The outlines of this war which took place in 708-707 are known from official records:[[84]] When Daltâ, the aged king of Ellipi, died, Nibê and Ašpa-bara, the "sons of his sisters," began to fight for the throne. Because of its geographical location between the Assyrian provinces in Western Iran to one side and Elam to the other, the kingdom of Ellipi had a high strategic value for both of its powerful neighbours. Foreign support was easy to get and Nibê, whose Elamite auxiliaries were ready at hand, succeeded at first. But in 707 the ousted Ašpa-bara returned with a superior Assyrian force and finally captured the throne of Ellipi. Within this sequence of events there are three points of reference: First, the demise of Daltâ; second, the short reign of Nibê; third, the Assyrian campaign to install Ašpa-bara.
The first point is especially important, because Daltâ is mentioned very often. Quite a number of letters can be divided into amD (ante mortem Daltae) and pmD (post mortem Daltae). For instance Nergal-eṭir's letter 66 must be amD, because Daltâ was still able to send a messenger. No. 84 was probably written closest to the time of his death: "Concerning news of Daltâ: he does not leave the house and no one enters into his presence" (84:3-4). Daltâ either was ill already or he had perhaps just died and his death was kept secret to prepare the succession.
When Mannu-ki-Ninua took over in Kar-Šarrukin, which in turn happened in the month of Kislev (92:4), Daltâ had just died (91 r.11). Soon after Daltâ's death, Nibê captured the throne and Ellipi was lost for Assyria. Since it is highly unlikely that Sargon should not have reacted as soon as possible, and since we know that his counterstrike took place in 707, it is almost certain that Dalta died in the year before, in or shortly before Kislev (Nov.-Dec.) 708. In two more letters sent by Mannu-ki-Ninua immediately after he got his new position, the enigmatic term "House of Daltâ" is used as an alternative name for Ellipi (nos. 90:5 and 92 r.9). This term describes the critical situation within Ellipi: Two of his relatives fought over Daltâ's legacy and so it was still in the possession of what the Assyrians called the "house" (i.e. dynasty) of their former vassal. The use of this term made sense only during the short period between Daltâ's death and Ašpa-bara's victory. With him, who was a nephew, not a son of Daltâ, a different branch of the ruling family came to power whose leader was acceptable to Assyria. Therefore letter 113 from Der can likewise be dated to the period of Nibê's reign because the "house of Daltâ" is mentioned (113:14).
Nibê is only once mentioned by name, not in connection with the Ellipian civil war but because his cavalry was regarded as a possible threat to a tribute-expedition in Media (no. 3). As nephews of Daltâ neither Nibê nor Ašpa-bara can be identified with the "son of Daltâ" mentioned twice in the letters coming from Der (nos. 129:12 and 130:26). The only known son of Daltâ was Lutû (see below) but there could well have existed another one whose name is unknown. As with the "house of Daltâ," the term "son of Daltâ" could only have gained importance during the reign of Nibê.
In 707 Sargon intervened in Ellipi but he stayed at home and left it to his commanders to conquer the throne of Ellipi for Ašpa-bara. Two letters (SAA 1 13 and our no. 76) are part of a discussion between the king and the magnates who participated in the campaign.[[85]] Both agreed that an area around the cities of Urammu and Sumurzu, both in the province of Namri, met all conditions of being convenient as the rallying-point for the Assyrian forces who came from different provinces and arrived at different times.[[86]]
Letters sent from the provinces surrounding Ellipi are preoccupied with local affairs. Only two letters add a short remark that "the magnates ... have entered Ellipi" (35 r.1-2; 95 r.8-10). Once the forces had been swallowed by the foreign mountains even the nearest Assyrian governors either could not get first hand informations worthwhile to be sent to the king or they lost sight of what was going on. As there are no further letters from participants in the campaign, we get no more details of the following military operations and neither the siege of the royal city of Marubištu nor the final defeat of Nibê and his Elamite auxiliaries are mentioned.
