List of kings of Babylon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids King of Babylon
šakkanakki Bābili šar Bābili
Stylised version of the star of Shamash
Last native king Nabonidus 25 May 556 BC – 13 October 539 BC
Details
First monarch	Sumu-abum
Last monarch	Nabonidus (last native king) Shamash-eriba or Nidin-Bel (last native rebel) Artabanus III (last foreign ruler attested as king) Artabanus IV (last Parthian king in Babylonia)
Formation	c. 1894 BC
Abolition	539 BC (last native king) 484 BC or 336/335 BC (last native rebel) AD 81 (last foreign ruler attested as king) AD 224 (last Parthian king in Babylonia)
Appointer	Various: Election by the Babylonian priesthood or aristocracy Hereditary inheritance Usurpation/conquest of Babylon

The king of Babylon (Akkadian: šakkanakki Bābili, later also šar Bābili) was the ruler of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon and its kingdom, Babylonia, which existed as an independent realm from the 19th century BC to its fall in the 6th century BC. For the majority of its existence as an independent kingdom, Babylon ruled most of southern Mesopotamia, composed of the ancient regions of Sumer and Akkad. The city experienced two major periods of ascendancy, when Babylonian kings rose to dominate large parts of the Ancient Near East: the First Babylonian Empire (or Old Babylonian Empire, c. 1894/1880–1595 BC) and the Second Babylonian Empire (or Neo-Babylonian Empire, 626–539 BC). Babylon was ruled by Hammurabi, who created the Code of Hammurabi.

Many of Babylon's kings were of foreign origin. Throughout the city's nearly two-thousand year history, it was ruled by kings of native Babylonian (Akkadian), Amorite, Kassite, Elamite, Aramean, Assyrian, Chaldean, Persian, Greek and Parthian origin. A king's cultural and ethnic background does not appear to have been important for the Babylonian perception of kingship, the important matter instead being whether the king was capable of executing the duties traditionally ascribed to the Babylonian king: establishing peace and security, upholding justice, honouring civil rights, refraining from unlawful taxation, respecting religious traditions, constructing temples, providing gifts to the gods in the temples and maintaining cultic order. Babylonian revolts of independence during the times the city was ruled by foreign empires probably had little to do with the rulers of these empires not being Babylonians and more to do with the rulers rarely visiting Babylon and failing to partake in the city's rituals and traditions.

Babylon's last native king was Nabonidus, who reigned from 556 to 539 BC. Nabonidus's rule was ended through Babylon being conquered by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid Empire. Though early Achaemenid kings continued to place importance on Babylon and continued using the title 'king of Babylon', later Achaemenid rulers being ascribed the title is probably only something done by the Babylonians themselves, with the kings themselves having abandoned it. Babylonian scribes continued to recognise rulers of the empires that controlled Babylonia as their kings until the time of the Parthian Empire, when Babylon was gradually abandoned. Though Babylon never regained independence after the Achaemenid conquest, there were several attempts by the Babylonians to drive out their foreign rulers and re-establish their kingdom, possibly as late as 336/335 BC under the rebel Nidin-Bel.

Introduction

Royal titles

Three different attested spellings in Neo-Babylonian Akkadian cuneiform for the title 'king of Babylon' (šar Bābili). The topmost rendition follows the Antiochus cylinder, the other two follow building inscriptions by Nebuchadnezzar II (r.605–562 BC).

Throughout the city's long history, various titles were used to designate the ruler of Babylon and its kingdom, the most common titles being 'viceroy of Babylon', 'king of Karduniash' and 'king of Sumer and Akkad'. Use of one of the titles did not mean that the others could not be used simultaneously. For instance, the Neo-Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III (r.729–727 BC in Babylon), used all three of the aforementioned titles.

• Viceroy (or governor) of Babylon (šakkanakki Bābili) – emphasises the political dominion of Babylon itself. For much of the city's history, its rulers referred to themselves as viceroys or governors, rather than kings. The reason for this was that Babylon's true king was formally considered to be its national deity, Marduk. By not explicitly claiming the royal title, Babylonian rulers thus showed reverence to the city's god. The reign of the Neo-Assyrian king Sennacherib (r.705–681 BC) has been noted as a particular break in this tradition, as he assumed the title king of Babylon (šar Bābili), which may have contributed to widespread negative reception of him in Babylonia. However, šar Bābili is recorded as being used in some inscriptions from before Sennacherib's time, such as in the inscriptions of his father and predecessor Sargon II (r.710–705 BC in Babylon), who used it interchangeably with šakkanakki Bābili. Though Sennacherib's successors would primarily use šakkanakki Bābili, there are likewise examples of them instead using šar Bābili. These titles would also be used interchangeably by the later Neo-Babylonian kings.
• King of Karduniash (šar Karduniaš) – refers to rule of southern Mesopotamia as a whole. 'Karduniash' was the Kassite name for the Babylonian kingdom, and the title 'king of Karduniash' was introduced by the city's third dynasty (the Kassites). The title continued to be used long after the Kassites had lost control of Babylon, for instance as late as under the native king Nabu-shuma-ukin I (r.c. 900–888 BC) and the Neo-Assyrian king Esarhaddon (r.681–669 BC).
• King of Sumer and Akkad (šar māt Šumeri u Akkadi) – refers to rule of southern Mesopotamia as a whole. A title originally used by the kings of the Third Dynasty of Ur (c. 2112–2004 BC), centuries prior to Babylon's foundation. The title was used by kings to connect themselves to the culture and legacy of the Sumerian and Akkadian civilizations, as well as to lay claim to the political hegemony achieved during the ancient Akkadian Empire. The title was also a geographical one, in that southern Mesopotamia was typically divided into the two regions Sumer (the south) and Akkad (the north), meaning that 'king of Sumer and Akkad' referred to rulership over the entire country. The title was used by the Babylonian kings until the end of the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 539 BC, and was also assumed by Cyrus the Great, who conquered Babylon and ruled Babylonia until his death in 530 BC.

Role and legitimacy

The Babylonian kings derived their right to rule from divine appointment by Babylon's patron deity Marduk and through consecration by the city's priests. Marduk's main cult image (often conflated with the god himself), the statue of Marduk, was prominently used in the coronation rituals for the kings, who received their crowns "out of the hands" of Marduk during the New Year's festival, symbolizing them being bestowed with kingship by the deity.''''' The king's rule and his role as Marduk's vassal on Earth were reaffirmed annually at this time of year, when the king entered the Esagila, Babylon's main cult temple, alone on the fifth day of the New Year's Festival each year and met with the high priest. The high priest removed the regalia from the king, slapped him across the face and made him kneel before Marduk's statue. The king would then tell the statue that he had not oppressed his people and that he had maintained order throughout the year, whereafter the high priest would reply (on behalf of Marduk) that the king could continue to enjoy divine support for his rule, returning the royal regalia.''''' Through being a patron of Babylon's temples, the king extended his generosity towards the Mesopotamian gods, who in turn empowered his rule and lent him their authority.

