolian sites with wood samples dating to the 2nd half of the 2nd millennium BC ...... 129 8.6. Excursus: 14C data ...... 130

9. DISTANZANGABEN (ABSTANDSDATEN, ABSTANDSANGABEN, SPANS) ...... 133 9.1. Rebuilding of the Aššur temple by Aššur-r®ša-iši I (no. 86) ...... 136 9.2. Statement of Tiglath-pileser I ...... 138 9.3. Statement of ...... 140 9.4. Statement of Šalmaneser I ...... 142 9.5. Statement of Tukult²-Ninurta I ...... 145 9.6. Statement of Enlil-n¤din-apli (Isin II dynasty) ...... 146 9.7. Hittite “Distanzangabe” ...... 148 9.8. Dates for Hammu-r¤piÝ and Šamš²-Adad I ...... 148

10. EPONYMS (L²MU)/EPONYM LISTS/EPONYM CHRONICLES ...... 151 10.1. KAV 21–24 ...... 153 10.2. KUB 4, 93 and KAV 19 ...... 154 10.3. MEC (Mari Eponym Chronicle) ...... 154 10.4. KEL (Kültepe Eponym List) ...... 156 10.5. Old Assyrian Period ...... 159 10.6. Eponyms and the reign of Šamš²-Adad I ...... 161 Table of Contents 7

10.7. Eponyms from the Late Old Babylonian Period ...... 163 10.8. Middle Assyrian eponyms ...... 164

11. GENEALOGY INCLUDING THE GENEALOGY OF THE HAMMU-RÁPIÝ DYNASTY (GHD) ...... 167

12. GENERATION ...... 171

13. HISTORICAL EPIC ...... 177 13.1. Kurigalzu Epic ...... 177 13.2. Adad-n²r¤r² I Epic ...... 177 13.3. Tukult²-Ninurta Epic ...... 177 13.4. Adad-šuma-u‚ur Epic ...... 178 13.5. Tablets ...... 178 13.6. and the ...... 179

14. ROYAL INSCRIPTIONS WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON THE AGUM-KAKRIME INSCRIPTION ...... 183 14.1. Agum-kakrime Inscription (V R 33, K. 4149+) ...... 184 14.2. The return of the Marduk statue ...... 185

15. SYNCHRONISTIC KING LIST ...... 187

16. (DATE FORMULAE/YEAR-NAMES, DATE-LISTS/YEAR-LISTS, , ACCESSION YEAR) ...... 191 16.1. Date formulae/Year-names, Date-lists/Year-lists, Regnal year, Accession year ...... 191 16.2. Ur III Period ...... 194 16.3. Early Old Babylonian Period: Isin-Larsa Period ...... 195 16.3.1. Isin I Dynasty ...... 196 16.3.2. Larsa Dynasty ...... 196 16.4. Babylon I Dynasty ...... 197 16.5. MuÞammad ...... 199