In Tishri (Sep.-oct.) the war was over (69 r.15). Its surviving loosers roamed about with the remnants of their troops (69:7-15). Three people can be identified who were clearly involved in the war of succession but obviously were not important enough to be mentioned in the official records:
Kibaba/iše was somehow connected with a region named Bit-Barrû (76 r.10-12, SAA 1 14: 10-13) which was not far from Harhar/Kar-Šarrukin.[[87]] In 707, Bit-Barrû was still part of Ellipi, and so Kibabaše must have been a vassal ruler of the Ellipian king. Perhaps he was the former city-lord of Harhar whose city in 716 had become the provincial center of Kar-Šarrukin.[[88]] First Kibabaše's relations to Assyria were good (SAA 1 14:10ff) or at least seemed to be so. We don't know what the magnates had to say of him just before their campaign started (76 r. 10-12) but it is very likely that he was the traitor of whom the king had issued a warning (SAA 1 13 r.1ff). Afterwards when Ašpa-bara was firmly established as king of Ellipi both Kibabiše and another person named Dasukku had lost their towns (69:7-16). The third person involved in the fate of Ellipi is the most interesting and yet the most mysterious. This was Lutû (or Ludû), a son of Ellipi's former king Daltâ,[[89]] who ruled over a city the name of which unfortunately is not preserved (99:4). Twice Lutû is mentioned together with Elamites (SAA 1 17) or Elamite troops which may well be identical with Ašpa-bara 's enemies during the war of succession (98:9ff). But during the civil war Lutû seems to have supported Ašpa-bara (SAA I 16?). Immediately afterwards both are accused of giving secret support to the troublemakers Kibabiše and Dasukku (69:19-r.5). At this time they acted together cautiously and against Assyrian interests. But a few months later, in Nisan (Mar.-Apr.) 706, Lutû and Ašpa-bara were "engaged in battle against each other" (101:10-14). Lutû's relations with the Assyrian officials were strained. It seems as if both sides were dishonest and did not trust each other but tried to avoid open conflict. When Lutû himself was asked to deliver fugitive Assyrian subjects he didn't dare to refuse, but his answer was evasive (no. 62). In a similar way the governor of Kar-Šarrukin negotiated with Lutû but at the same time he secretly held his son prisoner, probably to make use of him as a hostage against his unruly father (100:8ff). The final fate of Lutû is unknown. A few years afterwards Ašpa-bara went too far in his attempts to relax his ties with Assyria. He was regarded as an enemy by Sennacherib who attacked Ellipi in 702 and diminished its territory.[[90]]
84 Ann. 412-425, Prunk 117-121.
85 Both letters deal with the setting up of a camp and mention the city of Sumurzu. In SAA 1 13 the king gives orders to quite a number of people while no. 76 is a letter to the king sent by more than one person. The situation matches the known events of 707 well: Only then a number of magnates marched against Ellipi, which was hostile and supported by an Elamite force, probably the one mentioned in Saa 1 13:11.
86 An inscription of Shalmaneser III (Grayson, RIMA 3 p. 40f. iv 7-25) shows that the cities of Sumurzu (SAA 1 13; no. 76) and Niqi-Tupliš (no. 76) belonged to the land of Namri which was connected with Ellipi by a pass , perhaps the pass of Urammu mentioned in SAA 1 13:8-9.
87 A few years later Sennacherib conquered Bit-Barrû and added it to the province of Harhar (Kar-Šarrukin). See Frahm Sanherib p. 10.
88 In the Khorsabad-Annals the city-lord of Harhar is called Kibaba (Ann. 96).
89 Parker, Iraq 23 Pl.14 ND 2451: 11. Cf. PN A sub Daltâ (d).
90 Frahm Sanherib p. 10.
Andreas Fuchs
Andreas Fuchs, 'The War of Succession in Ellipi', The Correspondence of Sargon II, Part III: Letters from Babylonia and the Eastern Provinces, SAA 15. Original publication: Helsinki, Helsinki University Press, 2001; online contents: SAAo/SAA15 Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2021 [http://oracc.org/saao/saa15/TheNeo-AssyrianZagrosandWesternIran/TheWarofSuccessioninEllipi/]