assyria

Tukulti-Ninurta I (reigned 1244-1208 BCE) was a king of the Assyrian Empire during the period known as the Middle Empire. He was the son of Shalmaneser I (reigned 1274-1245 BCE) who had completed the work of his father, Adad Nirari I, in conquering and securing the lands that had once been the Kingdom of Mitanni. Tukulti-Ninurta I, therefore, inherited a vast empire that was largely secure. Not content with resting on the achievements of his father and grandfather, Tikulti-Ninurta I expanded Assyria’s holdings further, toppled the kingdom of theHittites, crushed the Nairi people of Anatolia, and enriched the palace treasury with loot from his conquests. An adept warrior and statesman, he was also a literate man who was the first Assyrian king to begin collecting tablets for a library in the capital city of Ashur. He is best known for the sack of Babylon and plundering the sacred temple of the city and has been identified as the king known as Nimrod from the biblical Book of Genesis 10:8-10, who was a great warrior, famous hunter, and Assyrian king. The historian Susan Wise Bauer comments on the Nimrod/Tukulti-Ninurta I identification, writing:

The chronology is difficult, but Tukulti Ninurta is probably the king called Nimrod in Genesis 10:10: a mighty hunter and warrior whose kingdom included Babylon, Erech [Uruk] Akkad, and Nineveh, the same expanse as that claimed by Tukulti-Ninurta for Assyria. Weirdly enough, this Hebrew version of the name of the Assyrian great king has become an English synonym for a foolish and ineffectual man (“What a nimrod!”). The only etymology I can find for this suggests that, thanks to some biblically literate scriptwriter, [the cartoon character] Bugs Bunny once called Elmer Fudd a “poor little Nimrod” in an ironic reference to the “mighty hunter”. Apparently the entire Saturday-morning audience, having no memory of Genesis genealogies, heard the irony as a general insult and applied it to anyone bumbling and Fudd-like. Thus a distorted echo of Tukulti-Ninurta’s might in arms bounced down, through the agency of a rabbit, into the vocabulary of the twentieth century (270).

EIGN & EARLY CAMPAIGNS

The Kingdom of Mitanni had been conquered by the Hittites under their king Suppiluliuma I (1344-1322 BCE) prior to the rise of the Assyrians. Adad Nirari I and Shalmaneser I, as noted, had secured the region under Assyrian rule by the time Tukulti-Ninurta I took the throne. The Hittites, under their king Tudhaliya IV, were no longer considered the formidable power in the region that they had been in the days of Suppiluliuma I and his son Mursilli II. Tudhaliya IV, wishing to enhance his reputation as a ruler, focused on grand building projects, which included 26 new temples and renovations to his already luxurious palace. At the same time he was channeling funds into urban development. However, his country was suffering a famine which was so serious that he had to write to Egypt asking for grain to keep the people from starving. Further, the Hittite economy was failing and the army had not been paid. When the cities along the western border of his kingdom revolted, Tudhaliya marched out and subdued them, but the effort this took was noted by Tukulti-Ninurta I and, recognizing the weakness of the Hittites, he attacked.

Tudhaliya IV met him on the field of Erbila and, according to a letter which Tukulti-Ninurta I sent to one of his allies, tried to win the battle by trickery, since he feared he could not do so by strength of arms. Tukulti-Ninurta I’s letter reads,

Tudhaliya wrote to me, saying, “You have captured merchants who were loyal to me. Come on, let’s fight; I have set out against you for battle.”

I prepared my army and my chariots. But before I could reach his city, Tudhaliya the king of the Hittites sent out a messenger who was holding two tablets with hostile words and one with friendly words. He showed me the two with a hostile challenge first. When my army heard about these words, they were anxious to fight, ready to set out at once. The messenger saw this. So then he gave me the third tablet, which said, “I am not hostile to the king of Assur [Ashur], my brother. Why should we brothers be at war with each other?”

But I brought my army on. He was stationed with his soldiers in the city Nihrija, so I sent him a message saying, “I’ll besiege the city. If you are truly friendly to me, leave the city at once.” But he did not reply to my message.

So I withdrew my army a little way back from the city. Then a Hittite deserter fled from Tudhaliya’s army and reached me. He said, “The king may be writing to you evasively, in friendship, but his troops are in battle order; he is ready to march.”

So I called my troops out and marched against him; and I won a great victory (Bauer, 269).

Tukulti-Ninurta I claimed afterwards to have taken 28,800 Hittite prisoners of war and, while that may be an exaggeration, the historical record supports his claim of the great victory at the Battle of Nihriya in c. 1245 BCE. He could have then pursued Tudhaliya IV and destroyed the remnants of the Hittite army but chose instead to march back to his capital at Ashur with his prisoners and whatever loot there was to be had. While he had been engaged with the Hittites, the city of Babylon in the south moved against Assyrian territories on the border and claimed them. The question of the border states between Babylon and Assyria had been settled by treaty that the Babylonian king now chose to ignore. Regarding this, Bauer writes:

Babylon had had an ambiguous relationship with Assyria for years. Each city had, at various times, claimed the right to rule the other. Babylon and Assur were not only balanced in strength, but also twins in culture. They had once been part of the same empire, underHammurabi, and the essentially Babylonian stamp on the whole area remained visible. Assyria and Babylon shared the same gods, albeit with occasionally different names; their gods had the same stories; and the Assyrians used Babylonian cuneiform in their inscriptions and annals. This likeness made Assyrian kings generally reluctant to sack and burn Babylon, even when they had the chance. But Tukulti-Ninurta was not much inclined to restraint. He boasted in his inscriptions of the fate of all those who defied him: “I filled the caves and ravines of the mountains with their corpses,” he announces, “I made heaps of their corpses, like grain piled beside their gates; their cities I ravaged, I turned them into ruinous hills” (270).

The Kassite king of Babylon, Kashtiliash IV, took the border regions between Babylon and Assyria and fortified them. He seems to have felt that Tukulti-Ninurta I would be dealing with the Hittites for an extended period and would not concern himself with Babylon or the disputed territories. Bauer comments on this writing, “We know almost nothing about this king, Kashtiliash IV, except that he was a poor judge of men; Tukulti-Ninurta marched down and plundered Babylon’s temples” (270). The Assyrian army sacked Babylon and Tikulti-Ninurta I wrote that he faced down the Babylonian king personally in battle and “trod on his royal neck with my feet like a footstool.”  With Babylon in ruins, he then took the treasures of the gods, including the statue of the great god Marduk, back to the city of Ashur. He also took with him a large portion of the population as slaves, including the king, who he marched “naked and in chains” to Ashur and then placed an Assyrian official in charge of re-building and governing Babylon. The Assyrian Empire now extended further than it ever had previously under any king, and historians have long claimed that Tukulti-Ninurta I now built his city Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta to celebrate his great victory by creating a new capital city distinct from Ashur.

