Assyrian King List

The Assyrian King List is a chronological record of Assyrian rulers, crucial for reconstructing the history of ancient Mesopotamia. Excavations at Ashur and Khorsabad have uncovered fragments of these lists, some dating back to around 1700 BC. These lists are vital because Assyrian kings often held an eponym office in their first or second regnal year, allowing historians to determine reign lengths by counting names between successive kings in eponym lists.1

While the Assyrian King List provides a framework, Babylonian chronology before 747 BC has gaps, with uncertainties in the 2nd millennium BC. However, synchronisms between Assyrian and Babylonian kings help establish a chronological structure for periods where Babylonian records are incomplete. The discovery of texts like Ptolemy's Canon and the Babylonian Chronicle has aided in piecing together Mesopotamian history.23