Babylonian kings were expected to establish peace and security, uphold justice, honor civil rights, refrain from unlawful taxation, respect religious traditions and maintain cultic order. None of the king's responsibilities and duties required him to be ethnically or even culturally Babylonian. Any foreigner sufficiently familiar with the royal customs of Babylonia could adopt the title, though they might then require the assistance of the native priesthood and the native scribes. Ethnicity and culture does not appear to have been important in the Babylonian perception of kingship: many foreign kings enjoyed support from the Babylonians and several native kings were despised. That the rule of some foreign kings was not supported by the Babylonians probably has little to do with their ethnic or cultural background, but rather that they were perceived as not properly executing the traditional duties of the Babylonian king.

Dynasties

The name of Babylon's first dynasty (palû Babili, simply 'dynasty of Babylon') in Neo-Babylonian Akkadian cuneiform

As with other monarchies, the kings of Babylon are grouped into a series of royal dynasties, a practice started by the ancient Babylonians themselves in their king lists. The generally accepted Babylonian dynasties should not be understood as familial groupings in the same vein as the term is commonly used by historians for ruling families in later kingdoms and empires. Though Babylon's first dynasty did form a dynastic grouping where all monarchs were related, the dynasties of the first millennium BC, notably the Dynasty of E, did not constitute a series of coherent familial relationships at all. In a Babylonian sense, the term dynasty, rendered as palû or palê, related to a sequence of monarchs from the same ethnic or tribal group (i.e. the Kassite dynasty), the same region (i.e. the dynasties of the Sealand) or the same city (i.e. the dynasties of Babylon and Isin). In some cases, kings known to be genealogically related, such as Eriba-Marduk (r.c. 769–760 BC) and his grandson Marduk-apla-iddina II (r.722–710 BC and 703 BC), were separated into different dynasties, the former designated as belonging to the Dynasty of E and the latter as belonging to the (Third) Sealand dynasty.

Sources

The Uruk King List, recording rulers of Babylon from Kandalanu (r.648–627 BC) to Seleucus II Callinicus (r.246–225 BC)

The Babylonian King List of the Hellenistic Period, recording rulers of Babylon from Alexander the Great (r.331–323 in Babylon) to Demetrius II Nicator (r.145–141 BC in Babylon)

Among all the different types of documents uncovered through excavations in Mesopotamia, the most important for reconstructions of chronology and political history are king-lists and chronicles, grouped together under the term 'chronographic texts'. Mesopotamian king lists are of special importance when reconstructing the sequences of monarchs, as they are collections of royal names and regnal dates, also often with additional information such as the relations between the kings, arranged in a table format. In terms of Babylonian rulers, the main document is the Babylonian King List (BKL), a group of three independent documents: Babylonian King List A, B, and C. In addition to the main Babylonian King Lists, there are also additional king-lists that record rulers of Babylon.

• Babylonian King List A (BKLa, BM 33332) — created at some point after the foundation of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, Babylonian King List A records the kings of Babylon from the beginning of Babylon's first dynasty under Sumu-abum (r.c. 1894–1881 BC) to Kandalanu (r.648–627 BC). The end of the tablet is broken off, suggesting that it originally listed rulers after Kandalanu as well, possibly also listing the kings of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. All dynasties are separated by horizontal lines, under which subscript records a sum of the regnal years of each dynasty, and the number of kings the dynasties produced. Written in Neo-Babylonian script.
• Babylonian King List B (BKLb, BM 38122) — date of origin uncertain, written in Neo-Babylonian script. Babylonian King List B records the kings of Babylon's first dynasty, and the kings of the First Sealand dynasty, with subscripts recording the number of kings and their summed up reigns in these dynasties. Regnal years are recorded for the kings of the first dynasty, but omitted for the kings of the Sealand dynasty. The regnal years used for the kings are inconsistent with their actual reign lengths, possibly due to the author having copied the list from a document where the years had been lost or damaged. The list records genealogical information for all but two of the kings of the first dynasty, but only for two of the kings of the Sealand dynasty. Because the document is essentially two lists for two dynasties, it is possible that it was copied and extracted from longer king lists in the late period for some unknown purpose.
• Babylonian King List C (BKLc) — a short text, written in Neo-Babylonian script. King List C is important as a source on the second dynasty of Isin, as the first seven lines of the preserved nine lines of text provide a portion of the sequence of kings of this dynasty and their dates. The corresponding section in Babylonian King List A is incompletely preserved. As the list ends with the Isin dynasty's seventh king, Marduk-shapik-zeri (r.c. 1081–1069 BC), it is possible that it was written during the reign of his successor, Adad-apla-iddina (r.c. 1068–1047 BC). Its short length and unusual shape (being curved rather than flat) means that it might have been a practice tablet used by a young Babylonian student.
• Synchronistic King List (ScKL) — a collection of individual tablets and examplars. The Synchronistic King List features two columns, and records the kings of Babylon and Assyria together, with kings recorded next to each other presumably being contemporaries. Unlike most of the other documents, this list generally omits regnal years and any genealogical information, but it also differs in including many of the chief scribes under the Assyrian and Babylonian kings. The tablet with the earliest known portion of the list begins with the Assyrian king Erishum I (uncertain regnal dates) and the Babylonian king Sumu-la-El (r.c. 1880–1845 BC). The latest known portion ends with Ashur-etil-ilani (r.631–627 BC) in Assyria and Kandalanu in Babylon. As it is written in Neo-Assyrian script, it might have been created near the end of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
• Uruk King List (UKL, IM 65066) — the preserved portion of this king list records rulers from Kandalanu in the Assyrian period to Seleucus II Callinicus (r.246–225 BC) in the Seleucid period.
• Babylonian King List of the Hellenistic Period (BM 35603) — written at Babylon at some point after 141 BC, recording rulers from the start of Hellenistic rule in Babylonia under Alexander the Great (r.331–323 in Babylon), to the end of Seleucid rule under Demetrius II Nicator (r.145–141 BC in Babylon) and the conquest of Babylonia by the Parthian Empire. Entries before Seleucus I Nicator (r.305–281 BC) and after Antiochus IV Epiphanes (r.175–164 BC) are damaged and fragmentary.

As years in Babylon were named after the current king, and the current year of their reign, date formulas in economic, astronomical and literary cuneiform texts written in Babylonia also provide highly important and useful chronological data.

Kingship after the Neo-Babylonian Empire

Relief of Artaxerxes I of the Achaemenid Empire (r.465–424 BC), the last of the Achaemenid kings to officially use the title 'king of Babylon'

In addition to the king lists described above, cuneiform inscriptions and tablets confidently establish that the Babylonians continued to recognise the foreign rulers of Babylonia as their legitimate monarchs after the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and throughout the rule of the Achaemenid (539–331 BC), Argead (331–310 BC), and Seleucid (305–141 BC) empires, as well as well into the rule of the Parthian Empire (141 BC – AD 224).