KAR-TUKULTI-NINURTA

The city of Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta (Harbor of Tukulti-Ninurta) was the king’s personal project and has long been held to have been initiated after the sack of Babylon. The historian Marc Van De Mieroop writes, “The greatest project was the construction of a new capital city by Tikulti-Ninurta, named Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta, opposite Ashur on the Tigris River. It was built after he had defeated Babylon, and the spoils of that campaign may have helped provide the means” (183). Bauer also cites the same version of events, claiming the city was built following the sack of Babylon. This view of the history of the city, though long held, has been questioned in recent years by scholars who claim the city was among the king’s first projects and was only renovated, not initiated, after the fall of Babylon. The historian Alesandra Gilibert writes:

The site was excavated by a German team led by Walter Bachman from October 1913 to March 1914. Fieldwork then resumed in 1986 and again in 1987…Drawing on the results of these excavations and on textual evidence, [we should call] into question two theses that, though rarely properly discussed, have become the communis opinio in scholarlyliterature. They concern the first decades of the history of the city and can be summarized as follows: 1. Kar Tukulti Ninurta was founded and completed in a relatively short period of time following the military conquest of Babylon, 2. Kar Tukulti Ninurta was conceived as a counterpart to Assur…both theses are based on misinterpretations and false assumptions and hence should be revised (179).

Based on archaeological evidence and the inscriptions found at the site and elsewhere, the city does seem to have been initiated much earlier than the traditional date assigned. The accepted story of the city rising after the fall of Babylon comes from inscriptions found on buildings in the ruins of Kar Tukulti Ninurta, in the king’s royal inscriptions, and on the supposition that, after the sack of Babylon, the king wanted to separate himself from those in Ashur who did not approve of his campaign and so built a new capital. The inscriptions in the city, however, are all found on buildings which were renovated, not built, after the fall of Babylon, and the older part of the city pre-dates Babylon’s fall in c. 1225 BCE. It seems more likely that the new city, whose palace Tukulti-Ninurta I referred to as “my royal dwelling”, was built early in his reign not to replace Ashur as the capital but simply to complement it. Records indicate that the same officials who worked in the administrative offices in Ashur also worked across the river in the offices at Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta, and so the claim that the new city was built to replace the old capital is untenable. The inscriptions of the king claiming it was built quickly after the fall of Babylon seem more like political propaganda than historical truth and most likely actually refer to the renovations to the city and not to its founding. These inscriptions make clear how complete Tukulti-Ninurta I’s victory was over the Kassites of Babylon and how this victory should be remembered by those visiting the city. These writings correspond to another work commissioned by the king, the Tukulti Ninurta Epic, which justifies his campaign against Babylon and the looting of the temples.

THE TUKULTI-NINURTA EPIC

The historian Stephen Bertman writes, “In literature, Tukulti-Ninurta’s victory over Kashtiliash was celebrated in an epic, the so-called Tikulti-Ninurta Epic, the only Assyrian one we possess” (108). In this poem, the king claims that he had no choice but to sack Babylon because the Kassite king had broken the laws ordained by the gods. Commenting on this, the historian Christoph O. Schroeder writes:

The Assyrian Tukulti-Ninurta Epic’s purpose is to give a theological legitimation for the destruction of Babylon by the Assyrian king…It intends to justify the city’s destruction as the outcome of a just war. To achieve this, it portrays Kashtiliash IV, the Babylonian king, as a breaker of oaths and the violator of the parity-treaty that had been the basis of the relations between Assyria and Babylon since the time of the king’s fathers (147).

The poem begins with Tikulti-Ninurta I addressing the sun god Shamash saying, “I respected your oath, I feared your greatness” and then going on to explain how the king of Babylon had not done so - “He had no fear of your oath, he transgressed your command, he schemed an act of malice” - and so Tikulti-Ninurta I had only been doing the will of the gods when he sacked the city and took the treasures of the temple back to Ashur. Even though it was true that Kashtiliash IV had initiated hostilities, the people of the land, both Babylonians and Assyrians, felt the king’s treatment of the city was too harsh for the transgression of claiming the border territories and breaking the treaty. Bauer writes:

Babylon itself had been shocked by the plunder of the temples: “He put Babylonians to the sword,” the Babylonian Chronicle says, “the treasure of Babylon he profanely brought out, and he took the great lord Marduk off to Assyria.” Nor had the destruction gone over well with the devout in his own land. The Assyrian epic that Tukulti-Ninurta commissioned to celebrate the victory over Babylon has an unmistakably defensive tone; it goes to great lengths to explain that Tukulti-Ninurta really wanted to have peace with Babylon and tried his best to be friends with Kashtiliash, only the Babylonian king insisted on coming into Assyrian territory to thieve and burn, which is why the gods of Babylon deserted the city and left it for punishment to the Assyrians. Clearly the great king was under pressure to explain not only why he sacked Babylon, but why he took its sacred images back to his own capital. The explanation didn’t convince, and Tukulti-Ninurta’s sacrilege brought about his end (271).

Centuries later, the Assyrian king Sennacherib would sack Babylon and his son Esarhaddon would explain the city’s fate using this same theological justification. Esarhaddon, however, had been a young prince at the time of his father's conquest of Babylon and clearly had had nothing to do with it. His explanation that the gods had destroyed Babylon because of the sins of the people, which left out any mention of the role his father played in the destruction of the city, seemed to make sense in that he was re-building Babylon following its fall and had played no part in its destruction. Tukulti-Ninurta I’s inscription was not accepted because the people knew what he had done and how he had personally profited from the wealth stolen from the gods. Whether Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta was built earlier or later in his reign, it was lavishly renovated with wealth from the sack of Babylon, and the king retreated to his royal dwelling and left the politics of Ashur to his court administrators. It has long been surmised that he did so because the tide of popular opinion had turned against him because of his treatment of Babylon.

DEATH & LEGACY

The Babylonian Chronicles report that, “As for Tukulti-Ninurta, who had brought evil upon Babylon, his son and the nobles of Assyria revolted and they cast him from his throne and imprisoned him in his own palace complex and then killed him with a sword.” His death plunged the country into a chaos of civil war from which his son Ashur-Nadin-Apli, generally understood as his assassin or at least a primary conspirator, took the throne and restored order. Still, the country fell into a kind of stasis in which it neither declined nor evolved. The entire region c. 1200 BCE suffered significantly in the so-called Bronze Age Collapse but Assyria would remain relatively intact; even so, the empire suffered after the death of Tukulti-Ninurta I and no king would rise to lead the country forward until the reign of Tiglath Pileser I (1115-1076 BCE).

