Tukulti-Ninurta I
Middle Assyrian king who conquered Babylon
- Reigned
- c. 1243–1207 BCE
- Defeated
- Kashtiliashu IV of Babylon
- Founded
- Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta
- Died
- Murdered, reportedly by a son
An Assyrian king who conquered Babylon and built a new capital, sometimes proposed as a historical model for Nimrod.
What is Tukulti-Ninurta I known for?
Tukulti-Ninurta I ruled Assyria from about 1243 to 1207 BCE. He defeated the Kassite king Kashtiliashu IV and briefly ruled Babylonia, an event celebrated in a long Assyrian poem, the Tukulti-Ninurta Epic. He also built a new capital, Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta, across the Tigris from Ashur. Britannica records that he was murdered by his own son.
Because he ruled both Assyria and Babylon and carried the name of the warrior god Ninurta, some scholars have proposed him as a historical model for Nimrod, the 'mighty hunter' of Genesis 10 whose kingdom included Babel and Calah. This remains one theory among several. Others connect Nimrod with Sargon of Akkad, with the god Ninurta himself, or with Gilgamesh, and none fits perfectly.
The Tukulti-Ninurta Epic is also a rare example of Assyrian historical poetry, presenting the war as just punishment of a Babylonian king who broke his oath. His carrying off the statue of Marduk from Babylon was remembered long after.
Named as one of the historical kings scholars have tried to match with Nimrod.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeNimrod
Sources
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