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Marduk-bel-zeri

Marduk-bēl-zēri, inscribed in cuneiform as <sup>d</sup><small>AMAR.UTU.EN.NUMUN</small> or <sup>md</sup><small>ŠID.EN.</small>[x] and meaning 'Marduk (is) lord of descendants (lit. seed)', was one of the kings of Babylon during the turmoil following the Assyrian invasions of Šamši-Adad V (ca. 824 – 811 BC). He is identified on a Synchronistic King List fragment as Marduk-[bēl]-x, which gives his place in the sequence and reigned around the beginning of the 8th century BC. He was a rather obscure monarch and the penultimate predecessor of Erība-Marduk who was to restore order after years of chaos.

Biography

He is known from a single economic text from the southern city of Udāni dated to his accession year (<small>MU.SAG.NAM.LUGAL</small>). This city was a satellite cultic center to Uruk, of uncertain location but possibly near Marad, later to be known as Udannu, associated with the deities <sup>d</sup><small>IGI.DU</small> (the two infernal Nergals) and Bēlet-Eanna (associated with Ištar). The document records the parts of a chariot including the wagon pole (mašaddu) which had been entrusted by Belšunu, the šangû or chief administrator of Udāni to the temple of <sup>d</sup><small>IGI.DU</small> (Igišta, Palil?). He is tentatively restored to the Dynastic Chronicle where he is described as "a soldier" (<sup>lú</sup>aga.[úš]) but his circumstances are otherwise unknown.

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