GENERAL INDEX ...... 201

INDEX OF PLACE NAMES ...... 205

INDEX OF PERSONS ...... 207

INDEX OF TEXTS ...... 211

INDEX OF SYNCHRONISMS ...... 213 Bibliography ...... 217

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ABBREVIATIONS

AA Archäologischer Anzeiger (Berlin) BANEA News- British Association for Near Eastern News- AAA Annals of Archaeology and Anthropology (London) letter letter (London) AAAS Annales Archéologiques de Syrie/ A.A. Arabes BAR British Archaeological Reports (Oxford) Syriennes (Damascus) BARB Bulletin de l’Académie Royale de Belgique (Classe des AbB F.R. KRAUS et al. (eds.), Altbabylonische Briefe in Lettres) (Brussels) Umschrift und Übersetzung, Leiden (1964 ff.) BASOR Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research ABC A.K. GRAYSON, Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles, (Cambridge, Mass.) TCS 5 (1975) BATSH Berichte der Ausgrabung Tell Š®© •amad/ D¹r ABL R.F. HARPER, Assyrian and Babylonian Letters Katlimmu (Berlin) Belonging to the K(ouyunjik) Collection(s) of the BBSt L.W. KING, Babylonian Boundary-Stones and Memo- (14 vols.), Chicago (1892–1914). rial-Tablets in the British Museum, London (1912). Abr-Nahrain (An Annual Published by the Department of Middle BBVO Berliner Beiträge zum Vorderen Orient (Berlin) Eastern Studies, University of Melbourne [Leiden]) BBVOT Berliner Beiträge zum Vorderen Orient, Texte ACES The Australian Centre for : Studies (Berlin) (Warminster) BCSMS Bulletin of the Canadian Society for Mesopotamian ÄAT Ägypten und Altes Testament (Wiesbaden) Studies (Quebec) Ä&L Ägypten und Levante (Vienna) BE The Babylonian Expedition of the University of AEM Archives épistolaires de Mari: in ARM 26 Pennsylvania () AfO Archiv für Orientforschung (Berlin u. a.) Belleten Türk Tarih Kurumu, Belleten () AGS J.A. KNUDTZON, Assyrische Gebete an den Sonnen- BiMes Bibliotheca Mesopotamica (Malibu) gott, Leipzig (1893) BIN Babylonian Inscriptions in the Collection of AION Annali dell‘Istituto Universitario Orientale Napoli J.B. Nies (Yale University) (Naples) BiOr Bibliotheca Orientalis (Leiden) Akkadica(S) Akkadica (Supplement) (Leuven) BoTU Boghazköi-Texte in Umschrift (Leipzig) ALA O. PEDERSÉN, Archives and Libraries in the City of BPO 1 E. REINER – D. PINGREE, Babylonian Planetary Assur, Uppsala (19851985-–1986). Omens, Part 1: The Venus Tablet of Ammi‚aduqa, AlT D.J. WISEMAN, The Tablets, London BiMes 2/1 (1975) (1953) BPO 3 E. REINER in collaboration with PINGREE, Amurru Amurru (Paris) Babylonian Planetary Omens Part Three, CM 11 Anadolu Anadolu. Revue annuelle des études d’archéologie et (1998) d’histoire en Turquie (Paris) BSOAS Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies AnSt Anatolian Studies (London) (London) AOAT Alter Orient und Altes Testament (Kevelaer- CAH The Cambridge Ancient History3 (Cambridge) Neukirchen-Vluyn) CAJ Cambridge Archaeological Journal (Cambridge) AOF Altorientalische Forschungen (Berlin) CANE J. SASSON (ed.), Civilizations of the Ancient Near ARAB D.D. LUCKENBILL, Ancient Records of and East, New York (1995) Babylonia, Chicago (1927) (2 Vols.). CChEM Contributions to the Chronology of the Eastern ARET Archivi Reali di . Testi (Rome) Mediterranean (Vienna) ARI A.K. GRAYSON, Assyrian Royal Inscriptions, Vol. 1, CDOG Internationales Colloquium der Deutschen Ori- Wiesbaden (1972); Vol. 2, Wiesbaden (1976) ent-Gesellschaft (Saarbrücken) ARM Archives Royales de Mari (Paris) ChrMés J.-J. GLASSNER, Chroniques Mésopotamiennes (Paris ARMT Archives Royales de Mari, Traductions (Paris) 1993) ArOr Archív Orientální (Prague) CM Monographs (Groningen) AS Assyriological Studies (Chicago) CNIP The Carsten Niebuhr Institute Publications ASJ Acta Sumerologica (Japonica) (Hiroshima) (Copenhagen) ASOR American School of Oriental Research CRRAI Compte Rendu de la Rencontre Assyriologique (Boston) Internationale Athenaeum Studi Periodici di Letteratura e Storia dell’Antichità CT Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian Tablets in (Pavia) the British Museum (London) AuOr(S) Aula Orientalis (Supplementa) (Barcelona) CTH Catalogue des textes (→ new and BA Beiträge zur Assyriologie (Leipzig) updated version in the : http://www. BaFo Baghdader Forschungen (Berlin) asor.org/HITTITE/CTHHP.html ) BaM Baghdader Mitteilungen (Berlin) DA Documenta Asia(na) (Rome) 10 Bibliographical Abbreviations