Early Achaemenid kings greatly respected Babylonian culture and history, and regarded Babylonia as a separate entity or kingdom united with their own kingdom in something akin to a personal union.''''' Despite this, the Babylonians would grow to resent Achaemenid rule, just as they had resented Assyrian rule during the time their country was under the rule of the Neo-Assyrian Empire (722–626 BC).''''' Babylonian resentment of the Achaemenids likely had little to do with the Achaemenids being foreigners, but rather that the Achaemenid kings were perceived to not be capable of executing the duties of the Babylonian king properly, in line with established Babylonian tradition. This perception then led to frequent Babylonian revolts, an issue experienced by both the Assyrians and the Achaemenids. Since the capitals of the Assyrian and Achaemenid empires were elsewhere, these foreign kings did not regularly partake in the city's rituals (meaning that they could not be celebrated in the same way that they traditionally were) and they rarely performed their traditional duties to the Babylonian cults through constructing temples and presenting cultic gifts to the city's gods. This failure might have been interpreted as the kings thus not having the necessary divine endorsement to be considered true kings of Babylon.

The standard regnal title used by the early Achaemenid kings, not only in Babylon but throughout their empire, was 'king of Babylon and king of the lands'. The Babylonian title was gradually abandoned by the Achaemenid king Xerxes I (r.486–465 BC), after he had to put down a major Babylonian uprising. Xerxes also divided the previously large Babylonian satrapy into smaller sub-units and, according to some sources, damaged the city itself in an act of retribution.''''' The last Achaemenid king whose own royal inscriptions officially used the title 'king of Babylon' was Xerxes I's son and successor Artaxerxes I (r.465–424 BC). After Artaxerxes I's rule there are few examples of monarchs themselves using the title, though the Babylonians continued to ascribe it to their rulers. The only known official explicit use of 'king of Babylon' by a king during the Seleucid period can be found in the Antiochus cylinder, a clay cylinder containing a text wherein Antiochus I Soter (r.281–261 BC) calls himself, and his father Seleucus I Nicator (r.305–281 BC), by the title 'king of Babylon', alongside various other ancient Mesopotamian titles and honorifics. The Seleucid kings continued to respect Babylonian traditions and culture, with several Seleucid kings recorded as having "given gifts to Marduk" in Babylon and the New Year's Festival still being recorded as a contemporary event.''''' One of the last times the festival is known to have been celebrated was in 188 BC, under the Seleucid king Antiochus III (r.222–187 BC), who prominently partook in the rituals. From the Hellenistic period (i. e. the rule of the Greek Argeads and Seleucids) onwards, Greek culture became established in Babylonia, but per Oelsner (2014), the Hellenistic culture "did not deeply penetrate the ancient Babylonian culture, that persisted to exist in certain domains and areas until the 2nd c. AD".

Coin of Artabanus III of the Parthian Empire (r.AD 79/80–81), the last known ruler who is attested as king in Babylonian texts

Under the Parthian Empire, Babylon was gradually abandoned as a major urban centre and the old Babylonian culture diminished.''''' The nearby and newer imperial capitals cities of Seleucia and later Ctesiphon overshadowed the ancient city and became the seats of power in the region.''''' Babylon was still important in the first century or so of Parthian rule, and cuneiform tablets continued to recognise the rule of the Parthian kings.''''' The standard title formula applied to the Parthian kings in Babylonian documents was "ar-ša-kâ LUGAL.LUGAL.MEŠ" (Aršakâ šar šarrāni, "Arsaces, king of kings").''''' Several tablets from the Parthian period also in their date formulae mention the queen of the incumbent Parthian king, alongside the king, the first time women were officially recognised as monarchs of Babylon. The few documents that survive from Babylon in the Parthian period indicate a growing sense of alarm and alienation in Babylon as the Parthian kings were mostly absent from the city and the Babylonians noticed their culture slowly slipping away.'''''

When exactly Babylon was abandoned is unclear. The Roman author Pliny the Elder wrote in AD 50 that proximity to Seleucia had turned Babylon into a "barren waste" and during their campaigns in the east, Roman emperors Trajan (in AD 115) and Septimius Severus (in AD 199) supposedly found the city destroyed and deserted. Archaeological evidence and the writings of Abba Arikha (c. AD 219) indicate that at least the temples of Babylon may still have been active in the early 3rd century.''''' If any remnants of the old Babylonian culture still existed at that point, they would have been decisively wiped out as the result of religious reforms in the early Sasanian Empire c. AD 230.'''''

Due to a shortage of sources, and the timing of Babylon's abandonment being unknown, the last ruler recognised by the Babylonians as king is not known. The latest known cuneiform tablet is W22340a, found at Uruk and dated to AD 79/80. The tablet preserves the word LUGAL (king), indicating that the Babylonians by this point still recognised a king. At this time, Babylonia was ruled by the Parthian rival king (i. e. usurper) Artabanus III. Modern historians are divided on where the line of monarchs ends. Spar and Lambert (2005) did not include any rulers beyond the first century AD in their list of kings recognised by the Babylonians, but Beaulieu (2018) considered 'Dynasty XIV of Babylon' (his designation for the Parthians as rulers of the city) to have lasted until the end of Parthian rule of Babylonia in the early 3rd century AD.

Names in cuneiform

The list below includes the names of all the kings in Akkadian, as well as how the Akkadian names were rendered in cuneiform signs. Up until the reign of Burnaburiash II (r.c. 1359–1333 BC) of the Kassite dynasty (Dynasty III), Sumerian was the dominant language for use in inscriptions and official documents, with Akkadian eclipsing it under the reign of Kurigalzu II (r.c. 1332–1308 BC), and thereafter replacing Sumerian in inscriptions and documents. For consistency purposes, and because several kings and their names are known only from king lists, which were written in Akkadian centuries after Burnaburiash II's reign, this list solely uses Akkadian, rather than Sumerian, for the royal names, though this is anachronistic for rulers before Burnaburiash II.

It is not uncommon for there to be several different spellings of the same name in Akkadian, even when referring to the same individual. To examplify this, the table below presents two ways the name of Nebuchadnezzar II (r.605–562 BC) was spelt in Akkadian (Nabû-kudurri-uṣur). The list of kings below uses more concise spellings when possible, primarily based on the renditions of names in date formulae and king lists.

Concise spelling (king lists)	Elaborate spelling (building inscriptions)
Nabû - kudurri - uṣur	Na - bi - um - ku - du - ur - ri - u - ṣu - ur

Even if the same spelling is used, there were also several different scripts of cuneiform signs: a name, even if spelt the same, looks considerably different in Old Babylonian signs compared to Neo-Babylonian signs or Neo-Assyrian signs. The table below presents different variants, depending on the signs used, of the name Antiochus in Akkadian (Antiʾukusu). The list of kings below uses Neo-Babylonian and Neo-Assyrian signs, given that those scripts are the signs primarily used in the king lists.

