Queens of the Neo-Assyrian Empire
The most famous and powerful Neo-Assyrian queen was Shammuramat, who for a time might have served as regent for her young son Adad-nirari III after the death of her husband Shamshi-Adad V in 811 BC.
The Akkadian cuneiform term used to designate the queen in the Neo-Assyrian Empire was mí.é.gal,[1][2] munus.é.gal[3][4] or mí.kur,[5] which would be rendered in Assyrian as issi ekalli, literally meaning "Woman of the Palace".
[1][5] The feminine version of the word for "king" (šarru) was šarratu, but this term was only applied to goddesses and queens of foreign nations who ruled in their own right.
Still, a handful of modern historians, such as Sarah C. Melville, prefer to designate the Assyrian queens simply as "wives" or "consorts".
Under Sargon II (r. 722–705 BC), the title bēlat bēti ("Lady of the House") was introduced for the wife of the crown prince.
[5][12] The queens had their own say in financial affairs and while they ideally were supposed to produce an heir to the throne, they also had several other duties and responsibilities, often in very high levels of the government.
[12] The Neo-Assyrian queens are recorded to have been involved in arranging religious activities, such as rituals, and to have supported temples financially and dedicated gifts to the gods.
The queens commanded the respect of numerous high-ranking officials and had their own considerable financial resources, evidenced not only by surviving texts concerning their household and activities but also the treasures uncovered in their tombs.
Sennacherib in inscriptions concerning the construction of palaces at Nineveh publicly described his queen Tashmetu-sharrat as his "beloved wife, whose features [the goddess] Belit-ili has made perfect above all women".
The queen's household held extensive swaths of land and many offices throughout the Neo-Assyrian Empire and employed hundreds of people.
Among the staff of the šakintu were both men and women, with positions such as village managers, palace overseers, chief bakers and treasurers, as well as workers such as weavers, shepherds and leatherworkers.
Though references to her are scant from the reign of her husband, Shammuramat reached a position of power upon his death and the accession of their son Adad-nirari III (r. 811–783 BC).
Adad-nirari III was quite young at the time of his accession and a handful of sources from his early reign continued to refer to Shammuramat as queen, perhaps suggesting that she ruled in her own right as regent.
For individual queens, the typical ensemble included a headdress or crown, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, beads, up to ten rings, gold decorations, one or several seals and a mirror.
In terms of iconography, the jewelry of the queens incorporated both aspects of Assyrian royal tradition (such as eyestones) and elements derived from foreign sources (such as gold, agate and carnelian; perhaps an expression of the breadth and dominance of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
Many of the dress and regalia elements found in the tomb agree well with the known depictions of queens, such as their earrings and bracelets, but discrepancies with the artwork also exist.
This is not necessarily an indication that they were not important, but could rather be understood as a measure taken to ensure the security of the royal women; a significant number of surviving texts illustrate that the Assyrians believed that any negative act done towards an image would have detrimental effects for the person it portrayed.
[33] Some striking details concerning the "Garden Party" relief is that while Libbali-sharrat is depicted with the mural crown, Ashurbanipal is uncrowned (save for a simple headband) and the king is reclining whereas the queen is seated; sitting on a throne was a royal privilege.
Taken together, these artistic choices mean that the scene is actually organized around Libbali-sharrat rather than Ashurbanipal; it is the only known surviving image from ancient Assyria depicting an individual other than the king effectively holding court.