DAFI Cahiers de la Délégation Archéologique Fran- JACS Journal of Ancient Civilizations Supplement çaise en (Paris) (Changchun) DaM Damaszener Mitteilungen (Mainz) JANES Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society of Colum- Dating ... H. GASCHE et al., Dating the Fall of Babylon, A bia University (New York) Reappraisal of Second-Millennium Chronology (A JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society (New Joint Ghent-Chicago-Harvard Project), MHEM 4 Haven) (1998) JCS Journal of Cuneiform Studies (Cambridge, Mass.) Dictionnaire ... F. JOANNÈS (ed.), Dictionnaire de la civilisation JEA Journal of Egyptian Archaeology (London) mésopotamienne, Paris (2001) JEOL Jaarbericht van het Vooraziatisch-Egyptisch Genoot- DMOA Documenta et monumenta Orientis antiqui schap “Ex Oriente Lux” (Leiden) (Leiden) JESHO Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Ori- EA El Amarna tablets: → e.g. MORAN (1992) ent (Leiden) EAK R. BORGER, Einleitung in die assyrischen Königsin- JNES Journal of Near Eastern Studies (Chicago) schriften. Erster Teil: Das zweite Jahrtausend v. Chr., JSOT Suppl. Journal of the Study of the Old Testament Sup- HdO I/5/1 (1961) plement (Sheffield) EKI F.W. KÖNIG, Die elamischen Königsinschriften, AfO JTVI Journal of the Transactions of the Victoria Institute Bh. 16 (1965). (London) Enc.Brit. Encyclopaedia Britannica15 KAJ E. EBELING, Keilschrifttexte aus Assur juristischen Eretz Israel Eretz Israel (Jerusalem) Inhalts, WVDOG 50 (1927) FAOS Freiburger altorientalische Studien (Freiburg/ KAR 2 E. EBELING, Keilschrifttexte aus Assur religiösen Brsg.) Inhalts 2, WVDOG 34 (1923) FM Florilegium marianum (Mémoires de KAV O. SCHROEDER, Keilschrifttexte aus Assur verschiede- N.A.B.U.) (Paris) nen Inhalts, WVDOG 35 (1920) KBo Keilschrifttexte aus Boghazköyi (Leipzig) GAG W. VON SODEN, Grundriss der akkadischen Gram- matik, 3. Auflage, AnOr 33 (1995) Klio Klio, Beiträge zur Alten Geschichte (Leipzig/Berlin) GMTR Guides to the Mesopotamian Textual Record KTU M. DIETRICH et al., Die keilalphabetischen Texte aus (Münster) , AOAT 24/1 (1976) HANE/M History of the , Monographs KUB Keilschrifturkunden aus Boghazköy (Berlin) (Padua) LA Liber Annuus (Jerusalem) HANE/S History of the Ancient Near East, Studies LAPO Littératures anciennes du Proche-Orient (Paris) (Padua) MAIBL Mémoires de l’Académie des Inscriptions et HdO Handbuch der Orientalistik (Brill, Köln-Leiden) Belles Lettres (Paris) High ... P. Å STRÖM (ed.), High, Middle or Low, Acts of an MAOG Mitteilungen der Altorientalischen Gesellschaft International Colloquium Held at the University of (Leipzig) Gothenburg 20th–22nd August 1987, Gothenburg MARI Mari, Annales de Recherches Interdisciplinaires (1987-–1989) (Paris) HKL R. BORGER, Handbuch der Keilschriftliteratur I, II, MARV H. FREYDANK, Mittelassyrische Rechtsurkunden und III, Berlin (19671967-–1975) Verwaltungstexte, VS 19 (1976) ff. and WVDOG HSAO Heidelberger Studien zum Alten Orient (Hei- 92 (1994ff.) delberg) MÄS Münchner Ägyptologische Studien (Mainz) HSS Harvard Semitic Studies (Cambridge, MA) MDAI Memoires de la Délégation Archéologique en Iran HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual (Cincinnati) MDAR H. HUNGER – R. PRUZSINSZKY (eds.), Mesopotami- IA Iranica Antiqua (Leiden) an Dark Age Revisited, CChEM 6 (2004) IAK E. EBELING et al., Die Inschriften der altassyrischen MDOG Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesell- Könige, Leipzig (1926) schaft (Berlin) IAPAS Institute of Archaeology Publications Assyrio- MDP Mémoires de la Délégation en Perse/Mission logical Series (Berrien Springs, MI) archéologique de Perse (Paris) IMGULA IMGULA (Münster) MesCiv Mesopotamian Civilizations (Winona Lake, IN) Iraq (London) Mesopotamia, Rivista di archeologia. Epigrafia e sto- Ist.Mitt. Istanbuler Mitteilungen (Tübingen, Berlin) ria orientale antica (Florence) ITN E.F. WEIDNER, Die Inschriften Tukulti-Ninurtas I. Mesopotamia Mesopotamia, Copenhagen Studies in und seiner Nachfolger, AfO Bh. 12 (1959) (Copenhagen) ITT 2 H. DE GENOUILLAC, Inventaire des tablettes de Tello MGMG Mitteilungen der Grazer Morgenländischen conservées au Musée Impérial Ottoman, 2. Textes de Gesellschaft (Graz) l’époque d’Agadé et de l’époque d’Ur, Paris MHEM Mesopotamian History and Environment, (1910–1911) Memoirs (Ghent) JAC Journal of Ancient Civilizations (Changchun) MHEOP Mesopotamian History and Environment, JACF Journal of the Ancient Chronology Forum (England) Occasional Publications (Leuven) Bibliographical Abbreviations 11