Date formulae (Neo-Babylonian signs)	Antiochus cylinder	Antiochus cylinder (Neo-Babylonian signs)	Antiochus cylinder (Neo-Assyrian signs)
An - ti - ʾ - i - ku - su	An - ti - ʾ - ku - us	An - ti - ʾ - ku - us	An - ti - ʾ - ku - us

Dynasty I (Amorite), 1894–1595 BC

Per BKLb, the native name for this dynasty was simply palû Babili ('dynasty of Babylon'). To differentiate it from the other dynasties that later ruled Babylon, modern historians often refer to this dynasty as the 'First Dynasty of Babylon'. Some historians refer to this dynasty as the 'Amorite dynasty' on account of the kings being of Amorite descent. While the king list gives a regnal length of 31 years for the final king, Samsu-Ditana, the destruction layer at Babylon is dated to his 26th year and no later sources have been found.

King	Akkadian	Reigned from	Reigned until	Succession	Ref
Sumu-abum	Šumu-abum	c. 1894 BC	c. 1881 BC	First king of Babylon in BKLa and BKLb
Sumu-la-El	Šumu-la-El	c. 1880 BC	c. 1845 BC	Unclear succession
Sabium	Sabūm	c. 1844 BC	c. 1831 BC	Son of Sumu-la-El
Apil-Sin	Apil-Sîn	c. 1830 BC	c. 1813 BC	Son of Sabium
Sin-Muballit	Sîn-Muballit	c. 1812 BC	c. 1793 BC	Son of Apil-Sin
Hammurabi	Ḫammu-rāpi	c. 1792 BC	c. 1750 BC	Son of Sin-Muballit
Samsu-iluna	Šamšu-iluna	c. 1749 BC	c. 1712 BC	Son of Hammurabi
Abi-Eshuh	Abī-Ešuḫ	c. 1711 BC	c. 1684 BC	Son of Samsu-iluna
Ammi-Ditana	Ammi-ditāna	c. 1683 BC	c. 1647 BC	Son of Abi-Eshuh
Ammi-Saduqa	Ammi-Saduqa	c. 1646 BC	c. 1626 BC	Son of Ammi-Ditana
Samsu-Ditana	Šamšu-ditāna	c. 1625 BC	c. 1595 BC	Son of Ammi-Saduqa

Dynasty II (1st Sealand), 1725–1475 BC

Both BKLa and BKLb refer to this dynasty as palû Urukug ('dynasty of Urukug'). Presumably, the city of Urukug was the dynasty's point of origin. Some literary sources refer to some of the kings of this dynasty as 'kings of the Sealand', and thus modern historians refer to it as a dynasty of the Sealand. The designation as the first Sealand dynasty differentiates it from Dynasty V, which the Babylonians actually referred to as a 'dynasty of the Sealand'. This dynasty overlaps with Dynasty I and Dynasty III, with these kings actually ruling the region south of Babylon (the Sealand) rather than Babylon itself. For instance, the king Gulkishar of this dynasty was actually a contemporary of Dynasty I's last king, Samsu-Ditana. It is possible that the dynasty was included in Babylon's dynastic history by later scribes either because it controlled Babylon for a time, because it controlled or strongly influenced parts of Babylonia or because it was the most stable power of its time in Babylonia. The dates listed below are highly uncertain, and follow the timespan listed for the dynasty in Beaulieu (2018), c. 1725–1475 BC, with the individual dates based the lengths of the reigns of the kings, also as given by Beaulieu (2018).

King	Akkadian	Reigned from	Reigned until	Succession	Ref
Ilum-ma-ili	Ilum-ma-ilī	c. 1725 BC	??	Unclear succession
Itti-ili-nibi	Itti-ili-nībī	??		Unclear succession
...	—	??		Unclear succession
Damqi-ilishu	Damqi-ilišu	[26 years(?)]		Unclear succession
Ishkibal	Iškibal	[15 years]		Unclear succession
Shushushi	Šušši	[24 years]		Brother of Ishkibal
Gulkishar	Gulkišar	[55 years]		Unclear succession
mDIŠ-U-EN	[Uncertain reading]	??		Unclear succession
Peshgaldaramesh	Pešgaldarameš	c. 1599 BC	c. 1549 BC	Son of Gulkishar
Ayadaragalama	Ayadaragalama	c. 1548 BC	c. 1520 BC	Son of Peshgaldaramesh
Akurduana	Akurduana	c. 1519 BC	c. 1493 BC	Unclear succession
Melamkurkurra	Melamkurkurra	c. 1492 BC	c. 1485 BC	Unclear succession
Ea-gamil	Ea-gamil	c. 1484 BC	c. 1475 BC	Unclear succession

Dynasty III (Kassite), 1729–1155 BC

The entry for this dynasty's name in BKLa is lost, but other Babylonian sources refer to it as palû Kaššī ('dynasty of the Kassites'). The reconstruction of the sequence and names of the early rulers of this dynasty, the kings before Karaindash, is difficult and controversial. The king lists are damaged at this point and the preserved portions seem to contradict each other: for instance, BKLa has a king in-between Kashtiliash I and Abi-Rattash, omitted in the Synchronistic King List, whereas the Synchronistic King List includes Kashtiliash II, omitted in BKLa, between Abi-Rattash and Urzigurumash. It also seems probable that the earliest kings ascribed to this dynasty in king lists did not actually rule Babylon, but were added as they were ancestors of the later rulers. Babylonia was not fully consolidated and reunified until the reign of Ulamburiash, who defeated Ea-gamil, the last king of the first Sealand dynasty.