Although he had ruled successfully for 37 years, Tukulti-Ninurta I’s decision to sack Babylon, and his subsequent assassination, were what he was known for afterwards, thanks to the work of the Babylonian scribes who wrote the chronicles. His legacy, however, could be greater than they imagined when they wrote of him centuries ago. Van De Mieroop notes that, “Babylon’s culture had an impact on the entire Near Eastern world…Tukulti Ninurta I, for example, after sacking Babylon, took home literary tablets as booty. He may thus have laid the foundation of a royal library in Assyria filled with Babylonian manuscripts. These influenced local authors” (179). These Assyrian authors would transcribe works such as the myth of Adapa, the inscriptions of Sargon the Great, the Epic ofGilgamesh, the myths of the gods of Babylon specifically and Sumer in general, and, in doing so, passed on these stories to other generations in Assyria. As the Assyrian Empire grew larger and conquered other territories, the literature of Babylon spread throughout their territories, influencing the cultures and literary traditions of the ancient world.

togarmah Tower of Babel.

       ANCIENT SUMERIA

ancient city-states: the rise of civilization

1. Sumer (Shinar), first city-state, the Sumerians ["Ubaidians"], pre-Semitic Hamitic inhabitants of Mesopotamia

Noah [Neptune] begot three sons, namely, (1) Sem, (2) Iapet, and (3) Ham. And, Ham begot three sons, namely, (1) Kush, (2) Mizraim, and (3) Phut.

(1) Kush, the first King of Kish, and the ancestor of the Kushites, the "Black African" race, according to the world’s genealogy of seventy [or seventy-two] nations recorded by Moses in "The Table of Nations" (Genesis 10), and founder of the Kushite/Nubian royal house.

(2) Mizraim, his brother, migrated to Egypt, called the "Land of Ham" in the Bible, and was the father of an eldest son and two younger twin sons. The eldest son, On, was the ancestor of Egypt’s priests; and, the twins, Pathros and Caphtor, split Egypt between them and founded the double kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt, or "Dynasty 0". Later, Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt and drove out their cousins, the Caphtorites [who took ships and settled pre-Minoan Crete]; and, Mene[s], united Egypt into one nation, and founded its first national dynasty. Mene[s], 1st King of Egypt, was the son of Narmer "The Scorpion", the Viceroy/King of Upper Egypt in Nimrod’s Sumerian Empire, and, his wife, Nimrod's sister, Quire, The kingdom of Lower Egypt, that is, of the Mizraimite-Caphtorites, was transferred from Lower Egypt to the Isle of Crete; and, transferred again from Crete to Troy [6th-7th Dyn.] at the time of the Minoan Conquest of Crete; and, from Troy, in North-West Turkey, after its epic fall fighting the Greeks and their allies [episode of "The Trojan Horse"], transferred again to Alba-Longa in Italy, which was the mother-city of Rome, whose emperors claimed the "world-throne" as Nimrod's successors.

(3) Phut, the other brother, was the ancestor of the North Africans, who dwelt west of Egypt, or Libyans, who gave "The Maghrib" [North Africa, west of Egypt] a dynasty of kings; one of whom a thousand years later gave land for a colony of Phoenicians under their queen, first ruler of Carthage.

2. Babel, Nimrod, 1st King

A. early years

The Kushite prince Nimrod, called AEthiops in Greek Mythology, is said in ancient literature to have been a very charismatic young man who slew a dragon [a dinosaur], which deed made him popular among the people of the Mesopotamian settlement of the human-race. He was described in ancient literature as big and strong and a very handsome, athletic "black man", whose looks dazzled the eyes of his female admirers, and whose charisma spellbound his male followers.

B. conquests

The first post-diluvian attempt by the human-race to institutionalize a government was made by Nimrod at Babel, in Sumeria, Mesopotamia, where the main body of the human-race had set up camp. He overthrew the post-diluvian Semitic "patriarchate" [the Semite-line: which according to the "Noahic Covenant", was given a divine mandate to rule as a series of hereditary patriarchs], and establishing in its place an Hamitic "monarchy", as the world’s first king as well as the first "world-king" since the entire human-race was re-unified by the monarchy or crown. Nimrod established a government at Babel over Sumeria; and extended his rule over other human settlements worldwide either by their consent or by force, and founded the world’s first empire. He was the first person in world-history to make war on his own species, say all the ancient sources.

E. successor-state, 1st Dynasty

Bel, the posthumous son of Nimrod and Queen Semiramis, however, gathered together the remnants of the world-government-system and established the state of Babel or Sumer; and, Bel is [also] reckoned as the first King of Babel, or Sumer, and the ancestor of its dynasty, the Belgae [Baltheride] [Baalite], whose successors were represented by branches of Bel’s descendants as the kings of several Sumerian city-states. The royal house of the Phoenicians at Tyre, previously at Sidon, was Baalite. Bel completed the construction of the Tower of Babel, a ziggurat, the great-temple to their god [Satan], and completed the walls of Babylon, and completed most of the other projects begun by his father, such as the "united-nations" headquarters. He made Babel-Babylon into the world’s most splendid city, to symbolize its supposed status as the world’s capital-city.

There was a rivalry between Bel, and his descendants, verses Reu, and his descendants. Kingdom of Babel flourished for hundreds if not perhaps a thousand years, circa 4500-3500BC, under Bel's descendants, and fell at the time of the conquest of Mesopotamia by the Semitic-Sumerians, under Reu's descendants, displacing most of its native population, the Hamitic-Sumerians.

3. Salem: city-state

Reu, the heir of the Semitic patriarchate, has a descent-line unrecorded in the Bible. His descendants held sway at Salem, the site of the future Jerusalem. There is a large gap in the Bible genealogy between Reu and his "descendant", not "son", Serug. It appears that an ancient scribe thought the "Torah" needed a chronology, so he gave it one. The age-scale of the generations is the later chronology version of the text, whereas the text of just "begots" was the original manuscript written by Moses. Reu was a rival against his half-brother, Bel, for the world-throne, which essentially disappeared with the collapse of Nimrod’s world-empire due to the chaos that took place at the dispersion of the human-race, however, the concept of a "world-throne" was still there.

4. Egypt: national-state

Meantime, Mene[s], the son of Nimrod’s sister, Quire, and, her husband, Narmer "The Scorpion", the viceroy of Upper Egypt in Nimrod’s empire, following Nimrod’s death, claimed the world-throne in opposition to Reu and Bel, and, took up residence at Memphis, Egypt, where he established a state, a religion [an Egyptianized version of Sumerian "zeroashtaism"], and a culture, and, is reckoned as Egypt’s first king. He was the first pharaoh of Egypt’s 1st-Dynasty [9 kings].

see http://www.angelfire.com/ego/et_deo/egyptianpharaohs.wps.htm

5. Kish, city-state [1st Dynasty: 23 kings]

The successors of the Hamitic Sumerian kings of Babel, or Babylon, or Sumer, were the kings of Kish/Kush, the Sumerian city-state, whose dynasty is somewhere said to have been the first post-diluvian royal house [though Babel actually was], which is only a reference that Kush was onetime the dynasty’s residence.