MSKH J.A. BRINKMAN, Materials and Studies for Kassite History SEb Studi Eblaiti, Missione archaeologica italiana in 1, A Catalogue of Cuneiform Sources Pertaining to Specif- Siria (Rome) ic Monarchs of the Kassite Dynasty, Chicago (1976) SGKAO Schriften zur Geschichte und Kultur des Alten Ori- MVAeG Mitteilungen der Vorderasiatisch-Ägyptischen ents (Berlin) Gesellschaft (Berlin-Leipzig) SHCANE Studies in the History and Culture of the Ancient MVS Materiali Vocabulario Sumerico (Rome) Near East (Leiden) MVSt Münchner Vorderasiatische Studien (Munich) SMEA Studi Micenei ed Egeo-Anatolici (Rome) N.A.B.U. Nouvelles Assyriologiques Brèves et Utilitaires (Paris) SMS Syro-Mesopotamian Studies (Malibu) OBC Orientalia Biblica et Christiana (Wiesbaden) SOBH M. STOL, Studies in Old Babylonian History, Leiden OBO Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis (Freiburg/ CH) (1976) OBOSA OBO Series Archaeologica (Freiburg/ CH) StBoT Studien zu den Boμazköy-Texten (Wiesbaden) OBTCB PH. TALON, Old Babylonian Texts from Chagar Bazar, STT O. GURNEY – J. FINKELSTEIN, The Sultantepe Tablets AkkadicaS 10 (1997) I/II, London, 1957/1964 OBTR ST. DALLEY, The Old Babylonian Texts from Tell al- Stud. Med. Studia Mediterranea (Pavia) Rimah, London (1976) Subartu About Subartu. Studies devoted to Upper OECT Oxford Editions of Cuneiform Texts (Oxford) Mesopotamia (Turnhout) OIP Oriental Institute Publications (Chicago) Journal of Archaeology and History in Iraq, Arab World OLA Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta (Leuven) (Bagdad) OLZ Orientalistische Literaturzeitung (Leipzig) TCL Textes Cunéiformes du Louvre, Musée du Louvre OPNE Occasional Publications on the Near East (Malibu) (Paris) = P.J. HUBER et al., Astronomical Dating of Babylon I TCM Textes Cunéiformes de Mari and Ur III, OPNE 1/4 (1982) 107-–199 TCS Texts from Cuneiform Sources (Glückstadt) Or Orientalia (Rome) TIM Texts in the Iraq Museum (var.) Orient Orient, Report of the Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan (Tokyo) TUAT Texte aus der Umwelt des Alten Testaments (Gütersloh) OrEx Orient-Express (Paris) Origins Origins Journal (Loma Linda, CA) UAVA Untersuchungen zur Assyriologie und vorderasia- tischen Archäologie (Berlin) PAPS Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society (Philadelphia) UET Ur Excavations Texts (London) PdP La Parola del Passato (Napoli) UF Ugarit Forschungen (Kevelaer Neukirchen- Vluyn, Münster) PHPKB J.A. BRINKMAN, A Political History of Post-Kassite Baby- lonia, 1158–722 B.C., Rome (1968) UNHAI Uitgave van het Nederlands Historisch-Archeolo- ¼ Phoenix. Bulletin uitgegeven door het Genootschap Ned- gisch Instituut te stanbul/ Uitgave: Nederlands erland-Iran (s’Gravenhage – Leuven) Instituut voor he Nabije Oosten te Leiden (Lei- den) PIHANS Publications de l’Institut historique-archéologique néerlandais de Stamboul (-Leiden) VAB Vorderasiatische Bibliothek (Leipzig) PNA K. RADNER/ H.D. BAKER (eds.), The Prosopography of VS Vorderasiatische Schriftdenkmäler (Berlin) the Neo-Assyrian Empire, Helsinki (1998ff.) WO Welt des Orients (Göttingen) PSBA Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Literature (London) WVDOG Wissenschaftliche Veröffentlichungen der Deut- RA Revue d’Assyriologie et d’Archéologie Orientale (Paris) schen Orient-Gesellschaft (Berlin) RAI Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale WZKM Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes RBL Review of Biblical Literature (http://www.bookreviews. (Vienna) org) Xenia Xenia, Konstanzer Althistorische Vorträge und RIMA The Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia, Assyrian Forschungen (Konstanz) Periods (Toronto) YOS Yale Oriental Series (New Haven – London) RIMB The Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia, Babylon- ZA Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäo- ian Periods (Toronto) logie (Berlin) RIME The Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia, Early Peri- ZÄS Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde ods (Toronto) (Leipzig – Berlin) RlA Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen ZDPV Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins, (Stuttgart – Archäologie (Berlin – Leipzig, Berlin – New York) Wiesbaden) RSO Ras Shamra Ougarit (Paris) III R ... H.C. RAWLINSON – G. SMITH, The Cuneiform Inscrip- SAA State Archives of Assyria (Helsinki) tions of III, London (1870) SAAB State Archives of Assyria, Bulletin (Helsinki) V R ... T.G. PINCHES, The Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western SAAS State Archives of Assyria Studies (Helsinki) Asia 5, A Selection from the Miscellaneous Inscriptions of SAOC Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilizations (Chicago) Assyria and Babylonia, prepared by Sir H.C. Rawlinson, SBL Society of Biblical Literature London (1880) SCCNH Studies on the Civilization and Culture of and the (Winona Lake, IN) FURTHER ABBREVIATIONS

