Untash-Napirisha was king of Elam (in present-day southwest Iran) during the Middle Elamite period, circa 1300 BCE. He was the son of the previous Elamite king, Humban-Numena and of a daughter[4] (or granddaughter)[2] of Kurigalzu.[4] He was named after Napirisha, an Elamite deity.

He founded and built extensively a new city, Dur-Untash, 40 km SE of Susa, modern Chogha Zanbil. He built extensively in this city, and its main temple, the famous Ziggurat, still stands there.[5] Although construction in this religious city complex abruptly ended after Untash-Napirisha's death, the site was not abandoned, but continued to be occupied until it was destroyed by the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal in 640 BC.

Untash-Napirirsha also left numerous building inscriptions for more than 50 temples and buildings, either built or renovated during his reign, in Chogha Zanbil, Susa, Choga Gotvand and other places.[6]

He dedicated a statue of the god Immiriya in Chogha Zanbil to his father-in-law, the Babylonian Burnaburiash.[a][8][9] A later Elamite letter from Berlin (Pergamon Museum VAT17020) mentions that he was married to “the daughter of Burna-buriash (a Babylonian king) and they had a son (and the future Elamite king) Kidin-hudurdish (Hutran)".[10] If this was the Babylonian king Burna-Buriash II, then the reign of Untash-Napirisha could be dated ca. 1340–1300 BC. However, some scholars consider a different model for the synchronism between the Kassite dynasty in Babylon and the Elamite kings, and suggest that the mentioned Burna-buriash was a later prince, and that the reign of Untash-Napirisha could be dated c. 1275–1240 BC; see, for example The Berlin Letter, Middle Elamite Chronology and Sutruk-Nahhunte I's Genealogy.[11]

  • Axe bearing the name of the king Untash-Napirisha.
    Axe bearing the name of the king Untash-Napirisha.
  • Axe inscribed with the name of King Untash-Napirisha
    Axe inscribed with the name of King Untash-Napirisha
  • The Ziggurat at Chogha Zanbil was built by Untash-Napirisha.
    The Ziggurat at Chogha Zanbil was built by Untash-Napirisha.
  • Fish-tailed deity holding snakes. Stele of Untash Napirisha, sandstone, ca. 1340–1300 BC, brought from Tchoga Zanbil to Susa in the 12th century BC.[12]
    Fish-tailed deity holding snakes. Stele of Untash Napirisha, sandstone, ca. 1340–1300 BC, brought from Tchoga Zanbil to Susa in the 12th century BC.[12]
  • Plaque with inscription "Palace of Untash-Napirisha" from Chogha Zanbil
    Plaque with inscription "Palace of Untash-Napirisha" from Chogha Zanbil

Notes

  1. ^ In the dedication, the part of the text mentioning the Babylonian king is damaged. In François Vallat's opinion, shared by Daniel T. Potts, […-l]i-ia-áš should be read as [Bur-na]-bur-ia-áš; E. Reiner prefers a geographical interpretation, proposing [tup-l]i-ia-áš; according to other historians, the damaged text should be restored as [kaš-ti-l]i-ia-áš, actually referring to Kashtiliash IV.[7]

References

  1. ^ The Archaeology of Elam: Formation and Transformation of an Ancient Iranian State. Daniel T. Potts, 2nd edition
  2. ^ a b Basello, Gian Pietro; Álvarez-Mon, Javier; Wicks, Yasmina (2018). The Elamite World. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781317329831.
  3. ^ Podany, Amanda H. (2022). Weavers, Scribes, and Kings A New History of the Ancient Near East. Oxford University Press. p. 383. ISBN 9780190059040. That king, Untash- Napirisha, was Burna-Buriash's first cousin: both were grandsons of a Babylonian king named Kurigalzu
  4. ^ a b Matthews, Roger; Fazeli Nashli, Hassan (2022). The Archaeology of Iran from the Palaeolithic to the Achaemenid Empire. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781000570915. The most significant king of the Igihalkid dynasty was Untash-Napirisha (c. 1340–1300 BC) who married a daughter of the Kassite king Burna-Buriash II and was himself the son of a Kassite princess.
  5. ^ Elizabeth Carter, Matthew W. Stolpe. Elam: Surveys of Political History and Archaeology p. 37
  6. ^ Potts, Daniel T. (1999). The Archaeology of Elam. Cambridge University Press. pp. 213–216.
  7. ^ Quintana, Enrique (2011). "Filiacion y acceso al trono en Elam (2ª Mitad II milenio a.c.)". Revue d'assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale. 104: 45–63. doi:10.3917/assy.104.0045.
  8. ^ Potts, Daniel T. (April 2006). "Elamites and Kassites in the Persian Gulf". Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 65 (2). University of Chicago Press: 115. doi:10.1086/504986. S2CID 162371671.
  9. ^ Potts, Daniel T. (2014). Elamite Monumentality and Architectural Scale - Lessons from Suda and Choga Zanbil. p. 29.
  10. ^ Potts, Daniel T. (1999). The Archaeology of Elam. Cambridge University Press. p. 208.
  11. ^ Goldberg, Jeremy (24 May 2004). "The Berlin Letter, Middle Elamite Chronology and Sutruk-Nahhunte I's Genealogy". Iranica Antiqua. 39: 33–42. doi:10.2143/IA.39.0.503891 – via www.academia.edu.
  12. ^ "Stèle du roi Untash-Napirisha, "roi d'Anzan et de Suse"". 2020.
Preceded by King of Elam
1340–1300 BC 		Succeeded by