King Ashurbanipal (r. 668 to 626 BC): Son of King Esarhaddon and Queen Ešarra-ḫammat
King Ashurbanipal (r. 668-626 BC) was the son of Assyrian Queen Ešarra-ḫammat and King Esarhaddon (r. 680–669 BC).
He reigned as King of Assyria, inheriting the throne after his father’s 38-year reign. His twin brother, Šamaš-šuma-ukin, reigned as king of Babylon (r. 668–648 BC).
His sister, Šērūʾa-ēṭirat is the only one of Esarhaddon's daughters to be known by name. Her mother may have also been Ešarra-ḫammat.
King Ashurbanipal came to the throne in Nineveh and continued operations against Egypt.
His father, Esarhaddon conquered Egypt, defeating Pharaoh Taharqa, the first time Egypt had been under Assyrian rule.
King Ashurbanipal’s daughter with Queen Ashursharrat l, Adad-Guppi, was born in 649 BC in Babylonia.
She was the mother of King Nabonidus (r. 556-539 BC).
King Nabonidus, father of Biblical King Belshazzar, ascended to the throne after overthrowing his predecessor Labashi-Marduk. For long periods, he would entrust rule to his son Belshazzar, a capable soldier but a poor politician who lost the support of the priesthood and the military class.
Around 552 BC, King Nabonidus made the city of Tema his residence and spent ten of the sixteen years of his reign there during the Achaemenid period (550-330 BC), the dynasty ruling in Persia from Cyrus I to Darius II.
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About the Author: Lawrence Jean-Louis is the founder of eBrand Me, a digital marketing agency offering marketing & consultative services to CPAs and tax professionals. She aspires to start a money management firm by 2030.
