Puzur-Aššur II

Puzur-Aššur II is the thirty-sixth ruler listed in the Assyrian King List [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/kinglists/assyriankinglist/index.html] (AKL). He held authority immediately after his father Sargon I [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/fromcolonytocitystate23341809bc/puzurashurdynasty/sargoni/index.html] and was succeeded on the throne by his son Narām-Sîn [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/fromcolonytocitystate23341809bc/puzurashurdynasty/naramsin/index.html]. The length of his reign is not preserved in the AKL, but is in the Kültepe Eponym List (KEL; Veenhof 2003): Puzur-Aššur II exercised kingship over Aššur for eight years (Veenhof 2003, 8-9). According to middle chronology, the dates of his reign are ca. 1880-1873 BC (Streck 2006-08, 128).

While Puzur-Aššur II was in power, Assyrian traders were active at the kārum at Kaneš (mod. Kültepe). Although no royal inscription of his survives today, this ruler is mentioned by name in several documents from Kaneš (Larsen 1976, 143; Veenhof 2003, 45), including some from the reign of his father; in these texts Puzur-Aššur is referred to as the son of the rubā'um [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/sig?☣%40riao%25akk%3Aru-ba-u₂%3Drubû%5Bruler%2F%2Fruler%5DN´N%24rubāʾu] ("ruler") (OIP 27, 58: 24) and the son of the waklum [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/sig?☣%40riao%25akk%3AUGULA%3Dwaklu%5Boverseer%2F%2Foverseer%5DN´N%24wakil] ("overseer") (kt c/k 512). This illustrates that he was actively involved with Anatolian trade before ascending the throne. Puzur-Aššur was over fifty years old when he succeeded his father Narām-Sîn (Veenhof 2003, 44). His involvement with the trading colony continued during his reign; in the texts from Kaneš, he is referred to as the rubā'um (kt j/k 201 [http://www.hethport.uni-wuerzburg.de/altass/]). Puzur-Aššur's son Ili-bani also appears in the Kaneš archives (see Donbaz 1991, 8; Veenhof 2003, 44).

Puzur-Aššur II appears in a royal inscription of Aššur-rēm-nišēšu [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/fromsamsiaddutomittanicilent18081364bc/mittanianhegemony/ashurremnisheshu/index.html] (text no. 1 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/Q005708/]) as a previous builder of a city wall around the city of Aššur.

Bibliography

Donbaz, V., 'New evidence for the expression mērū'a attunū,' Nouvelles Assyriologues Brèves et Utilitaires, 1991-93, p. 7-9.
Streck, M. P., 'Puzur-Aššur,' Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie 11, 2006-08, p. 128.
Veenhof, K.R., The Old Assyrian List of Year Eponyms from Karum Kanish and its Chronological Implications, Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu, 2003.

Poppy Tushingham

Poppy Tushingham, 'Puzur-Aššur II', The Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo) Project, The RIAo Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2021 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/fromcolonytocitystate23341809bc/puzurashurdynasty/puzurashurii/]

 
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