Ashur-etil-ilani

Ashur-etil-ilani was a king of Assyria (ca. 631 BC – ca. 627 BC). He succeeded his father Ashurbanipal.

Problems with source material

The reconstruction of the events occurring during Ashur-etil-ilani's rule has proven to be very difficult. One noteworthy problem is the complete absence of sources from central Assyria covering this time, and the lack of official recordings of events (e.g. royal inscriptions). The most important source for this period is the "Nabopolassar Chronicle", which, however, is quite fragmentary for this period.

Reign

The death of Ashurbanipal between 631 and 627 BC opened the way for a serious struggle for the control of Assyria between several pretenders which was to lead to the downfall of the Neo Assyrian Empire. The contest may have actually begun a few years earlier during Ashurbanipal's lifetime. The development of the events, and even the number of parties involved is not known with certainty. It does seem certain that upon Ashurbanipal's death, allied hordes of Scythians, Cimmerians, Medes and Persians, taking advantage of Assyria's weakness due to internal strife, crossed the borders of the Assyrian Empire destroying Ashkelon and raiding as far as Egypt. Calah (Nimrud) was burned, but the strong walls of Nineveh protected the remnants of the Assyrian army that had taken refuge behind them. When the raiders had passed on to other regions, a new palace was erected among the ruins of the neighbouring city. But its architectural poverty and small size show that the resources of Assyria were at a low ebb.