Shutruk-Nakhunte
Encyclopedia
Shutruk-Nakhunte was king of Elam
from about 1185 to 1155 BC (middle chronology), and the second king of the Shutrukid Dynasty.
Elam amassed an empire that included most of Mesopotamia
and western Iran.
Under his command, Elam defeated the Kassites
and established the short-lived Elamite Empire, conquered within about 40 years by Nebuchadnezzar I of Babylon
, in 1120 BC.
Shutruk-Nakhunte was married to the daughter of a Kassite king named Meli-Schipak.
's short story The Palace Thief, and its adaptation in the 2002 film The Emperor's Club
, in which one of the key elements is a plaque describing the exploits of Shutruk-Nakhunte, described as a once famous egomaniacal conqueror virtually unknown today.
The quote from the film is, "'I am Shutruk Nahunte, King of Anshand and Sussa, Sovereign of the land of Elam. I destroyed Sippar, took the stele of Niran-Sin, and brought it back to Elam, where I erected it as an offering to my god.' — Shutruk Nahunte, 1158 B.C."
Elam
Elam was an ancient civilization located in what is now southwest Iran. Elam was centered in the far west and the southwest of modern-day Iran, stretching from the lowlands of Khuzestan and Ilam Province, as well as a small part of southern Iraq...
from about 1185 to 1155 BC (middle chronology), and the second king of the Shutrukid Dynasty.
Elam amassed an empire that included most of 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...
and western Iran.
Under his command, Elam defeated the Kassites
Kassites
The Kassites were an ancient Near Eastern people who gained control of Babylonia after the fall of the Old Babylonian Empire after ca. 1531 BC to ca. 1155 BC...
and established the short-lived Elamite Empire, conquered within about 40 years by Nebuchadnezzar I of Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
, in 1120 BC.
Shutruk-Nakhunte was married to the daughter of a Kassite king named Meli-Schipak.
In popular culture
Shutruk-Nakhunte gained a small public exposition in Ethan CaninEthan Canin
Ethan Andrew Canin is an American author, educator, and physician. He is a member of the faculty of the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa....
's short story The Palace Thief, and its adaptation in the 2002 film The Emperor's Club
The Emperor's Club
The Emperor's Club is a 2002 drama film that tells the story of a prep school teacher and his students. Based on Ethan Canin's short story "The Palace Thief," the film is directed by Michael Hoffman and stars Kevin Kline. The film is set at a fictional boys' prep school, St. Benedict's Academy,...
, in which one of the key elements is a plaque describing the exploits of Shutruk-Nakhunte, described as a once famous egomaniacal conqueror virtually unknown today.
The quote from the film is, "'I am Shutruk Nahunte, King of Anshand and Sussa, Sovereign of the land of Elam. I destroyed Sippar, took the stele of Niran-Sin, and brought it back to Elam, where I erected it as an offering to my god.' — Shutruk Nahunte, 1158 B.C."
Literature
- D.T. Potts: The Archaeology of Elam, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1999, 232-237