King	Akkadian	Reigned from	Reigned until	Succession	Ref
Gandash	Gandaš	c. 1729 BC	c. 1704 BC	Unclear succession
Agum I	Agum	c. 1703 BC	c. 1682 BC	Son of Gandash
Kashtiliash I	Kaštiliašu	c. 1681 BC	c. 1660 BC	Son of Agum I
...	—	c. 1659 BC	??	Unclear succession
Abi-Rattash	Abi-Rattaš	??		Son of Kashtiliash I
Kashtiliash II	Kaštiliašu	??		Unclear succession
Urzigurumash	Ur-zigurumaš	??		Descendant of Abi-Rattash (?)
Agum II	Agum-Kakrime	??		Son of Urzigurumash
Harba-Shipak	Ḫarba-Šipak	??		Unclear succession
Shipta'ulzi	Šipta’ulzi	??		Unclear succession
...	—	??		Unclear succession
Burnaburiash I	Burna-Buriaš	c. 1530 BC	c. 1500 BC	Unclear succession, earliest Kassite ruler confidently attested as ruling Babylon itself
Ulamburiash	Ulam-Buriaš	[c. 1475 BC]		Son of Burnaburiash I (?), reunified Babylonia through defeating Ea-gamil, the last king of the first Sealand dynasty
Kashtiliash III	Kaštiliašu	??		Son of Burnaburiash I (?)
Agum III	Agum	??		Son of Kashtiliash III
Kadashman-Sah	Kadašman-Saḫ	??		Unclear succession, co-ruler with Agum III?
Karaindash	Karaindaš	[c. 1415 BC]		Unclear succession
Kadashman-Harbe I	Kadašman-Ḫarbe	[c. 1400 BC]		Son of Karaindash (?)
Kurigalzu I	Kuri-Galzu	??		Son of Kadashman-harbe I
Kadashman-Enlil I	Kadašman-Enlil	c. 1374 BC	c. 1360 BC	Son of Kurigalzu I (?)
Burnaburiash II	Burna-Buriaš	c. 1359 BC	c. 1333 BC	Son of Kadashman-Enlil I (?)
Kara-hardash	Kara-ḫardaš	c. 1333 BC	c. 1333 BC	Son of Burnaburiash II (?)
Nazi-Bugash	Nazi-Bugaš	c. 1333 BC	c. 1333 BC	Usurper, unrelated to other kings
Kurigalzu II	Kuri-Galzu	c. 1332 BC	c. 1308 BC	Son of Burnaburiash II
Nazi-Maruttash	Nazi-Maruttaš	c. 1307 BC	c. 1282 BC	Son of Kurigalzu II
Kadashman-Turgu	Kadašman-Turgu	c. 1281 BC	c. 1264 BC	Son of Nazi-Maruttash
Kadashman-Enlil II	Kadašman-Enlil	c. 1263 BC	c. 1255 BC	Son of Kadashman-Turgu
Kudur-Enlil	Kudur-Enlil	c. 1254 BC	c. 1246 BC	Son of Kadashman-Enlil II
Shagarakti-Shuriash	Šagarakti-Šuriaš	c. 1245 BC	c. 1233 BC	Son of Kudur-Enlil
Kashtiliash IV	Kaštiliašu	c. 1232 BC	c. 1225 BC	Son of Shagarakti-Shuriash
Enlil-nadin-shumi	Enlil-nādin-šumi	c. 1224 BC	c. 1224 BC	Unclear succession
Kadashman-Harbe II	Kadašman-Ḫarbe	c. 1223 BC	c. 1223 BC	Unclear succession
Adad-shuma-iddina	Adad-šuma-iddina	c. 1222 BC	c. 1217 BC	Unclear succession
Adad-shuma-usur	Adad-šuma-uṣur	c. 1216 BC	c. 1187 BC	Son of Kashtiliash IV (?)
Meli-Shipak	Meli-Šipak	c. 1186 BC	c. 1172 BC	Son of Adad-shuma-usur
Marduk-apla-iddina I	Marduk-apla-iddina	c. 1171 BC	c. 1159 BC	Son of Meli-Shipak
Zababa-shuma-iddin	Zababa-šuma-iddina	c. 1158 BC	c. 1158 BC	Unclear succession
Enlil-nadin-ahi	Enlil-nādin-aḫe	c. 1157 BC	c. 1155 BC	Unclear succession

Dynasty IV (2nd Isin), 1153–1022 BC

Per BKLa, the native name of this dynasty was palû Išin ('dynasty of Isin'). Presumably, the city of Isin was the dynasty's point of origin. Modern historians refer to this dynasty as the second dynasty of Isin to differentiate it from the ancient Sumerian dynasty of Isin. Previous scholarship assumed that the first king of this dynasty, Marduk-kabit-ahheshu, ruled for the first years of his reign concurrently with the last Kassite king, but recent research suggests that this was not the case. This list follows the revised chronology of the kings of this dynasty, per Beaulieu (2018), which also means revising the dates of subsequent dynasties.

King	Akkadian	Reigned from	Reigned until	Succession	Ref
Marduk-kabit-ahheshu	Marduk-kabit-aḫḫēšu	c. 1153 BC	c. 1136 BC	Unclear succession
Itti-Marduk-balatu	Itti-Marduk-balāṭu	c. 1135 BC	c. 1128 BC	Son of Marduk-kabit-ahheshu
Ninurta-nadin-shumi	Ninurta-nādin-šumi	c. 1127 BC	c. 1122 BC	Relative of Itti-Marduk-balatu (?)
Nebuchadnezzar I	Nabû-kudurri-uṣur	c. 1121 BC	c. 1100 BC	Son of Ninurta-nadin-shumi
Enlil-nadin-apli	Enlil-nādin-apli	c. 1099 BC	c. 1096 BC	Son of Nebuchadnezzar I
Marduk-nadin-ahhe	Marduk-nādin-aḫḫē	c. 1095 BC	c. 1078 BC	Son of Ninurta-nadin-shumi, usurped the throne from Enlil-nadin-apli
Marduk-shapik-zeri	Marduk-šāpik-zēri	c. 1077 BC	c. 1065 BC	Son of Marduk-nadin-ahhe (?)
Adad-apla-iddina	Adad-apla-iddina	c. 1064 BC	c. 1043 BC	Usurper, unrelated to previous kings
Marduk-ahhe-eriba	Marduk-aḫḫē-erība	c. 1042 BC	c. 1042 BC	Unclear succession
Marduk-zer-X	Marduk-zēra-[—]	c. 1041 BC	c. 1030 BC	Unclear succession
Nabu-shum-libur	Nabû-šumu-libūr	c. 1029 BC	c. 1022 BC	Unclear succession

Dynasty V (2nd Sealand), 1021–1001 BC

Per BKLa, the native name of this dynasty was palû tamti ('dynasty of the Sealand'). Modern historians call it the second Sealand dynasty in order to distinguish it from Dynasty II.

King	Akkadian	Reigned from	Reigned until	Succession	Ref
Simbar-shipak	Simbar-Šipak	c. 1021 BC	c. 1004 BC	Probably of Kassite descent, unclear succession
Ea-mukin-zeri	Ea-mukin-zēri	c. 1004 BC	c. 1004 BC	Probably of Kassite descent (Bit-Hashmar clan), usurped the throne from Simbar-Shipak
Kashshu-nadin-ahi	Kaššu-nādin-aḫi	c. 1003 BC	c. 1001 BC	Probably of Kassite descent, son of Simbar-shipak (?)

Dynasty VI (Bazi), 1000–981 BC

BKLa refers to this dynasty as palû Bazu ('dynasty of Baz') and the Dynastic Chronicle calls it palû Bīt-Bazi ('dynasty of Bit-Bazi'). The Bit-Bazi were a clan attested already in the Kassite period. It is likely that the dynasty derives its name either from the city of Baz, or from descent from Bazi, the legendary founder of that city.

