Ammi-saduqa
King of Babylon, great-grandson of Hammurabi
- Reigned
- c. 1646–1626 BCE (Middle Chronology)
- Dynasty
- 1st dynasty of Babylon
- Father
- Ammi-ditana
- Successor
- Samsu-ditana, last of the dynasty
- Linked texts
- Venus Tablet; oldest Atrahasis copy
A late Old Babylonian king whose reign dates the oldest full copy of the Atrahasis flood epic and the famous Venus Tablet.
What is Ammi-saduqa known for?
Ammi-saduqa was the great-grandson of Hammurabi and the next-to-last king of Babylon's First Dynasty. He reigned about 21 years, roughly 1646 to 1626 BCE on the Middle Chronology. His surviving year-names suggest a mostly peaceful reign spent enriching temples and building.
He is famous today for two texts. A scribe's colophon dates the oldest nearly complete copy of the Atrahasis epic, the Babylonian story of the creation of humans and the Flood, to his reign. And the 'Venus Tablet of Ammi-saduqa', preserved in later copies such as British Museum K.160 from Nineveh, records 21 years of Venus risings and settings. Astronomers and historians use it to try to fix the absolute dates of the Old Babylonian kings, though its interpretation is still debated.
The best copy of the Atrahasis flood epic was written in his reign.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeAtrahasis
- PassageAtrahasis: the gods go on strike (Atrahasis, tablet I)
- PersonNur-Aya
Sources
- Wikipedia, 'Ammi-Saduqa'Reference
- Wikipedia, 'Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa'Reference
- World History Encyclopedia, 'The Atrahasis Epic'Reference
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