& synchronisms MC Middle Chronology → see MEC Mari Eponym Chronicle A., Ass. Assur Texts from Assur Nass. Nassouhi King List Akk. Akkadian NC New Chronology (see ULC) AKL Assyrian King List obv. obverse AO texts in the Louvre prob. probably BKL (A, B, C, ...) Babylonian King List (A, B, C, ...) rev. reverse BM British Museum London RN Royal name CBS Catalogue of the Babylonian Section, University RS Ras Shamra (text) Museum in Philadelphia (text) SCIEM (2000) The Synchronisation of Civilisations of the Chors. Chorsabad King List Eastern Mediterranean (in the 2nd Millenni- EA El-Amarna (text) um BC) EAE En¹ma Anu Enlil SDAS SDAS Kinglist (Seventh Day Adventist Semi- EBA Early nary, Washington) e.g. for example SKL Sumerian King List EL(s) eponym list(s) sum. Sumerian esp. especially TM Tell Mardikh (text) fn. footnote UHC Ultra-high Chronology GHD Genealogy of the Hammurapi Dynasty UKL King List HC High Chronology ULC Ultra-low Chronology HiKL “Hittite King List” USKL Sumerian King List of the Ur III period pub- hitt. Hittite lished by STEINKELLER (2003) IM Iraq Museum (text) VAM Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin K. Kuyunjik Collection, British Museum (text) VAT Vorderasiatisches Museum texts KEL Kültepe Eponym List vs. versus KL(s) King List(s) W.-B. 444 Weld-Blundell Prism of the Ashmolean Muse- LBA Late Bronze Age um, Oxford (Sumerian Kinglist version) LC Low Chronology VT Venus Tablet MBA Middle Bronze Age YL Year-lists PREFACE BY THE EDITOR

