Samsu-Ditana facts for kids

Samsu-ditāna was the 11th and last king of the First Dynasty of Babylon. This was a time when the Amorites ruled Babylon. He was king for 31 years, from around 1625 BC to 1595 BC. His time as king is most famous for one big event: the sudden fall of Babylon. The city was attacked and destroyed by the Hittites.

Samsu-ditāna's Reign

Samsu-ditāna was the great-great-grandson of Hammurabi, a very famous king of Babylon. By Samsu-ditāna's time, the Babylonian kingdom was much smaller. But it still stretched from Babylon north along the Euphrates River to places like Mari.

Most of the time, Samsu-ditāna seemed to prefer peace. He stayed in his kingdom's main city. His records from those years do not talk about fighting wars. They also don't mention building huge structures. Instead, they describe gifts he gave to the gods. They also mention statues he had made of himself. Unfortunately, none of his own writings have survived.

There was another king named Gulkišar from a different dynasty. He ruled a kingdom called the Sealand. An old story tells how Gulkišar was an enemy of Samsu-ditāna.

The Fall of Babylon

Samsu-ditāna seemed to be worried about an attack. Ancient texts show he asked the gods, like Šamaš and Adad, about seven "rebel" enemies. But he couldn't stop what was coming. The Babylonian kingdom was getting weaker.

Important jobs in the government were being passed down in families. This meant the king was losing some of his power. Also, people could pay money instead of serving in the army. This made the army weaker and the government bigger.

The final blow came from an unexpected place: the Hittites. Their king, Muršili I, led a surprise attack. This happened around 1595 BC. The Hittites sacked Babylon, which means they raided it and took everything valuable. They completely destroyed the city.

An old record called the Chronicle of Early Kings simply states: "At the time of Samsu-ditāna, the Hittites marched against Akkad." Akkad was another name for the region where Babylon was located. Muršili I attacked just to get loot and prisoners. He did not try to take over the land permanently. He had used this same strategy before when he attacked the city of Halpa (ancient Aleppo).

The Hittite king's own records, called the Edict of Telepinu, tell the story. They say: "Later he marched to Babylon and he destroyed Babylon. He defeated the Hurrian troops. He brought prisoners and treasures from Babylon to Hattusa, his capital city."

Muršili I took the statues of Babylon's main gods, Marduk and his partner Sarpatinum. He carried them away to a place called Ḫani. These statues were very important to the people of Babylon. They were not brought back until about 24 years later. This happened during the reign of a Kassite king named Agum-Kakrime.

Babylon was left in ruins after the attack. It was not lived in again for some time. Later, the Kassite dynasty took over. Documents from a place called Tell Muhammad show that people started dating events by how many years it had been since Babylon was resettled.