Paramount among the problems of Esarhaddon in Anatolia at the time was his struggle against Mugallu, the ruler of Melid. Although Mugallu is invariably described in the queries as "the Melidean," he was no doubt one of the numerous Tabalean kings in that region, who was allied at times, according to nos. 9 and 11 with another Tabalean king, Iškallu. In fact, he must be none other than Mugallu known from the inscriptions of Assurbanipal as king of Tabal. He may have ruled over a considerable territory, because he is never referred to as a 'city lord' (bēl āli), as are many other local rulers. The Babylonian Chronicle and the Esarhaddon Chronicle (Grayson Chronicles pp. 83 and 126) refer to an expedition against Melid in Esarhaddon's sixth year (Elul, 675); the latter (but not the Babylonian Chronicle) explicitly states that it was Mugallu against whom the expedition was undertaken. This expedition may have forced Mugallu to sue for peace; see no. 12. Mugallu is mentioned by name in ten queries and may have been referred to in many others.
The astrological reports are often helpful in fixing events in this period chronologically, especially when they refer to datable eclipses. ABL 629 (= LAS 279), an astrological report from Mar-Ištar to Esarhaddon, falls into this category because it provides us with datable astronomical as well as historical information. Its subject matter is the seating of a substitute king on the throne at Nineveh and Akkad to take upon himself the portended evil of a lunar eclipse. The historical allusions in this report are in the form of unfavorable predictions for, among others, the kings of Egypt and Tyre and Mugallu. Schott and Schaumberger, pointing out that a total eclipse is referred to in this report, dated it to 27/28 December 671.[[242]] This date is vigorously supported by Parpola[[243]] against the objections of Landsberger, who argued that it should be dated earlier because both Egypt and Tyre were already in Assyrian hands by mid-671.[[244]] Whatever the case, it is evident that Mugallu remained among the major enemies of Esarhaddon all through the latter's reign. His initiative in requesting a (peace) treaty with Esarhaddon (no. 12) evidently did not alter this state of affairs. A Mugallu of Tabal appears in the inscriptions of Assurbanipal together with the kings of Cilicia and Arwad among those "who did not submit to my predecessors. "[[245]]
242 ZA 47 (1941/2) 101 and 127, respectively.
243 LAS 2 (1984) 269.
244 Brief des Bischofs von Esagila an Asarhaddon (1965), p. 43f.
245 Piepkorn Asb p. 44:71ff.
Ivan Starr
Ivan Starr, 'Mugallu of Melid', Queries to the Sungod: Divination and Politics in Sargonid Assyria, SAA 4. Original publication: Helsinki, Helsinki University Press, 1990; online contents: SAAo/SAA04 Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2020 [http://oracc.org/saao/saa04/chronologyandhistoricalbackground/mugalluofmelid/]