The Baalite Dynasty re-emerges as the first dynasty of the Sumerian city-state of Kish [Kush]. The Sumerian city-state of Kish/Kush, its first dynasty, the Baalite Dynasty, was founded by Gaur (Galar), called the "first" King of Kish/Kush, the son of King Zi-U-Sudra of Babel, or Sumer, who was considered to represent the old Babel government-in-exile at Kish/Kush as its 11th king, but in reality he was actually the founder and the first king of the 1st-Dynasty of Kish/Kush. There were 23 kings in the 1st-Dynasty of Kish/Kush from King Gaur to King Agga, the last king of the 1st-Dynasty. The 1st-Dynasty of Kish obtained to empire under its king Etana, called "The Shepherd" [# 13 in list], about whom an epic survives. The heritage of Kish/Kush, whose kings were the heirs of the Kings of Babel and/or Sumer, who reigned as the emperors of the Sumerian Empire, was that of a "world-throne"; that is, until the time of the Akkadian Empire, their successors, which passed the heritage on to their "cultural descendants", the Babylonian emperors. The Sumerian emperors, the Babylonian emperors, and, the Romans emperors, in their turn, claimed worldwide dominion, sitting on the world-throne, and reigned as a dynasty of god-kings.The defeat and death of King Agge of Kish/Kush in battle fighting Enkhegal, King of Lagash, who threw-off the domination of Kish, gave Mesilim the opportunity to usurp the throne in Kish/Kush, dispossessing Kish's 1st Dynasty.

6. Lagash, city-state [1st Dynasty: 11 kings]

The kingdom of Lagash and its 1st Dynasty [11 kings] was founded at this time by Enkhegal, which dynasty of Lagash was contemporary with the 1st Dynasty of Ur [3 kings] and the 1st Dynasty of Erech [Uruk] [12 kings], both off-shoots of the 1st Dynasty of Kish [23 kings]; and, also, contemporary with the 2nd Dynasty of Kish [8 kings]. The grandson of King Enkhegal of Lagash, Ur-Nanshe of Lagash, threw-off the domination of Kish and went onto conquer nearly all of the Sumerian city-states, which became his vassal-states, and reigned as Sumerian emperor, which then was understood to mean "world-king". He created an empire for Lagash in Sumeria, maintained by his descendants, until its conquest by Erech.

Meantime, the [twin] sons of King Agga of Kish, namely, Mes-agga-sheri and Mes-anne-paddi, the Kushite co-heirs, both established themselves as kings of other Sumerian city-states: Mes-agga-sheri was the first King of Erech [Uruk] (7), the founder of its first dynasty [12 kings]; and, his [twin] brother Mes-anne-paddi was the first King of Ur (8), the founder of its first dynasty [3 kings].

7. Erech, city-state

Erech rose to empire, under its king, Utukhegal [# 7 in list], with the decline of Lagash, another Sumerian city-state, which submitted to its vassalage, and reigned as a Sumerian emperor. Another famous king of Erech was Gilgamesh [# 5 in list], whose epic survives of how he went to visit his ancestor, Uta-Napishtim, the Sumerian name for the English name Noah, identified with the Noah of the Bible, who was still alive, and, who, according to mythology, in his old age went to reside on a large island in the sea with his grandson Atlas, the 1st King of Atlantis [the legendary "lost continent", whose mountain-peaks are today the Azore Islands], to whom he tells the story of "The Flood", which is the Sumerian account of the Biblical account of "Noah’s Flood". King Enetarzi [En-entar-zi] of Lagash [formerly a priest, a younger son of King Enannatum II] lost the empire to King Lugal-Ke of Erech, who restored the empire of Erech.

8. Ur, 1st Dynasty [3 kings]

9. Awan, city-state [3 kings: Luli, Kuli, & Peli]

X. Kish, 2nd Dynasty [8/or 9 kings] was founded by Mesilim, or by his son Shulum.

The 2nd-Dynasty of Kish, the Sumerian city-state, was representative of the Semitic Reuite-Line, which reigned supreme in Sumeria for several generations, whose kings were descendants of Reu, the Sumerian imperial prince, whose descent-line, with gaps, is recorded in the Bible. Lugalmu, 8th/or 9th King of Kish, was the last king of the 2nd Dynasty. He was the first husband of Queen Kubau (Kubaba) [Kish, 3rd Dynasty], by whom he begot three sons: (1) Enuk-Duanni, King of Erech [2nd Dynasty]; (2) Puzur-Sin, King of Kish [4th Dynasty: 7 kings]; and (3) Ur-Zababa

10. Hamazi, city-state [2 kings]

Its king, Hatanis, reigned as Sumerian emperor; his son Zizi was defeated in battle and Hamazi was conquered by King Enuk-Duanni of Erech 

X. Erech (Uruk), 2nd Dynasty

[3 kings: Enuk-Duanni, 1st King (above), father of Lugalure, 2nd King, father of Argandea, 3rd King, overthrown by King Lugalzaggisi of Umma]

X. Lagash

Its king Urukagina was overthrown by Lugalzaggisi, King of Umma.

X. Ur, 2nd Dynasty [4 kings] was founded by Lugal-Melam [son of Puzur-ili, King of Erech]. His descendant, Lugal-Kakku, was overthrown by King Lugal-ane-mundu of Adab.

11. Adab, city-state [1 king]

King Lugal-ane-mundu of Adab reigned for a time as Sumerian emperor, and suppressed a rebellion of Elam, a Sumerian city-state.

12. Mari, city-state

Anpu, 1st King of Mari, who founded its 1st dynasty [6 kings]. His descendant, Iblul, the last king of the 1st-Dynasty of Mari, was slain by King Ar-Ennum of Ebla.

13. Ebla, city-state

King Ar-Ennum of Ebla conquered Mari and placed his younger son, Ibbi-Sipish, as King of Mari [2nd-Dynasty], while his elder son, Ebrium, succeeded him in Elba as its king. The son of King Iblul of Mari,Unzi, founded the Dynasty of Akshak [6 kings]. He overthrew Queen Kubau of Kish.

X. Kish, 3rd Dynasty

Queen Kubau (Kubaba) of Kish [3rd-Dyn.], widow of the late King Lugal-mu of Kish [2nd Dynasty], her husband. Kubau seized the throne on her husband’s death and reigned in Kish as the only monarch of the 3rd-Dynasty of Kish [1 ruler]. Kubau was the daughter [or grand-daughter] of  an earlier Sumerian emperor. The death of her father and the conquest of their city-state left its royal family dispossessed and destitute; and, the young princess for a while was a tavern-keeper until her discovery and marriage to then Prince Lugal-mu of Kish. She led an energetic campaign to liberate Kish from Erech’s domination, and ends up actually taking the city-state, Erech. She deposed King Lugal-Ke of Erech and took his family hostage, that is, she dispossessed the 1st-Dynasty of Erech [12 kings], and placed her son, Enuk-Duanni, on the throne of Erech [2nd-Dyn.: 3 kings], whose son, Lugalure, maintained the kingdom, but, his son, Argandea, was overthrown by Lugalzaggisi, the King of Umma, another Sumerian city-state, who occupied Erech and founded Erech's 3rd Dynasty.

