Assyrian queens

Shammuramat (Akkadian: Sammu-rāmat or Sammu-ramāt), also known as Sammuramat or Shamiram and Semiramis, was a powerful queen of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Beginning her career as the primary consort of the king Shamshi-Adad V (824–811 BC), Shammuramat reached an unusually prominent position in the reign of her son Adad-nirari III (811–783 BC). Though there is dispute in regard to Shammuramat's formal status and position, and if she should be considered a co-regent, it is clear that she was among the most powerful and influential women of the ancient Near East and the Iron Age in general; she is

Naqiʾa or Naqia (Akkadian: , also known as Zakūtu (), was a wife of the Assyrian king Sennacherib (705–681 BC) and the mother of his son and successor Esarhaddon (681–669). Naqiʾa is the best documented woman in the history of the Neo-Assyrian Empire and she reached an unprecedented level of prominence and public visibility; she was perhaps the most influential woman in Assyrian history. She is one of the few ancient Assyrian women to be depicted in artwork, to commission her own building projects, and to be granted laudatory epithets in letters by courtiers. She is also the only known an

Libbāli-šarrat (Akkadian: Libbāli-šarrat, meaning "the inner city [=Ishtar?] is queen") was a queen of the Neo-Assyrian Empire as the primary consort of Ashurbanipal (669–631 BC). Libbāli-šarrat married Ashurbanipal before he became king, probably in 672 BC, and may have lived beyond her husband's death, as documents from the reign of her probable son, Ashur-etil-ilani (631–627 BC) reference the "mother of the king". Libbāli-šarrat enjoys the distinction of being the only known individual from ancient Assyria who was not a king to be depicted holding court since she is depicted in one of Ashur

Mullissu-mukannishat-Ninua (Akkadian: Mullissu-mukannišat-Nīnua) was a queen of the Neo-Assyrian Empire as the primary consort of Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BC). She was probably also the mother of his son and successor Shalmaneser III (859–824 BC). Mullissu-mukannishat-Ninua is only known from her tomb, discovered in Nimrud in 1989. She was the daughter of the "great cupbearer" Ashur-nirka-da’’inni and as such probably belonged to the Assyrian aristocracy before she became queen.

Ešarra-ḫammat (, meaning "Ešarra is mistress") was a queen of the Neo-Assyrian Empire as the primary consort of Esarhaddon (681–669 BC). Ešarra-ḫammat had been married to Esarhaddon for over a decade by the time he became king, having married him 695 BC. Few sources from Ešarra-ḫammat's lifetime that mention her are known, and she is thus chiefly known from sources dating to after her death in February 672 BC, an event which deeply affected Esarhaddon. Esarhaddon had a great mausoleum constructed for her, unusual for burials of Assyrian queens, and had her death recorded in the Babylonian Chro

ancient Mesopotamian women

ancient Assyrian queen

Tashmetu-sharrat (Akkadian: Tašmētu-šarrat or Tašmētum-šarrat, meaning "Tashmetum is queen") was a queen of the Neo-Assyrian Empire as the primary consort of Sennacherib (705–681 BC). Tashmetu-sharrat is mostly known from an inscription by Sennacherib which praises her great beauty and in which the king hopes to spend the rest of his life with her. It is not known which of Sennacherib's children were children of Tashmetu-sharrat; the king's successor Esarhaddon (681–669 BC) was the son of Naqi'a, another woman.