Tammaritu (son of Urtak)
Who was Tammaritu (son of Urtak)?
Elamite king, 7th-century BC
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Tammaritu (son of Urtak) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Tammaritu I, son of Urtak, was an Elamite king who ruled briefly from 653 to 652 BCE during a turbulent time in the ancient Near East. He became king after the violent death of his predecessor Teumman, who was beheaded by Assyrian forces at the Battle of Ulai in 653 BCE. Unlike earlier Elamite kings who ruled a united kingdom, Tammaritu shared power with his brother Ummanigash, with their territories supervised by the Assyrians.
Tammaritu was one of three sons of Urtak, who ruled Elam from 675 to 664 BCE. When Urtak died and Teumman took the throne, Tammaritu and his brothers Ummanigash and Ummanappa fled to Assyria to escape likely persecution. They lived under the protection of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal at Nineveh for several years. Based on Assyrian court records, Tammaritu seems to have been the youngest of Urtak's sons, which probably influenced his later lesser role in the divided Elamite kingdom.
After Teumman's defeat and death at the hands of the Assyrians, Ashurbanipal made the brothers puppet rulers to ensure Elam would stay loyal to Assyrian interests. Tammaritu became king of Hidalu, while Ummanigash was given the more important area centered on Madaktu. This setup was part of Assyrian policy to fragment conquered or client states and prevent unified opposition. Dividing Elam between the brothers was a change from traditional Elamite governance and showed how much control the Assyrians had over the area.
Tammaritu's rule ended suddenly in 652 BCE when Ummanigash decided to support a Babylonian rebellion led by Shamash-shum-ukin, Ashurbanipal's brother, against Assyrian rule. Ummanigash sent Elamite troops to support the rebellion, which ended in failure. The defeat of the Elamite forces and the collapse of the rebellion threw Elam into chaos, leading to the fall of both brothers and the rise of another man named Tammaritu, known to historians as Tammaritu II, who was not related to Urtak's family.
Before Fame
Tammaritu grew up as a prince in the Elamite royal court while his father Urtak ruled from 675 to 664 BCE. As the youngest son, according to Assyrian records, he probably got a royal education but didn't expect to inherit the throne under normal conditions. In 7th-century BCE Mesopotamia, Assyrian expansion and the tricky relations between vassal states were significant factors.
After Urtak's death in 664 BCE, Teumman seized power, changing Tammaritu's path dramatically. He and his brothers were exiled and spent years as refugees in the Assyrian capital of Nineveh. There, Tammaritu learned a lot about Assyrian court politics and military strategies. Although exile was tough, this time in Nineveh helped him build important connections with the Assyrian leaders, which later became crucial when he sought to reclaim Elamite territory.
Key Achievements
- Successfully reclaimed Elamite royal authority after years of exile in Assyria
- Established stable rule over the territory of Hidalu as part of the divided Elamite kingdom
- Maintained peaceful relations with Assyria during the early part of his reign
- Participated in the restoration of Urtak's dynastic line to Elamite throne
Did You Know?
- 01.He lived as a political refugee in the Assyrian capital of Nineveh for approximately eleven years before becoming king
- 02.His kingdom was limited to the city of Hidalu while his brother ruled the more important center of Madaktu
- 03.He was installed as king by the same Assyrian forces that had killed his predecessor Teumman at the Battle of Ulai
- 04.His brief reign of less than two years ended when another unrelated person also named Tammaritu took power in Elam
- 05.Assyrian court records suggest he was the youngest of three brothers who fled Elam together