Eponym list
Encyclopedia
The Eponym dating system was a calendar system
for Assyria
, for a period of over one thousand years. Every year was associated with the name, an eponym
, of the Limmu
, the individual holding office.
The dating system is thought to have originated in the ancient city of Assur
, and remained the official dating system in Assyria until the end of the Assyrian Empire in the seventh century. The names of the Limmu who became eponyms were originally chosen by lot sortition
, until the first millennium it became a fixed rotation of officers headed by the king who constituted the limmu. The earliest known attestations of a year eponyms are at Karum-Kanesh
, and became used in other Assyrian colonies in Anatolia. Its spread was due to Shamshi-Adad I
's unification of northern Mesopotamia
.
, which coincides with dates from the Canon between 747 and 631 BC. According to one limmu list, a solar eclipse occurred in the tenth reigning year of the Assyrian king Aššur-dan II, in the month of Sivan (May-June on the Gregorian calender), by Bur-Sagale. Using the Canon of Kings
the tenth year can be dated to 763 BC, and modern astronomy dating has backed the Assyrian eclipse
up as June 15, 763 BC. Other events can be dated from this establishment of fact, such as the taking of the Egyptian city of Thebes by the Assyrians in 664 BC, and to be able to determine the date of the minting of ancient coins.
Out of 19 surviving clay tablets with limmus, they between them show ten manuscripts that contain lists of years identified by the eponym with a summary note about what happened that year, most often military campaigns. Thus, such lists provide historians a way of dating long stretches of the Neo-Assyrian history, and give us in details military exploits and which were considered the most important. Such a translation can be found below (With BC added).
Calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
for Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
, for a period of over one thousand years. Every year was associated with the name, an eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
, of the Limmu
Limmu
Limmu was an Assyrian eponym. At the beginning of the reign of an Assyrian king, the limmu, an appointed royal official, would preside over the New Year festival at the capital. Each year a new limmu would be chosen. Although picked by lot, there was most likely a limited group, such as the men of...
, the individual holding office.
The dating system is thought to have originated in the ancient city of Assur
Assur
Assur , was one of the capitals of ancient Assyria. The remains of the city are situated on the western bank of river Tigris, north of the confluence with the tributary Little Zab river, in modern day Iraq, more precisely in the Al-Shirqat District .Assur is also...
, and remained the official dating system in Assyria until the end of the Assyrian Empire in the seventh century. The names of the Limmu who became eponyms were originally chosen by lot sortition
Sortition
In politics, sortition is the selection of decision makers by lottery. The decision-makers are chosen as a random sample from a larger pool of candidates....
, until the first millennium it became a fixed rotation of officers headed by the king who constituted the limmu. The earliest known attestations of a year eponyms are at Karum-Kanesh
Kültepe
Kültepe is a modern village near the ancient city of Kaneš or Kanesh , located in the Kayseri Province of Turkey's Central Anatolia Region...
, and became used in other Assyrian colonies in Anatolia. Its spread was due to Shamshi-Adad I
Shamshi-Adad I
Shamshi-Adad I Shamshi-Adad I Shamshi-Adad I (fl. late 18th century BC (short chronology) was an Assyrian king. He rose to prominence when he carved out an empire encompassing much of Mesopotamia, Syria and Asia Minor...
's unification of northern Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
.
Limmu lists
With the establishment of eponym lists, succinct statements about events were sometimes added in order to keep track of the sequence. The limmu lists themselves run from 911 through to 631 BC, and are dated with the aid of the Canon of PtolemaeusCanon of Kings
The Canon of Kings was a dated list of kings used by ancient astronomers as a convenient means to date astronomical phenomena, such as eclipses. The Canon was preserved by the astronomer Claudius Ptolemy, and is thus sometimes called Ptolemy's Canon. It is one of the most important bases for our...
, which coincides with dates from the Canon between 747 and 631 BC. According to one limmu list, a solar eclipse occurred in the tenth reigning year of the Assyrian king Aššur-dan II, in the month of Sivan (May-June on the Gregorian calender), by Bur-Sagale. Using the Canon of Kings
Canon of Kings
The Canon of Kings was a dated list of kings used by ancient astronomers as a convenient means to date astronomical phenomena, such as eclipses. The Canon was preserved by the astronomer Claudius Ptolemy, and is thus sometimes called Ptolemy's Canon. It is one of the most important bases for our...
the tenth year can be dated to 763 BC, and modern astronomy dating has backed the Assyrian eclipse
Assyrian eclipse
The Assyrian eclipse is also known as Bur-Sagale eclipse. It was recorded in Assyrian eponym lists, most likely in the 9th year of king Ashur-dan III...
up as June 15, 763 BC. Other events can be dated from this establishment of fact, such as the taking of the Egyptian city of Thebes by the Assyrians in 664 BC, and to be able to determine the date of the minting of ancient coins.
Out of 19 surviving clay tablets with limmus, they between them show ten manuscripts that contain lists of years identified by the eponym with a summary note about what happened that year, most often military campaigns. Thus, such lists provide historians a way of dating long stretches of the Neo-Assyrian history, and give us in details military exploits and which were considered the most important. Such a translation can be found below (With BC added).
| Year | Limmu | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 719 BC | Sargon, King [of Assyria] | [-ent]ered |
| 718 BC | Zer-ibni, governor of Ra[sappa] | [to Ta]bal |
| 717 BC | Tab-shar-Assur, chamberlain | [Dur-Sharru]kin was founded. |
| 716 BC | Tab-sil-Eshara, governor of the citadel | [to] Mecca |
| 715 BC | Taklal-ana-beli, governer of Nasibina | [ ] governors appointed |
| 714 BC | Ishtar-duri, governor of Arrapha | [to Ur]artu, Musasir, Haldia |
| 713 BC | Assur-bani, governor of Kalhu | [the] nobles in Ellipi, he entered the new house, to Musasir in the land |
| 712 BC | Sharru-emuranni, governor of Zamua | in the land |
| 711 BC | Ninurta-alik-pani, governor of Si'mme | [to] Marqasa |
| 710 BC | Shamash-belu-usur, governor of Arzuhina | to Bit-zeri, the king stayed at Kish |
| 709 BC | Mannu-ki-Assur-le'i, governor of Tille | Sargon took the hands of Bel |
| 708 BC | Shamash-upahhir, governor of Habruri | Kummuhi conquered and a governor was appointed |
| 707 BC | Sha-Assur-dubbu, governor of Tushan | the king returned from Babylon, the vizier and nobles, the booty of Dur-Jakin was destroyed, on the 22nd of Teshrit, the gods of Dur-Sharrukin entered the temples |
| 706 BC | Mutakkil-Assur, governor of Guzana | the king stayed in the land, the nobles [ ]. on the 6th of Ayar, Dur-Sharrukin was completed |
| 705 BC | Nashur-Bel, governor of Amidu | the king [ ] against Qurdi the Kullumean, the king was killed, the camp of the king of Assyria [ ]. on the 12th of Ab, Sennacherb [became] king |