King	Akkadian	Reigned from	Reigned until	Succession	Ref
Eulmash-shakin-shumi	Eulmaš-šākin-šumi	c. 1000 BC	c. 984 BC	Possibly of Kassite descent (Bit-Bazi clan), unclear succession
Ninurta-kudurri-usur I	Ninurta-kudurrῑ-uṣur	c. 983 BC	c. 981 BC	Possibly of Kassite descent (Bit-Bazi clan), unclear succession
Shirikti-shuqamuna	Širikti-šuqamuna	c. 981 BC	c. 981 BC	Possibly of Kassite descent (Bit-Bazi clan), brother of Ninurta-kudurri-usur I

Dynasty VII (Elamite), 980–975 BC

BKLa dynastically separates Mar-biti-apla-usur from other kings with horizontal lines, marking him as belonging to a dynasty of his own. The Dynastic Chronicle also groups him by himself, and refers to his dynasty (containing only him) as the palû Elamtu ('dynasty of Elam').

King	Akkadian	Reigned from	Reigned until	Succession	Ref
Mar-biti-apla-usur	Mār-bīti-apla-uṣur	c. 980 BC	c. 975 BC	Elamite, or more likely of Elamite ancestry, unclear succession

Dynasty VIII (E), 974–732 BC

Per BKLa, the native name of this dynasty was palû E ('dynasty of E'). The meaning of 'E' is not clear, but it is likely a reference to the city of Babylon, meaning that the name should be interpreted as 'dynasty of Babylon'. The time of the dynasty of E was a time of great instability and the unrelated kings grouped together under this dynasty even belonged to completely different ethnic groups. Another Babylonian historical work, the Dynastic Chronicle (though it is preserved only fragmentarily), breaks this dynasty up into a succession of brief, smaller, dynasties.

King	Akkadian	Reigned from	Reigned until	Succession	Ref
Nabu-mukin-apli	Nabû-mukin-apli	c. 974 BC	c. 939 BC	Babylonian, unclear succession
Ninurta-kudurri-usur II	Ninurta-kudurrῑ-uṣur	c. 939 BC	c. 939 BC	Babylonian, son of Nabu-mukin-apli
Mar-biti-ahhe-iddina	Mār-bῑti-aḫḫē-idinna	c. 938 BC	??	Babylonian, son of Nabu-mukin-apli
Shamash-mudammiq	Šamaš-mudammiq	??	c. 901 BC	Babylonian, unclear succession
Nabu-shuma-ukin I	Nabû-šuma-ukin	c. 900 BC	c. 887 BC	Babylonian, unclear succession
Nabu-apla-iddina	Nabû-apla-iddina	c. 886 BC	c. 853 BC	Babylonian, son of Nabu-shuma-ukin I
Marduk-zakir-shumi I	Marduk-zâkir-šumi	c. 852 BC	c. 825 BC	Babylonian, son of Nabu-apla-iddina
Marduk-balassu-iqbi	Marduk-balāssu-iqbi	c. 824 BC	813 BC	Babylonian, son of Marduk-zakir-shumi I
Baba-aha-iddina	Bāba-aḫa-iddina	813 BC	812 BC	Babylonian, unclear succession
Babylonian interregnum (at least four years)
Ninurta-apla-X	Ninurta-apla-[—]	??		Babylonian, unclear succession
Marduk-bel-zeri	Marduk-bēl-zēri	??		Babylonian, unclear succession
Marduk-apla-usur	Marduk-apla-uṣur	??	c. 769 BC	Chaldean chief of an uncertain tribe, unclear succession
Eriba-Marduk	Erība-Marduk	c. 769 BC	c. 760 BC	Chaldean chief of the Bit-Yakin tribe, unclear succession
Nabu-shuma-ishkun	Nabû-šuma-iškun	c. 760 BC	748 BC	Chaldean chief of the Bit-Dakkuri tribe, unclear succession
Nabonassar	Nabû-nāṣir	748 BC	734 BC	Babylonian, unclear succession
Nabu-nadin-zeri	Nabû-nādin-zēri	734 BC	732 BC	Babylonian, son of Nabonassar
Nabu-shuma-ukin II	Nabû-šuma-ukin	732 BC	732 BC	Babylonian, unclear succession

note: Babylonian King List A records the names of 17 kings of the dynasty of E, but it states afterwards that the dynasty comprised 22 kings. The discrepancy might be explainable as a scribal error, but it is also possible that there were further kings in the sequence. The list is broken at critical points, and it is possible that five additional kings, whose names thus do not survive, could be inserted between the end of the Babylonian interregnum and the reign of Ninurta-apla-X. Lists of Babylonian rulers by modern historians tend to list Ninurta-apla-X as the first king to rule after Baba-aha-iddina's deposition.

Dynasty IX (Assyrian), 732–626 BC

'Dynasty IX' is used to, broadly speaking, refer to the rulers of Babylonia during the time it was ruled by the Neo-Assyrian Empire, including Assyrian kings of both the Adaside dynasty and the subsequent Sargonid dynasty, as well as various non-dynastic vassal and rebel kings. They are often grouped together as a dynasty by modern scholars as BKLa does not use lines to separate the rulers, used elsewhere in the list to separate dynasties. BKLa also assigns individual dynastic labels to some of the kings, though thus not in the same fashion as is done for the more concrete earlier dynasties. The palê designation associated with each king (they are recorded in the list up until Mushezib-Marduk) is included in the table below and follows Fales (2014).