14. Umma, 1st Dynasty [or Erech, 3rd Dynasty]

The 3rd-Dynasty of Erech [1 king], was represented by Lugalzaggisi, King of Umma, who moved his seat to Erech. His military-conquests revived the empire of Erech. He conquered 1st-Dynasty Lagash, whose last king, Ur-Ukagine of Lagash, watched from a distance his city-state destroyed by Lugalzaggisi, who rose to reign as Sumerian emperor. He was later overthrown by Sargon of Agade.

15. Akkad (Agade), the Akkadians [12 kings]

The babe Sargon was found by Queen Kubaba of Kish [3rd-Dyn.], in a small basket. She had conquered Erech and numerous other Sumerian city-states, and ruled as empress over a vast empire. The Erech heir, Agga, was held prisoner by Queen Kububa, who made him her gardener. The mother of Sargon was a high-priestess, Azupirana, who, in fear for Sargon’s life mother to concealled his existence; and, he grew up as the foster-son of Queen Kubala of Kish.

King Unzi of Akshak overthrew Queen Kubau. He permitted the succession of her son, Pzu-Zin (Puzursin), who founds the 4th-Dynasty of Kish [7 kings]. His brother, Ur-Za-Baba (Urzababa), King of Kish, was overthrown by his cup-bearer, Sargon, the hostage Erech royal-heir.

Sargon (Sharrum-kin) deposed King Ur-Za-Baba of Kish [4th-Dyn.], usurped the throne as the 5th-Dynasty of Kish/Kush, and, went on to conquer all the Sumerian city-states, and revived the Sumerian empire, uniting it federally by simply establishing a new capital-city at Akkad [Agade], rather than at Kish. Hence, the 5th-Dynasty of Kish became the Dynasty of Akkad [Agade] [12 emperors]. Still, in Kish, the brother of Ur-Za-Baba, namely, Zimu-dar, reigned as Sargon’s vassal-king; and was succeeded by his son, Usi-watar, reckoned as a continuation of Kish’s 4th-Dynasty [7 kings], who were vassals to the Akkadian emperors.

the Akkadian Empire

01. Sargon I [nat. son], 1st King of Akkad [Agade], formerly King of Kish; adopted son of Queen Kubau; conquered the city-states of Mesopotamia & founded a great empire

= ?grand-dau of King Lugal-Zaggisi of Erech

deposed King Ur-Za-Baba of Kish [4th-Dyn.], usurped the throne as the 5th-Dynasty of Kish/Kush, and, went on to conquer all the Sumerian city-states, and revived the Sumerian empire, uniting it federally by simply establishing a new capital-city at Akkad [Agade], rather than at Kish. Hence, the 5th-Dynasty of Kish became the Dynasty of Agade [12 emperors]. Still, in Kish, the brother of Ur-Za-Baba, namely,Zimu-dar, reigned as Sargon’s vassal-king; and was succeeded by his son, Usi-watar, reckoned as a continuation of Kish’s 4th-Dynasty, who were vassals to the Akkadian emperors.

02. Man-Ishtusu, 3rd King, bro of Rimush, 2nd King
03. Narim-Sin "The Great", 4th King, son
issue:

(1)/(04A) Sar-Kali-Sharri, 5th King, was the father of three sons: (1) Igigi, 6th King; (2) Nanum, 7th King [father of Emi, 9th King]; & (3) Sunim [Su-Mum], 8th King [father of Elulu, 10th King]

(2)/(04B) Bingani-ar-ali, 9th King, the father of
05. Dudu, 11th King, the father of

06. Shu-Turul [Su-Durul], 12th King, deposed by Gutians

The military-exploits of Sargon’s descendants, especially those of King Naram-Sin of Agade, extended the Akkadian Empire beyond Mesopotamia into the Middle-East, Iran [Elam], South-East Europe, and whose army marched the entire length of North Africa, and, according to myth expelled the Atlanteans, the "giants" mentioned in the Bible [many of whose remains have been dug up], who can be verified to have actually existed in the early history of the human-race. The Akkadian Empire declined in power during the reigns of its later kings, and eventually was conquered by Indo-Europeans, the Gutians [ancestors of the Getae of Thrace, the Jutae of Denmark, and the Geats of Scandinavia], who, occupied Mesopotamia for about a hundred years. Prince Ur-Nigin of Agade [the son of its last king, Shudural] founded the 4th-Dynasty of Erech [5 kings], which emerged as a vassal-state during the occupation of Mespotamia by the Gutian kings, and flourished during the Gutian occupation, and kept the native Sumerian culture alive.

16. the Gutian Empire: 3 kings

Three Gutian kings [one list gives 21 kings] reigned over the Gutian Empire, about 100 years, until the Gutians were driven out of Mespotamia by Utu-Khegal of Erech

X. Erech, 4th-Dynasty/5th-Dynasty

Its king Utu-Khegal (Utuhegal) [son of Ur-Babbar, last king of 4th-Dynasty Erech], drove the Gutians out of Mesopotamia, and restores Sumerian civilization. He founds the 5th-Dynasty of Erech [1 king].

X. Lagash [3rd Dynasty]

Meantime, Puzur-Mama [founder of its 3rd-Dynasty], overthrows Lugalushumgal, last King of 2nd-Dynasty Lagash. Puzur-Mama begots Ur-Uttu and Ur-Mama, who begots King Ur-Baba of Lagash and his brothers Lugula, & Kakug. His successor was Ur-Baba's son-in-law, Gudea. [Ur-Baba was survived by two daughters, one married Gudea, and was the mother of Ur-Ningirsh, the father of Ugme; and the other daughter married Urgar, a Semitic prince, and was the mother of Nammakhni, [last] King of Lagash [2nd-Dyn.], who was overthrown by Ur-Nammu, King of Ur [3rd Dynasty].

X. Ur, 3rd Dynasty

It was during the confused political situation in Sumeria following the expulsion of the Gutians that the Sumerian prince Serug, "descendant" of Reu (above), representative of "the Reuite-Line", who had been appointed governor of Ur by the Gutians, even though he was a native Sumerian from Lagash, secured his position and declared himself King of Ur, founding its 3rd-Dynasty. Mesopotamia experienced its last renaissance of Sumerian culture during the period of the 3rd-Dynasty of Ur. The kings of 3rd-Dynasty Ur [10 kings], held sway over the whole of Mesopotamia and ruled as Sumerian emperors for about a hundred years.

