Shutruk-Nakhunte

Shutruk-Nakhunte was king of Elam from about 1185 to 1155 BC (middle chronology), and the second king of the Shutrukid Dynasty.

Babylonian stele in the Louvre

Elam amassed an empire that included most of Mesopotamia and western Iran. Under his command, Elam defeated the Kassites and established the short-lived Elamite Empire, conquered within about 40 years by Nebuchadnezzar I of Babylon, in 1120 BC.

Shutruk-Nakhunte was married to the daughter of a Kassite king named Meli-Schipak.

In popular culture

Shutruk-Nakhunte gained a small public exposition in Ethan Canin's short story "The Palace Thief", and its adaptation in the 2002 film The Emperor's Club, in which one of the key elements is a plaque describing the exploits of Shutruk-Nakhunte, described as a once famous egomaniacal conqueror virtually unknown today.

The quote from the film is, "'I am Shutruk Nahunte, King of Anshand and Susa, Sovereign of the land of Elam. I destroyed Sippar, took the stele of Niran-Sin, and brought it back to Elam, where I erected it as an offering to my god, Inshushinak.' — Shutruk Nahunte, 1158 B.C."

Sources

• D.T. Potts: The Archaeology of Elam, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1999, 232-237