Agum II

Agum II^{[nb 1]} (also known as Agum Kakrime) was possibly a Kassite ruler who may have become the 8^th or more likely the 9^th king of the third Babylonian dynasty sometime after Babylonia was defeated and sacked by the Hittite king Mursilis I in 1531 BC (short chronology), establishing Kassite Dynasty which was to last in Babylon until 1155 BC. A later tradition, the Marduk Prophecy,^{[i 1]} gives 24 years after statue was taken before it returned of its own accord to Babylon,^[1] suggesting a Kassite occupation beginning around 1507 BC.

The only historical source describes him as son of Urzigurumaš, the 6^th king of the dynasty, but the Synchronistic King List^{[i 2]} has two lacunae where the 8^th and 9^th kings precede Burna-Buriaš I, who was the 10^th.^[1] The 7^th position is occupied by a name containing “Harba.”^{[nb 2]} It has been suggested that the 9^th position may show traces of the name “Kakrime”, purported to mean Sword of Mercy.^[2]

Agum-Kakrime Inscription

Everything that is known about him is through the Agum-Kakrime Inscription^{[i 3]} which describes the King’s recovery of the cultic Statue of Marduk from the land of Hana, pilfered by the Hittites during their sack of Babylon, and its restoration in the newly refurbished temple of Ésagila. In it, Agum portrays himself as the legitimate ruler and caring “shepherd” of both the Kassites and the Akkadians. He asserts his suzerainty over Padan and Alman and also the Guteans, “a foolish people,”^{[nb 3]} variously located in regions of the Zagros mountains.

The inscription begins with an introduction, giving the King’s name, genealogy, epithets and so on. He is a descendent of Abi[rattash], “the fierce hero.” It continues with a long narrative of the return of Marduk and his consort Zarpanītum and then lists Agum-Kakrime’s many generous donations to the temple and includes descriptions of the purification of the house itself by a snake charmer and the construction of protective demons for the doorway.^[3]

Of uncertain provenance, it is on a tablet which covers 8 columns and more than 350 lines, including much esoteric detail concerning the temple and its rituals. It was found in the library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh, purporting to be a copy of an inscription made in antiquity.^[4] For those disputing its authenticity, it is a later pseudonymous propaganda piece for the cult of Marduk, emphasizing certain tax exemptions granted for the restoration of the statues.^[5] Those supportive of its authenticity cite the iconography of the demons described on the door of the cella, which represent Marduk’s defeated foes,^{[nb 4]} the gods of cities conquered by Babylon, such as Ešnunna and are illustrative of a middle Babylonian theology. Marduk has yet to attain sovereignty over the universe characterized by the Enûma Eliš and the struggle with Tiāmat.^[6]

Inscriptions

1. ^ The Marduk Prophesy, Tablet K.2158 in the British Museum.
2. ^ A neo-Assyrian Synchronistic King List, A.117, in the Assur collection of the İstanbul Arkeoloji Műzeleri.
3. ^ Tablets K. (for Kouyunjik collection) 4149, 4203, 4348 and Sm. (for Smith collection) 27 in the British Museum.

Notes

1. ^ Inscribed A-gu-um-ka-ak-ri-me in his eponymous inscription, elsewhere unattested.
2. ^ Variously restored as Harba-Šipak, and Ḫurbazum.
3. ^ Some translations say “a barbarous people.”
4. ^ “Venomous Snake” (bašmu), “hairy one” (lahmu), “Bison” (kusarikku), “Big-Weather Beast” (ugallu), “Mad Lion” (uridimmu), “Fish-Man” (kulullû) and “Carp-Goat” (suhurmašu)

References