Three Missing Kings Discovered in the Assyrian King List
Ancient Assyrian history could be rewritten with the discovery of three previously unknown kings.
1Gaps in the Assyrian King List
For about a century, scholars studying the Assyrian Empire have treated the Assyrian King List (AKL) as the standard record of the kingdom's rulers. However, a new study in the Journal of Cuneiform Studies suggests that the AKL may not be as complete or neutral as previously thought. Alexander Johannes Edmonds and Eckart Frahm have identified three kings who are missing from the list but whose existence is confirmed by other evidence.
2First Discovery: Tiglath-pileser
The first overlooked ruler identified by Edmonds and Frahm is Tiglath-pileser, who took the name of an earlier Assyrian king. This king ruled concurrently with the officially recognized king Ashur-dan III and was his nephew. Following a solar eclipse, Tiglath-pileser attempted to depose Ashur-dan III. A clay tablet held by the British Museum indicates that Tiglath-pileser likely ruled from around 763-762 BCE before being deposed.
3Second Discovery: Shalmaneser
Evidence for the second forgotten ruler comes from a stela discovered in 1894 at Tell 'Abta in Iraq. Researchers have long debated why the name of the Assyrian king originally associated with the monument was overwritten with another Tiglath-pileser's name. Edmonds and Frahm propose that adding another ruler to the sequence explains this mystery. They suggest a king named Shalmaneser ruled just before Tiglath-pileser III came to power in 745 BCE.
4Third Discovery: Ashur-uballit
The third case centers on a ruler named Ashur-uballit. A cuneiform text attributed to King Tukulti-Ninurta II mentions a libation vessel originally made by Tukulti-Ninurta I and later restored by Ashur-uballit. The problem is that the AKL lists no king by that name between Tukulti-Ninurta I and II. Edmonds and Frahm suggest an unrecognized Ashur-uballit ruled from 913-912 BCE, explaining both the tablet reference and a damaged statue at Ashur.
5The True Purpose of the Assyrian King List
The possible existence of these three rulers raises broader questions about the AKL's intended function. Rather than being an impartial chronological record, the researchers propose it may have served as a legitimizing canon of kings, periodically updated to exclude short-lived or rival Neo-Assyrian rulers. This perspective offers historians a new way to interpret the AKL and the political motives behind its composition.
6Implications for Historical Revision
Edmonds and Frahm's findings complicate the early political history of the Assyrian Empire beyond previous scholarly understanding. By revealing potential gaps in Assyria's official royal records, they provide fresh insights into how political legitimacy and historical memory may have shaped the narrative of the world's first empire. These discoveries enrich our comprehension of ancient historical processes.
7Cultural Memory and Kingship
The researchers question what determined a king's 'canonicity' and how this intersected with Assyrian cultural memory or concepts of kingship. Was the AKL's function practical, or purely ceremonial? These inquiries transform the Assyrian King List itself into a new subject of investigation. The three kings' discovery could lead to rewriting Assyrian history.
8Conclusion and Significance
With three previously hidden royal histories now emerging, the Assyrian King List has become a fresh research subject. Edmonds and Frahm's work shows early Assyrian political history was more complex than believed, yet this complexity enriches our historical understanding. Gaps in Assyria's official records offer new clues about how political legitimacy was constructed in the ancient world.