| Agum II | |
|---|---|
| King of Babylon | |
 Pinches's line art of the Agum Kakrime Inscription | |
| Reign | c. 1500 BC |
| Predecessor | ? Šipta-Ulzi |
| Successor | ?Burna-Buriyåš I |
| House | Kassite |
Agum II[nb 1] (also known asAgum Kakrime) waspossibly aKassite ruler who may have become the 8th or more likely the 9th king of the thirdBabylonian dynasty sometime after Babylonia was defeated and sacked by theHittite kingMursilis I[i 1] in 1595 BC (middle chronology), establishing theKassite Dynasty which was to last in Babylon until 1155 BC. A later tradition, theMarduk Prophecy,[i 2] gives 24 years after a statue was taken, before it returnedof its own accord to Babylon,[1] suggesting a Kassite occupation beginning around 1507 BC.
The only historical source describes him as son of Urzigurumaš,[nb 2] the 6th king of the dynasty, but theSynchronistic King List[i 3] has twolacunae where the 8th and 9th kings precedeBurna-Buriaš I, who was the 10th.[1] The 7th position is occupied by a name containing “Ḫarba.”[nb 3] It has been suggested that the 9th position may show traces of the name “Kakrime”, purported to meanSword of Mercy[2] orWeapon of Thunder.[3]
Everything that is known about him is through theAgum-Kakrime Inscription, anAkkadian text written in the neo-Assyrian cuneiform script but in very short lines in imitation of an antiquarian style.[4] It is extant in two copies,[i 4][i 5] which describe the King's recovery of the cultic Statue ofMarduk from the land ofḪana (KURḫa-ni-i), pilfered by the Hittites during their sack of Babylon, and its restoration in the newly refurbished temple ofÉsagila. In it, Agum portrays himself as the legitimate ruler and caring “shepherd” of both the Kassites and the Akkadians. He asserts his suzerainty over Padan and Alman and also theGuteans, “a foolish people,”[nb 4] groups variously located in regions of theZagros mountains.
The inscription begins with an introduction, giving the King's name, genealogy, epithets and so on. He is a descendant of Abi[rattash], “the fierce hero.” It continues with a long narrative of the return of Marduk and his consortZarpanītum and then lists Agum-Kakrime's many generous donations to the temple and includes descriptions of the purification of the house itself by a snake charmer and the construction of protective demons for the doorway.[5]
Of uncertain provenance, it is on two tablets, one of which covers 8 columns and more than 350 lines, and including much esoteric detail concerning the temple and its rituals. One was found in thelibrary of Ashurbanipal, purporting to be a copy of an inscription made in antiquity[6] while the other was found elsewhere inKouyunjik, ancient Nineveh. The Library of Ashurbanipal copy contains two colophons, and apart from the standard library identification, the earlier one readsmudû mudâ likallim, which has been translated as “Let the learned instruct the learned” or alternatively “The initiate may show the initiate.” For those disputing its authenticity, it is a later pseudonymous propaganda piece for the cult of Marduk, emphasizing certain tax exemptions granted for the restoration of the statues.[7] Kassite era royal inscriptions are usually inscribed inSumerian. Those supportive of its authenticity cite the iconography of the demons described on the door of the cella, which represent Marduk's defeated foes,[nb 5] the gods of cities conquered by Babylon, such asEšnunna and are illustrative of a middle Babylonian theology. Marduk has yet to attain sovereignty over the universe characterized by theEnûma Eliš and the struggle withTiāmat.[8]
A more recent analysis tends to support the authenticity of the text and the existenceof Agum II.[9]
