Tammaritu II facts for kids

Tammaritu II was a king who ruled the ancient land of Elam. He was in charge from about 652 BC to 650 or 649 BC. After a short time when other kings, Indabibi and Humban-haltash III, ruled, Tammaritu II became king again briefly in 648 BC. He was the son of Tammaritu I and took over from his uncle, Ummanigash.

How Tammaritu II Became King

In 652 BC, the king of Elam at that time, Ummanigash, tried to attack the powerful Assyrian Empire. This attack did not go well. After this failure, Tammaritu II took power in Elam. He did this through a sudden change in leadership, often called a coup.

Supporting Babylon Against Assyria

Tammaritu II decided to continue what Ummanigash had been doing. He kept supporting the ruler of Babylon, Shamash-shum-ukin. Shamash-shum-ukin was fighting against the Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal. This meant Elam was also against Assyria.

During these battles, one of Tammaritu's own army leaders, named Indabibi, changed sides. He joined the Assyrians. Because of this, Tammaritu had to escape. He fled to the Assyrian city of Nineveh in either 650 or 649 BC. This is when Indabibi became the new king of Elam for a short time.

Tammaritu's Return and Final Exile

In 648 BC, Indabibi was killed. Another person, Humban-haltash III, took his place as king of Elam. But the Assyrians then invaded Elam again. They put Tammaritu back on the throne as king.

However, Tammaritu II soon complained about the Assyrians taking many valuable things from Elam. Because he complained, the Assyrians removed him from power again. They sent him away from Elam, which is called being exiled. After this, Humban-haltash III ruled Elam once more.

See Also

• List of rulers of Elam