King	Akkadian	Reigned from	Reigned until	palê	Succession	Ref
Nabu-mukin-zeri	Nabû-mukin-zēri	732 BC	729 BC	palê Šapî 'Dynasty of Shapi'	Chaldean chief of the Bit-Amukkani tribe, usurped the throne
Tiglath-Pileser III	Tukultī-apil-Ešarra	729 BC	727 BC	palê Baltil 'Dynasty of [Assur]'	King of the Neo-Assyrian Empire — conquered Babylon
Shalmaneser V	Salmānu-ašarēd	727 BC	722 BC		King of the Neo-Assyrian Empire — son of Tiglath-Pileser III
Marduk-apla-iddina II (First reign)	Marduk-apla-iddina	722 BC	710 BC	palê Tamti 'Dynasty of the Sealand'	Chaldean chief of the Bit-Yakin tribe, proclaimed king upon Shalmaneser V's death
Sargon II	Šarru-kīn	710 BC	705 BC	palê Ḫabigal 'Dynasty of [Hanigalbat]'	King of the Neo-Assyrian Empire — son of Tiglath-Pileser III (?)
Sennacherib (First reign)	Sîn-ahhe-erība	705 BC	703 BC		King of the Neo-Assyrian Empire — son of Sargon II
Marduk-zakir-shumi II	Marduk-zâkir-šumi	703 BC	703 BC	A Arad-Ea 'Son [descendant] of Arad-Ea'	Babylonian rebel of the Arad-Ea family, rebel king
Marduk-apla-iddina II (Second reign)	Marduk-apla-iddina	703 BC	703 BC	ERÍN Ḫabi 'Soldier of [Hanigalbat?]'	Chaldean chief of the Bit-Yakin tribe, retook the throne
Bel-ibni	Bel-ibni	703 BC	700 BC	palê E 'Dynasty of E'	Babylonian vassal king of the Rab-bānî family, appointed by Sennacherib
Aššur-nādin-šumi	Aššur-nādin-šumi	700 BC	694 BC	palê Ḫabigal 'Dynasty of [Hanigalbat]'	Son of Sennacherib, appointed as vassal king by his father
Nergal-ushezib	Nergal-ušezib	694 BC	693 BC	palê E 'Dynasty of E'	Babylonian rebel of the Gaḫal kin family, rebel king
Mushezib-Marduk	Mušezib-Marduk	693 BC	689 BC		Chaldean chief of the Bit-Dakkuri tribe, rebel king
Sennacherib (Second reign)	Sîn-ahhe-erība	689 BC	20 October 681 BC	King of the Neo-Assyrian Empire — retook Babylon
Esarhaddon	Aššur-aḫa-iddina	December 681 BC	1 November 669 BC	King of the Neo-Assyrian Empire — son of Sennacherib
Ashurbanipal (First reign)	Aššur-bāni-apli	1 November 669 BC	March 668 BC	King of the Neo-Assyrian Empire — son of Esarhaddon
Šamaš-šuma-ukin	Šamaš-šuma-ukin	March 668 BC	648 BC	Son of Esarhaddon, designated by his father as heir to Babylon, invested as vassal king by Ashurbanipal
Ashurbanipal (Second reign)	Aššur-bāni-apli	648 BC	646 BC	King of the Neo-Assyrian Empire — retook Babylon after rebellion by Šamaš-šuma-ukin
Kandalanu	Kandalānu	647 BC	627 BC	Appointed as vassal king by Ashurbanipal
Sin-shumu-lishir	Sîn-šumu-līšir	626 BC	626 BC	Usurper in the Neo-Assyrian Empire — recognised in Babylonia
Sinsharishkun	Sîn-šar-iškun	626 BC	626 BC	King of the Neo-Assyrian Empire — son of Ashurbanipal

Dynasty X (Chaldean), 626–539 BC

The native name for this dynasty does not appear in any sources, as the kings of Dynasty X are only listed in king lists made during the Hellenistic period, when the concept of dynasties ceased being used by Babylonians chronographers to describe Babylonian history. Modern historians typically refer to the dynasty as the 'Neo-Babylonian dynasty', as these kings ruled the Neo-Babylonian Empire, or the 'Chaldean dynasty', after the presumed ethnic origin of the royal line. The Dynastic Chronicle, a later document, refers to Nabonidus as the founder and only king of the 'dynasty of Harran' (palê Ḫarran), and may also indicate a dynastic change with Neriglissar's accession, but much of the text is fragmentary.

King	Akkadian	Reigned from	Reigned until	Succession	Ref
Nabopolassar	Nabû-apla-uṣur	22/23 November 626 BC	July 605 BC	Babylonian rebel, defeated Sinsharishkun
Nebuchadnezzar II	Nabû-kudurri-uṣur	August 605 BC	7 October 562 BC	Son of Nabopolassar
Amel-Marduk	Amēl-Marduk	7 October 562 BC	August 560 BC	Son of Nebuchadnezzar II
Neriglissar	Nergal-šar-uṣur	August 560 BC	April 556 BC	Son-in-law of Nebuchadnezzar II, usurped the throne
Labashi-Marduk	Lâbâši-Marduk	April 556 BC	June 556 BC	Son of Neriglissar
Nabonidus	Nabû-naʾid	25 May 556 BC	13 October 539 BC	Son-in-law of Nebuchadnezzar II (?), usurped the throne, co-rulers: Nitocris and Belshazzar

Babylon under foreign rule, 539 BC – AD 224

The concept of dynasties ceased being used in king-lists made after the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, meaning that the native Babylonian designations for the ruling dynasties of the foreign empires that succeeded the Chaldean kings are unknown.

Dynasty XI (Achaemenid), 539–331 BC

King	Akkadian	Reigned from	Reigned until	Succession	Ref
Cyrus II the Great	Kuraš	29 October 539 BC	August 530 BC	King of the Achaemenid Empire — conquered Babylon
Cambyses II	Kambuzīa	August 530 BC	April 522 BC	King of the Achaemenid Empire — son of Cyrus II
Bardiya	Barzia	April/May 522 BC	29 September 522 BC	King of the Achaemenid Empire — son of Cyrus II or an impostor
Nebuchadnezzar III	Nabû-kudurri-uṣur	3 October 522 BC	December 522 BC	Babylonian rebel of the Zazakku family, claimed to be a son of Nabonidus
Darius I the Great (First reign)	Dariamuš	December 522 BC	25 August 521 BC	King of the Achaemenid Empire — distant relative of Cyrus II
Nebuchadnezzar IV	Nabû-kudurri-uṣur	25 August 521 BC	27 November 521 BC	Babylonian rebel of Armenian descent, claimed to be a son of Nabonidus
Darius I the Great (Second reign)	Dariamuš	27 November 521 BC	November 486 BC	King of the Achaemenid Empire — retook Babylon
Xerxes I the Great (First reign)	Aḫšiaršu	November 486 BC	July 484 BC	King of the Achaemenid Empire — son of Darius I
Shamash-eriba	Šamaš-eriba	July 484 BC	October 484 BC	Babylonian rebel
Bel-shimanni	Bêl-šimânni	July 484 BC	August 484 BC	Babylonian rebel
Xerxes I the Great (Second reign)	Aḫšiaršu	October 484 BC	465 BC	King of the Achaemenid Empire — retook Babylon
Artaxerxes I	Artakšatsu	465 BC	December 424 BC	King of the Achaemenid Empire — son of Xerxes I
Xerxes II	—	424 BC	424 BC	King of the Achaemenid Empire — son of Artaxerxes I
Sogdianus	—	424 BC	423 BC	King of the Achaemenid Empire — illegitimate son of Artaxerxes I
Darius II	Dariamuš	February 423 BC	c. April 404 BC	King of the Achaemenid Empire — illegitimate son of Artaxerxes I
Artaxerxes II	Artakšatsu	c. April 404 BC	359/358 BC	King of the Achaemenid Empire — son of Darius II
Artaxerxes III	Artakšatsu	359/358 BC	338 BC	King of the Achaemenid Empire — son of Artaxerxes II
Artaxerxes IV	Artakšatsu	338 BC	336 BC	King of the Achaemenid Empire — son of Artaxerxes III
Nidin-Bel	Nidin-Bêl	336 BC	336/335 BC	Babylonian rebel (?), attested only in the Uruk King List, alternatively a scribal error
Darius III	Dariamuš	336/335 BC	October 331 BC	King of the Achaemenid Empire — grandson of Artaxerxes II

