​SHALMANESER [Ass.Ṣulmānu-aṣarid, “the god Sulman(Solomon) is chief”], the name of three Assyrian princes.

Shalmaneser I., son of Hadad-nirari I., succeeded his fatheras king of Assyria about 1310B.C. He carried on a series ofcampaigns against the Aramaeans in northern Mesopotamia,annexed a portion of Cilicia to the Assyrian empire, andestablished Assyrian colonies on the borders of Cappadocia. Accordingto his annals, discovered at Assur, in his first year he conqueredeight countries in the north-west and destroyed the fortress ofArinnu, the dust of which he brought to Assur. In his secondyear he defeated Sattuara, king of Malatia, and his Hittite allies,and conquered the whole country as far south as Carchemish.He built palaces at Assur and Nineveh, restored “theworld-temple” at Assur, and founded the city of Calah.

Shalmaneser II. succeeded his father Assur-nazir-pal III.858B.C. His long reign was a constant series of campaignsagainst the eastern tribes, the Babylonians, the nations ofMesopotamia and Syria, as well as Cilicia and Ararat. Hisarmies penetrated to Lake Van and Tarsus, the Hittites ofCarchemish were compelled to pay tribute, and Hamath (Hamah)and Damascus were subdued. In 854B.C. a league formed byHamath, Arvad, Ammon, “Ahab of Israel” and otherneighbouring princes, under the leadership of Damascus, fought anindecisive battle against him at Karkar (Qarqar), and otherbattles followed in 849 and 846 (seeJews § 10). In 842 Hazaelwas compelled to take refuge within the walls of his capital.The territory of Damascus was devastated, and Jehu of Samaria(whose ambassadors are represented on the Black Obelisk nowin the British Museum) sent tribute along with the Phoeniciancities. Babylonia had already been conquered as far as themarshes of the Chaldaeans in the south, and the Babylonianking put to death. In 836 Shalmaneser made an expeditionagainst the Tibareni (Tabal) which was followed by one againstCappadocia, and in 832 came the campaign in Cilicia. In thefollowing year the old king found it needful to hand over thecommand of his armies to the Tartan (commander-in-chief),and six years later Nineveh and other cities revolted against himunder his rebel son Assur-danin-pal. Civil war continued fortwo years; but the rebellion was at last crushed bySamas-Rimmon or Samsi-Hadad, another son of Shalmaneser.Shalmaneser died soon afterwards in 823B.C. He had built a palaceat Calah, and the annals of his reign are engraved on an obeliskof black marble which he erected there.

Shalmaneser III. (or IV.) appears as governor of Zimirra inPhoenicia in the reign of Tiglath-pileser IV. (or III.) and issupposed by H. Winckler to have been the son of the latter king.At all events, on the death of Tiglath-pileser, he succeeded tothe throne the 25th of Tebet 727B.C., and changed his originalname of Ululā to that of Shalmaneser. The revolt of Samariatook place during his reign (seeJews § 15), and while he wasbesieging the rebel city he died on the 12th of Tebet 722B.C. and the crown was seized by Sargon.