The overall goal of SCIEM 2000 is to establish an literature in order to make it easily accessible to the absolute chronology of the Eastern Mediterranean other collaborators of the project. When she had fin- and the adjacent regions for the second millennium ished all the digests, discussions, tables and overviews, BC. Mesopotamia is of special importance here it was obvious that it would be a pity to let so much because it has a tradition of king lists and similar his- work remain known only to a few, and we decided to toriographic texts which would provide such a reli- publish a handbook of Mesopotamian chronology in able chronology – were they only completely pre- the second millennium BC. served. Moreover, frequent synchronisms link I am happy to see the product of Regine Pru- Mesopotamia to the and . zsinszky’s efforts published, and I hope that it will It was therefore natural to include a study on establish itself as a reliable introduction to this fasci- Mesopotamian chronology within SCIEM 2000, and nating topic. Regine Pruzsinszky was entrusted with it. From her investigations it became clear that a solution for Mesopotamian chronology could not yet be achieved, but in the end she had studied all the pertinent texts, and had excerpted and condensed all the secondary Hermann Hunger

FOREWORD

This “Introduction to Mesopotamian Chronology of (1998), which should be compared with charts show- the 2nd Millennium BC” covers the most important ing the classical Mesopotamian Middle Chronology. topics, forming the basis for chronological discus- The chronologies of “peripheral areas” of sions on that period. These include dating methods Mesopotamia (Elam, , the Hittites, etc.) are not and the calendar of Mesopotamia, relevant sources discussed in detail because that would have gone for Mesopotamian chronology (king lists, chronicles, beyond the scope of this book. Important contribu- year-names, eponyms and other sources containing tions are referred to in the introduction and in the chronological information) and the natural science “Bibliographischer Wegweiser” published by the pre- data from 14C and dendrochronology. This book sent author in Ägypten und Levante 15 (2006). A confer- presents digests of the most important matters relat- ence on the “Dark Age of Mesopotamia” taking place ing to each of these issues including summaries of in Vienna was organized by H. Hunger and me in 2002. scholarship and of relevant ancient texts. It is not the The papers presented at the conference in Vienna aim of this book to come to any conclusions chrono- 2002, which included studies on the chronologies of logically, simply to take a closer look at bases for the Babylonia and of the peripheral areas of Mesopotamia, different chronologies proposed for 2nd millennium were published under the title “Mesopotamian Dark Age BC Mesopotamia and to determine the limitations Revisited” at the beginning of 2004 in CChEM 6. This and relative reliability of the methods and materials publication may be regarded as one of the replies to used in the chronological debate. Each chapter cen- the 1998 and 2000 publication by the Ghent-Chicago ters on one particular topic or type of chronological study group directed by H. GASCHE, who proposed the source. The chapters are arranged in alphabetical so-called “New Chronology”, a reduction of ca. 100 order according to the topic or source. Since each years of the Middle Chronology. chapter is designed to be read separately, a certain I would like to thank Craig Crossen for making amount of repetition is inevitable. the huge effort of correcting my English throughout This book does not contain many chronological the whole manuscript and turning it into a readable charts of rulers and dates and synchronisms because book. such charts can be easily consulted in the various My thanks go to all collaborators of SCIEM under the introductions to Ancient Near Eastern history direction of Prof. Dr. Bietak and especially to Prof. Dr. and studies (such as by BRINKMAN in OPPENHEIM’s Hermann Hunger, who read and commented on the Ancient Mesopotamia, HALLO – SIMPSON, VEENHOF, VAN manuscript. I also want to thank Dr. Nele Ziegler for DE MIEROOP, KUHRT), in catalogues (e.g. STARKE her valuable comments on an earlier draft of this study. in Hethiter und ihr Reich, Bonn 2002) or in the recent- My heartfelt thanks for their support are due to ly published supplement volume Herrscherchronolo- my parents, my sister Sophie Pruzsinszky, and gien of “Der Neue Pauly” edited by EDER and RENGER Michael J. Kaiser. (2004). An important chronological chart contain- ing dates according to the “New Chronology” Regine Pruzsinszky appears in GASCHE et al., Dating the Fall of Babylon Freiburg/Brsg., September 2008