The two sons of Serug were Ur-Nammu and Ur-Nahor [I]. Serug, acknowledged his vassalage to Erech‘s empire, but, his son, Ur-Nammu, 1st King the dynasty’s most illustrious king, broke free of Erech‘s domination, and, by his military-campaigns gave Ur its great empire. He overthrew King Utu-Khegal of Erech, and all the Sumerian city-states became his vassals, either by acknowledgement or by force. His son, Ur-Engur, 2nd King, succeeded Ur-Nammu in the empire. Ur-Engur died childless, and the throne passed to his uncle, Ur-Nahor [I], 3rd King. Ur-Nahor [I] was the father of three sons: Sulgi, Dungi, andTurgi. Turgi is identified with Terah in the Bible, the father of Abram [Abraham], of whom later. Ur-Nahor [I] was succeeded by his son, Sulgi, 4th King. Sulgi, was murdered by his brother Dungi, 5th King, who usurped the throne in prejudice of his late brother’s eldest son, Bur-Sin, 6th King, who overthrew his uncle, and took the throne. Bur-Sin, was succeeded in turn by his two brothers, Ama-Sin, 7th King, and Shu-Sin, 8th King, after which their cousin, Gimil, 9th King, the son of Dungi, their late uncle, usurped the throne in prejudice of the son of the late king Shu-Sin, namely, Ibi-Sin, 10th King. Later, upon Gimil‘s death, Ibi-Sin, the rightful heir, took the throne. He was the last king of 3rd-Dynasty Ur, whose idol-worship decayed the empire; which was conquered by Elam [1st Persian dynasty], another Sumerian city-state.

17. Elam, city-state, dominates Persia

The news of the defeat and death of King Ibi-Sin of Ur in battle versus King ..... of Elam [the father of Chedorlaomer, the King of Elam, who conducted a campaign in Palestine during Abraham’s time there] sent the royal house of Ur in flight along with thousands of refugees many hundreds of miles to the north out of harm’s way and took up residence at Haran [so-called by Prince Turgi/Terah in memory of his late middle son]. This historical episode is called the "Call of Abram" in the Bible, when God called Abram out of Ur, however, the Bible account omits many details. His father Terah [Turgi] remained a heathen who worship the pagan moon-god Allah, however, Abram "crossed-over" to the worship of Yahweh [anglicized as "Jehovah"], the "The One True God", with whom he made a covenant.

18. Isin, 1st Dynasty [15 kings]

19. Larsa [14 kings]

Its 14th king, Rimsin, conquered Isin and re-united Southern Mesopotamia, and reigned as a Sumerian emperor. Larsa was conquered by the "First" Babylonian Empire, under Hammurabi, 1st-Dynasty of Babylon[ia], which inherited "the Sumerian heritage".

(12) Mari, dominated Sumeria.

Later, we find Assur, Babylon, and Larsa compete for dominance in Mesopotamia; during the increasing influence of the Elamite Empire, as well as the Egyptian [11th-Dynasty] Empire, and the Hittite Empire.

20. Assur, city-state was the first capital city of the Assyrians, whose first king is reckoned to have been Tudija, a Semitic prince.

see http://www.angelfire.com/ego/et_deo/assyriankings.wps.htm

21. Babylon, city-state [city-state of which Babel was a precinct] rose to empire under its 1st Dynasty, which was founded by Sumuabi, an Akkadian [Baalite] prince.

see http://www.angelfire.com/ego/et_deo/babylonianemperors.wps.htm

X. Isin, 2nd Dynasty [11 kings]

22. "SeaLand"/Zealand [3 dynasties]

X. Elam, controlled Persia, whose first dynasty descended from Elamite kings

see http://www.angelfire.com/ego/et_deo/persianshahs.wps.htm

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The Babylonians descended from Ancient Sumerians and Babylonian culture was a continuation of Sumerian culture. The Babylonians were rivals of the Assyrians throughout their existence; they finally won upon the destruction of Nineveh, the Assyrian capital-city, and completely wiping-out Assyria, so much so that academia doubted the existence of Assyria until 19th century archaeologists discovered the remains of Nineveh. The Ossetians of Central Asia are suppose to be the remnant of the Assyrians.

he story of Babylon is monumental and of great historical significance, 
but it, considering the circumstances of the world today, has been demoted 
to probably one of the most obscure and insignificant events in our history. 
This very important story is rarely mentioned in modern history texts, 
almost intentionally forgotten.

When we hear the name Nimrod we tend to think of a clumsy person of 
little intelligence. In actuality, the Nimrod of old was a mighty leader, the 
founder of the first great empire of post-flood civilization - the kingdom of 
Babylon.(1)

The flood of Noah devastated the world Noah once lived in. After the 
waters receded, and Noah and his family left the Ark, God commanded the 
survivors to "spread out, and fill the earth" (Genesis 9:7 KJV). 
Unfortunately, the people of the day chose not to obey God. Nearly two 
hundred years beyond the flood, the descendants of Noah began to 
multiply, in great numbers. Noah's close relatives became the patriarchs of 
a number of families who had coalesced into nations. This would set the 
stage for the Babylonian Empire and Babylonian Religion.

Noah's grandson Cush was one of these early patriarchs, one who became 
the leader of many. He did not to follow God's commandment to "fill the 
earth," but did quite the opposite - he brought the people together. He 
began to unite everyone into one nation, thus beginning the unification 
movement centered at the Tower of Babel.(2)

The Bible gives up little information about Cush, Nimrod, and the Tower 
itself. We read in Genesis 10:8 that Cush was the father of Nimrod - 
period. Even though the Bible does not give us much more, we learn from 
other ancient texts that Cush and Nimrod both became legendary 
throughout the secular / Gentile world.(3)

The Bible does, however, tell us about the beginning of the apostasy at the 
Tower of Babel - a major rebellion against God and His commandments:

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech... they found 
a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.... And they said, Go 
to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; 
and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the  face of 
the whole earth...        




==========================================

egypt ancient history

ARCHAIC (EARLY DYNASTIC) PERIOD (C. 3100-2686 B.C.)

King Menes founded the capital of ancient Egypt at White Walls (later known as Memphis), in the north, near the apex of the Nile River delta. The capital would grow into a great metropolis that dominated Egyptian society during the Old Kingdom period. The Archaic Period saw the development of the foundations of Egyptian society, including the all-important ideology of kingship. To the ancient Egyptians, the king was a godlike being, closely identified with the all-powerful god Horus. The earliest known hieroglyphic writing also dates to this period.

In the Archaic Period, as in all other periods, most ancient Egyptians were farmers living in small villages, and agriculture (largely wheat and barley) formed the economic base of the Egyptian state. The annual flooding of the great Nile River provided the necessary irrigation and fertilization each year; farmers sowed the wheat after the flooding receded and harvested it before the season of high temperatures and drought returned.

OLD KINGDOM: AGE OF THE PYRAMID BUILDERS (C. 2686-2181 B.C.)

The Old Kingdom began with the third dynasty of pharaohs. Around 2630 B.C., the third dynasty’s King Djoser asked Imhotep, an architect, priest and healer, to design a funerary monument for him; the result was the world’s first major stone building, the Step-Pyramid at Saqqara, near Memphis. Pyramid-building reached its zenith with the construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo. Built for Khufu (or Cheops, in Greek), who ruled from 2589 to 2566 B.C., the pyramid was later named by classical historians as one of the ancient world’s Seven Wonders. Two other pyramids were built at Giza for Khufu’s successors Khafra (2558-2532 B.C) and Menkaura (2532-2503 B.C.).