Dynasty XII (Argead), 331–305 BC

King	Akkadian	Reigned from	Reigned until	Succession	Ref
Alexander III the Great	Aliksandar	October 331 BC	11 June 323 BC	King of Macedon — conquered the Achaemenid Empire
Philip III Arrhidaeus	Pilipsu	11 June 323 BC	317 BC	King of Macedon — brother of Alexander III
Antigonus I Monophthalmus	Antigunusu	317 BC	309/308 BC	King of the Antigonid Empire — general (Diadochus) of Alexander III
Alexander IV	Aliksandar	316 BC	310 BC	King of Macedon — son of Alexander III

Dynasty XIII (Seleucid), 305–141 BC

King	Akkadian	Reigned from	Reigned until	Succession	Ref
Seleucus I Nicator	Siluku	305 BC	September 281 BC	King of the Seleucid Empire — general (Diadochus) of Alexander III
Antiochus I Soter	Antiʾukusu	294 BC	2 June 261 BC	King of the Seleucid Empire — son of Seleucus I
Seleucus	Siluku	281 BC	266 BC	Joint-king of the Seleucid Empire — son of Antiochus I
Antiochus II Theos	Antiʾukusu	266 BC	July 246 BC	King of the Seleucid Empire — son of Antiochus I
Seleucus II Callinicus	Siluku	July 246 BC	225 BC	King of the Seleucid Empire — son of Antiochus II
Seleucus III Ceraunus	Siluku	225 BC	223 BC	King of the Seleucid Empire — son of Seleucus II
Antiochus III the Great	Antiʾukusu	223 BC	3 July 187 BC	King of the Seleucid Empire — son of Seleucus II
Antiochus	Antiʾukusu	210 BC	192 BC	Joint-king of the Seleucid Empire — son of Antiochus III
Seleucus IV Philopator	Siluku	189 BC	3 September 175 BC	King of the Seleucid Empire — son of Antiochus III
Antiochus IV Epiphanes	Antiʾukusu	3 September 175 BC	164 BC	King of the Seleucid Empire — son of Antiochus III
Antiochus	Antiʾukusu	175 BC	170 BC	Joint-king of the Seleucid Empire — son of Seleucus IV
Antiochus V Eupator	Antiʾukusu	164 BC	162 BC	King of the Seleucid Empire — son of Antiochus IV
Demetrius I Soter (First reign)	Dimitri	c. January 161 BC	c. January 161 BC	King of the Seleucid Empire — son of Seleucus IV
Timarchus	—	c. January 161 BC	c. May 161 BC	Rebel satrap (vassal governor) under the Seleucids — captured and briefly ruled Babylonia
Demetrius I Soter (Second reign)	Dimitri	c. May 161 BC	150 BC	King of the Seleucid Empire — reconquered Babylonia
Alexander Balas	Aliksandar	150 BC	146 BC	King of the Seleucid Empire — supposedly son of Antiochus IV
Demetrius II Nicator	Dimitri'	146 BC	141 BC	King of the Seleucid Empire — son of Demetrius I

Dynasty XIV (Arsacid), 141 BC – AD 224

note: The chronology of the Parthian kings, especially in the early period, is disputed on account of a lack of sources. The chronology here, which omits several rival kings and usurpers, primarily follows Shayegan (2011), Dąbrowa (2012) and Daryaee (2012). For alternate interpretations, see the List of Parthian monarchs.

King	Akkadian	Reigned from	Reigned until	Succession	Ref
Mithridates I	Aršakâ	141 BC	132 BC	King of the Parthian Empire — conquered Babylonia
Phraates II (First reign)	Aršakâ	132 BC	July 130 BC	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Mithridates I
Rinnu	Ri-[—]-nu	132 BC	July 130 BC	Mother and regent for Phraates II, who was a minor at the time of his accession
Antiochus VII Sidetes	Antiʾukusu	July 130 BC	November 129 BC	King of the Seleucid Empire — son of Demetrius I, conquered Babylonia
Phraates II (Second reign)	Aršakâ	November 129 BC	128/127 BC	King of the Parthian Empire — reconquered Babylonia
Ubulna	Ubulna	November 129 BC	128/127 BC	Unclear identity, associated with Phraates II – probably his queen
Hyspaosines	Aspasinē	128/127 BC	November 127 BC	King of Characene — captured Babylon in the wake of Antiochus VII Sidetes's campaign
Artabanus I	Aršakâ	November 127 BC	124 BC	King of the Parthian Empire — brother of Mithridates I, conquered Babylonia
Mithridates II	Aršakâ	124 BC	91 BC	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Artabanus I
Gotarzes I	Aršakâ	91 BC	80 BC	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Mithridates II
Asi'abatar	Aši'abatum	91 BC	80 BC	Wife (queen) of Gotarzes I
Orodes I	Aršakâ	80 BC	75 BC	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Mithridates II or Gotarzes I
Ispubarza	Isbubarzâ	80 BC	75 BC	Sister-wife (queen) of Orodes I
Sinatruces	Aršakâ	75 BC	69 BC	King of the Parthian Empire — son or brother of Mithridates I
Phraates III	Aršakâ	69 BC	57 BC	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Sinatruces
Piriustana	Piriustanâ	69 BC	??	Wife (queen) of Phraates III
Teleuniqe	Ṭeleuniqê'	??	57 BC	Wife (queen) of Phraates III
Orodes II	Aršakâ	57 BC	38 BC	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Phraates III
Phraates IV	Aršakâ	38 BC	2 BC	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Orodes II
Phraates V	Aršakâ	2 BC	AD 4	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Phraates IV
Orodes III	Aršakâ	AD 4	AD 6	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Phraates IV (?)
Vonones I	Aršakâ	AD 6	AD 12	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Phraates IV
Artabanus II	Aršakâ	AD 12	AD 38	King of the Parthian Empire — grandson of Phraates IV (?)
Vardanes I	Aršakâ	AD 38	AD 46	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Artabanus II
Gotarzes II	Aršakâ	AD 38	AD 51	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Artabanus II
Vonones II	Aršakâ	AD 51	AD 51	King of the Parthian Empire — grandson of Phraates IV (?)
Vologases I	Aršakâ	AD 51	AD 78	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Vonones II or Artabanus II
Pacorus II	Aršakâ	AD 78	AD 110	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Vologases I
Artabanus III	Aršakâ	AD 79/80	AD 81	Rival king of the Parthian Empire (against Pacorus II) — son of Vologases I
Osroes I	—	AD 109	AD 129	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Pacorus II
Vologases III	—	AD 110	AD 147	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Pacorus II
Parthamaspates	—	AD 116	AD 117	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Osroes I
Vologases IV	—	AD 147	AD 191	King of the Parthian Empire — grandson of Pacorus II
Vologases V	—	AD 191	AD 208	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Vologases IV
Vologases VI	—	AD 208	AD 216/228	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Vologases V
Artabanus IV	—	AD 216	AD 224	King of the Parthian Empire — son of Vologases V

See also

• List of Assyrian kings – for the Assyrian kings
• List of Mesopotamian dynasties – for other dynasties and kingdoms in ancient Mesopotamia