SHAMSHI-ADDU I

(also spelled SHAMSI-ADAD; reigned 1813–1781 B.C.)

   Amoriteking of Assyria, who usurped the throne of Assur. Shamshi-Addu built up a powerful kingdom that stretched from the foothills of the Zagros to the valleys of the Habur and Balik in Syria and included much of northern Babylonia. He captured Mari, where he put one of his sons in charge; the archives in the Mari palace furnish much detail about Shamshi-Addu’s maneuvers. Like his younger contemporary, Hammurabi at Babylon, he was one of those Amorite rulers who were very skillful in the use of diplomacy and the making of alliances, backed up by a shrewd and decisive deployment of force. Unlike Hammurabi, who inherited and built up a well-functioning administrative apparatus, ShamshiAddu, despite employing Babylonian scribes, relied primarily on his personal connections and judgment. It was therefore not surprising that the large territory he had held together disintegrated rapidly after his death.