During the third and fourth dynasties, Egypt enjoyed a golden age of peace and prosperity. The pharaohs held absolute power and provided a stable central government; the kingdom faced no serious threats from abroad; and successful military campaigns in foreign countries like Nubia and Libya added to its considerable economic prosperity. Over the course of the fifth and sixth dynasties, the king’s wealth was steadily depleted, partially due to the huge expense of pyramid-building, and his absolute power faltered in the face of the growing influence of the nobility and the priesthood that grew up around the sun god Ra (Re). After the death of the sixth dynasty’s King Pepy II, who ruled for some 94 years, the Old Kingdom period ended in chaos.

FIRST INTERMEDIATE PERIOD (C. 2181-2055 B.C.)

On the heels of the Old Kingdom’s collapse, the seventh and eighth dynasties consisted of a rapid succession of Memphis-based rulers until about 2160 B.C., when the central authority completely dissolved, leading to civil war between provincial governors. This chaotic situation was intensified by Bedouin invasions and accompanied by famine and disease.

From this era of conflict emerged two different kingdoms: A line of 17 rulers (dynasties nine and 10) based in Heracleopolis ruled Middle Egypt between Memphis and Thebes, while another family of rulers arose in Thebes to challenge Heracleopolitan power. Around 2055 B.C., the Theban prince Mentuhotep managed to topple Heracleopolis and reunited Egypt, beginning the 11th dynasty and ending the First Intermediate Period.

MIDDLE KINGDOM: 12TH DYNASTY (C. 2055-1786 B.C.)

After the last ruler of the 11th dynasty, Mentuhotep IV, was assassinated, the throne passed to his vizier, or chief minister, who became King Amenemhet I, founder of dynasty 12. A new capital was established at It-towy, south of Memphis, while Thebes remained a great religious center. During the Middle Kingdom, Egypt once again flourished, as it had during the Old Kingdom. The 12th dynasty kings ensured the smooth succession of their line by making each successor co-regent, a custom that began with Amenemhet I.

Middle-Kingdom Egypt pursued an aggressive foreign policy, colonizing Nubia (with its rich supply of gold, ebony, ivory and other resources) and repelling the Bedouins who had infiltrated Egypt during the First Intermediate Period. The kingdom also built diplomatic and trade relations with Syria, Palestine and other countries; undertook building projects including military fortresses and mining quarries; and returned to pyramid-building in the tradition of the Old Kingdom. The Middle Kingdom reached its peak under Amenemhet III (1842-1797 B.C.); its decline began under Amenenhet IV (1798-1790 B.C.) and continued under his sister and regent, Queen Sobekneferu (1789-1786 B.C.), who was the first confirmed female ruler of Egypt and the last ruler of the 12th dynasty.

SECOND INTERMEDIATE PERIOD (C. 1786-1567 B.C.)

The 13th dynasty marked the beginning of another unsettled period in Egyptian history, during which a rapid succession of kings failed to consolidate power. As a consequence, during the Second Intermediate Period Egypt was divided into several spheres of influence. The official royal court and seat of government was relocated to Thebes, while a rival dynasty (the 14th), centered on the city of Xois in the Nile delta, seems to have existed at the same time as the 13th.

Around 1650 B.C., a line of foreign rulers known as the Hyksos took advantage of Egypt’s instability to take control. The Hyksos rulers of the 15th dynasty adopted and continued many of the existing Egyptian traditions in government as well as culture. They ruled concurrently with the line of native Theban rulers of the 17th dynasty, who retained control over most of southern Egypt despite having to pay taxes to the Hyksos. (The 16th dynasty is variously believed to be Theban or Hyksos rulers.) Conflict eventually flared between the two groups, and the Thebans launched a war against the Hyksos around 1570 B.C., driving them out of Egypt.

NEW KINGDOM (C. 1567-1085 B.C.)

Under Ahmose I, the first king of the 18th dynasty, Egypt was once again reunited. During the 18th dynasty, Egypt restored its control over Nubia and began military campaigns in Palestine, clashing with other powers in the area such as the Mitannians and the Hittites. The country went on to establish the world’s first great empire, stretching from Nubia to the Euphrates River in Asia. In addition to powerful kings such as Amenhotep I (1546-1526 B.C.), Thutmose I (1525-1512 B.C.) and Amenhotep III (1417-1379 B.C.), the New Kingdom was notable for the role of royal women such as Queen Hatshepsut (1503-1482 B.C.), who began ruling as a regent for her young stepson (he later became Thutmose III, Egypt’s greatest military hero), but rose to wield all the powers of a pharaoh.

The controversial Amenhotep IV (c. 1379-1362), of the late 18th dynasty, undertook a religious revolution, disbanding the priesthoods dedicated to Amon-Re (a combination of the local Theban god Amon and the sun god Re) and forcing the exclusive worship of another sun-god, Aton. Renaming himself Akhenaton (“servant of the Aton”), he built a new capital in Middle Egypt called Akhetaton, known later as Amarna. Upon Akhenaton’s death, the capital returned to Thebes and Egyptians returned to worshiping a multitude of gods. The 19th and 20th dynasties, known as the Ramesside period (for the line of kings named Ramses) saw the restoration of the weakened Egyptian empire and an impressive amount of building, including great temples and cities. According to biblical chronology, the Exodus of Moses and the Israelites from Egypt possibly occurred during the reign of Ramses II (1304-1237 B.C.).

All of the New Kingdom rulers (with the exception of Akhenaton) were laid to rest in deep, rock-cut tombs (not pyramids) in the Valley of the Kings, a burial site on the west bank of the Nile opposite Thebes. Most of them were raided and destroyed, with the exception of the tomb and treasure of Tutankhamen (c.1361-1352 B.C.), discovered largely intact in A.D. 1922. The splendid mortuary temple of the last great king of the 20th dynasty, Ramses III (c. 1187-1156 B.C.), was also relatively well preserved, and indicated the prosperity Egypt still enjoyed during his reign. The kings who followed Ramses III were less successful: Egypt lost its provinces in Palestine and Syria for good and suffered from foreign invasions (notably by the Libyans), while its wealth was being steadily but inevitably depleted.

THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD (C. 1085-664 B.C.)

The next 400 years–known as the Third Intermediate Period–saw important changes in Egyptian politics, society and culture. Centralized government under the 21st dynasty pharaohs gave way to the resurgence of local officials, while foreigners from Libya and Nubia grabbed power for themselves and left a lasting imprint on Egypt’s population. The 22nd dynasty began around 945 B.C. with King Sheshonq, a descendant of Libyans who had invaded Egypt during the late 20th dynasty and settled there. Many local rulers were virtually autonomous during this period and dynasties 23-24 are poorly documented.

