Šērūʾa-ēṭirat

Šērūʾa-ēṭirat (Neo-Assyrian Akkadian: 𒊩𒀭𒂔𒂊𒉈𒋥, romanized: Šērūʾa-ēṭirat[1] or Šeruʾa-eṭirat,[2] meaning "Šerua is the one who saves"),[3][4] called Saritrah (Demotic: , sꜣrytꜣr)[5] in later Aramaic texts), was an ancient Assyrian princess of the Sargonid dynasty, the eldest daughter of Esarhaddon and the older sister of his son and successor Ashurbanipal.

[6] Because lists of the royal children are inconsistent in order, it is difficult to determine the age of Šērūʾa-ēṭirat relative to her male siblings.

[6] She also appears in a text from the reign of Esarhaddon or Ashurbanipal wherein Nabu-nadin-shumi, the chief exorcist in Babylonia, writes to the princess to say that he is praying for her father and for her.

[16] Although Šērūʾa-ēṭirat is mentioned in several royal inscriptions, she is most known for her letter to her sister-in-law Libbāli-šarrat, wife of her brother, the crown prince Ashurbanipal, written around c. 670 BCE.

[1][7][8] Translated into English, Šērūʾa-ēṭirat's letter reads:[17] Word of the king's daughter to Libbāli-šarrat.Why don't you write your tablet and do your homework?

[20] If Šērūʾa-ēṭirat's married Bartatua she was likely the mother of his successor Madyes, who brought Scythian power in Western Asia to its peak.

[10] After the Neo-Assyrian Empire started unravelling following Ashurbanipal's death, Madyes was assassinated by the Median king Cyaxares, who expelled the Scythians from Western Asia.