In the eighth century B.C., Nubian pharaohs beginning with Shabako, ruler of the Nubian kingdom of Kush, established their own dynasty–the 25th–at Thebes. Under Kushite rule, Egypt clashed with the growing Assyrian empire. In 671 B.C., the Assyrian ruler Esarhaddon drove the Kushite king Taharka out of Memphis and destroyed the city; he then appointed his own rulers out of local governors and officials loyal to the Assyrians. One of them, Necho of Sais, ruled briefly as the first king of the 26th dynasty before being killed by the Kushite leader Tanuatamun, in a final, unsuccessful grab for power.

FROM THE LATE PERIOD TO ALEXANDER’S CONQUEST (C.664-332 B.C.)

Beginning with Necho’s son, Psammetichus, the Saite dynasty ruled a reunified Egypt for less than two centuries. In 525 B.C., Cambyses, king of Persia, defeated Psammetichus III, the last Saite king, at the Battle of Pelusium, and Egypt became part of the Persian Empire. Persian rulers such as Darius (522-485 B.C.) ruled the country largely under the same terms as native Egyptian kings: Darius supported Egypt’s religious cults and undertook the building and restoration of its temples. The tyrannical rule of Xerxes (486-465 B.C.) sparked increased uprisings under him and his successors. One of these rebellions triumphed in 404 B.C., beginning one last period of Egyptian independence under native rulers (dynasties 28-30).

In the mid-fourth century B.C., the Persians again attacked Egypt, reviving their empire under Ataxerxes III in 343 B.C. Barely a decade later, in 332 B.C.,Alexander the Great of Macedonia defeated the armies of the Persian Empire and conquered Egypt. After Alexander’s death, Egypt was ruled by a line of Macedonian kings, beginning with Alexander’s general Ptolemy and continuing with his descendants. The last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt–the legendary CleopatraVII–surrendered Egypt to the armies of Octavian (later Augustus) in 31 B.C. Six centuries of Roman rule followed, during which Christianity became the official religion of Rome and its provinces (including Egypt). The conquest of Egypt by the Arabs in the seventh century A.D. and the introduction of Islam would do away with the last outward aspects of ancient Egyptian culture and propel the country towards its modern incarnation.

shem ham and japhet

he Son's of Noah - Shem, Ham, and Japheth

List of Nations Descended from Noah's 3 Sons
Shem (Semitic Race)	Ham (Turanian Race)	Japheth (Aryan Race)
Elam (Elamites)	Cush (Ethiopia)	Gomer (Celts)
Asshur (Assyrians)	Seba (meroe)	Ashkenaz (Nysia, Phrygia)
Arphaxad (Chaldeans)	Havilah (Arabia)	Riphath (Riphaean)
Shelah	Sabtah (Sabbatha)	Togarmah (Armenia)
Eber	Raamah (Persian Gulf)	Magog (Scythians)
Peleg	Sheba	Madai (Medes)
Joktan (Arabia)	Dedan	Javan (Greeks)
Almodad	Sabtecah	Elishah (Aeolians)
Sheleph	Nimrod	Tarshish (Tartessus)
Hazarmaveth	Mizraim (Egypt)	Kittim (Cyprus)
Jerah	Ludim (Nubia)	Dodanim (Trojans)
Hadoram	Anamites	Tubal
Uzal	Lehabim (Libya)	Meshech
Diklah	Naphtuhitim (Napetu)	Tiras (Thracians)
Obal	Pathrusim (Pathros)
Abimael	Casluhites (Philistia)
Sheba	Philistines
Ophir	Caphtorites (Crete)
Havilah	Phut (Libya)
Jobab	Canaan (Canaanites)
Lud (Lydians)	Sidonites
Aram (Syrians)	Hittites
Uz	Jebusites
Hul	Amorites
Gether	Girgashites
Meshach	Hivites
	Arkites
	Sinites
	Arvadites
	Zemarites
	Hamathites

According to the Bible the sons of Noah were Shem, Ham, and Japheth... these three sons of Noah represented the three great races of mankind. The above chart shows a table of God's dispersion of the nation's after they migrated from the Tower at Babel.

Genesis 10:32 - These [are] the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood. 

Shem (Asia)Shem (Heb. "Name") was Noah's oldest son and part of Noah's family of eight who survived the great flood. Shem and his wife were childless before the flood, but after the flood Shem bore a son at 110 years of age. He was father to five sons who became the fathers of the five Semitic nations as shown below. Shem was actually the father of the nations of the ancient Near East including the Israelites and the Jewish religion, and therefore Judaism, Islam, and Christianity sprang from the line of Shem. The Semites were particularly known for their religious zeal.

The Five Semitic Nations:

1. Elam (The Persians) settled northeast of the Persian Gulf.

2. Asshur (The Assyrians) the Biblical name for Assyria, settled between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers.

3. Arphaxad (The Babylonians) settled in Chaldea.

4. Lud (The Lydians) settled in Asia Minor, but some of them sailed across the Mediterranean and settled in northern Africa.

5. Aram (The Syrians) the Biblical name for Syria, located north and east of Israel.

Ham (Africa)Ham (Heb. "hot" or "Black") was Noah's second oldest son and part of the family of eight who survived the great flood. Ham and his wife bore 4 sons who became the fathers of the nations of Africa. Ham's fourth son Canaan was prophetically cursed because he gazed at his fathers nakedness while he was drunk. This curse would mean later that Canaan would lose his land to the Hebrews and would be subservient to the descendants of Shem. The Hamites were known for their physical endurance.

The Four Hamitic Nations:

1. Cush (The Ethiopians) settled in Ethiopia south of Egypt, also early in their history some of them migrated to an area north of the Persian Gulf (Gen. 10:8-10).

2. Mizraim (The Egyptians) the Bible name for Egypt, settled in northeastern Africa.

3. Phut (The Libyans) sometimes translated Libya, settled in northern Africa.

4. Canaan (The Canaanites) settled above Africa east of the Mediterranean (Later was given to the Hebrews).

Japheth (Europe)
Japheth (Heb. "God will Enlarge)") was Noah's third oldest son and part of the family of eight who survived the great flood. Japheth and Shem were both greatly blessed for respecting their father Noah. Noah's blessing on Japheth was far reaching for all of his descendants being the European (Caucasian) nations that were mentioned in Genesis 10. The Japhethites were known for their intellectual activity.

The Seven Japhetic Nations:

I. Gomer (The Cimmerians) settled north of the Black Sea, but afterwards his descendants probably occupied Germany, France, Spain and the British Isles.

2. Magog (The Scythians) lived north of the Caspian Sea.

3. Madai (The Medes) settled south of the Caspian Sea.

4. Javan (The Ionians or Greeks) Javan is the Hebrew name for Greeks, they settled in Greece.

5. Tubal (The Turks) lived south of the Black Sea.

6. Meshech (The Slavs) lived between the Black and Caspian Seas,

7. Tiras (The Etruscans) located west of the Black Sea.

Genesis 10:32 - These [are] the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.