by H A CULLEY
Ibal-pi-El was sitting with Hammurabi and Adiar and his inner council in a large chamber off the throne room in the royal palace in Eshnunna. After the recent defeat of the army they had provided for Zuuthusu, Elam had left the new king of Eshnunna alone for a while, but now a new embassy had arrived from Susa suggesting he sign a treaty of trade and friendship with the King of Elam. The young man was far less sure of himself than he had been the last time he had met Hammurabi. He was being squeezed between Elam to the east and south and the growing power of Babylon and its allies in the west and north. Although Assyria was less of a threat now that Shamshi-Adad was old and frail, they were still officially Hammurabi’s allies and both Assur and Babylon were a lot closer to his capital than was Susa.
The prolonged silence that followed whilst her brother considered what Adiar had said began to irritate Hammurabi, who detested the young man in any case. Hammurabi and Adiar had visited the tomb of the former’s sister that morning and he had struggled to keep his feelings in check. As time went on he was more and more convinced that Ibal-pi-El had ordered the death of his sister and her unborn child, but a rift between them would only play into the hands of the Elamites.
Unlike Dadusha, to whom Adiar had been close, she hardly knew her younger brother. She had left Eshnunna to marry Hammurabi when Ibal-pi-El was still a young child, long before any form of sibling bond could develop between them. The only card the two had to play, therefore, was to appeal to the King of Eshnunna’s self-interest.
Eventually Ibal-pi-El said that he would consult with his advisers and suggested that they should meet again the following afternoon.
Hammurabi and Adiar walked through the gardens surrounding the palace. Finding a secluded spot, they sat down on a bench. They had ruled Babylon as a partnership ever since they had wed. Hammurabi was the one with the drive, the strategic vision and the ambition; Adiar had pointed out the flaws in his plans, usually quite sarcastically; had suggested solutions to problems and had found the best way of doing something. Now, for the first time, she felt that her husband wasn’t sure which direction to take next.
‘What will you do if my brother decides that his future security lies in an alliance with Elam?’ Adiar might not have any particular affection for Ibal-pi-El, especially if he had arranged for her husband’s sister to be murdered, but he was family and Eshnunna had been her childhood home.
‘A treaty with Susa would bring the Elamites to our border on the Tigris. If Assyria collapses after the death of Shamshi-Adad, then there is nothing to stop them invading us.’
‘So you would need to take control here to prevent that happening?’
Hammurabi sighed. ‘We are surrounded by enemies and potential enemies. The only way I can ensure our survival is continued expansion; the trouble is I’m not sure which direction to take first. Whichever of our neighbours I tackle initially, I have to keep the others on my side for now. The day of the city state is past. Now we need to gather as many of them under our control as we can to stop others doing the same. It doesn’t matter whether they call me king or ally, just so long as they are part of the confederation of Babylonia.’
‘I know you too well to believe that. You are ambitious and would rather rule than enter into an alliance. Besides, you can tax those you rule whereas tribute paid to a so-called ally causes resentment and eventual revolt.’
Hammurabi smiled. ‘That’s true. But if I embark on a series of conquests before I am ready, I’ll fail. An alliance is better than neutrality and neutrality is better than hostility. At present your brother is wavering between the latter two. I need to persuade him that keeping us as friends will be better in the long term.’
‘How will you do that? The arguments you have advanced so far doesn’t seem to have convinced him and once he announces his decision tomorrow the die will be cast.’
‘Oh, I have once last trick up my sleeve. What I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet is that a messenger arrived from Sippar this morning. Shamshi-Adad is dead and Ishme-Dagan is now King of Assyria.’
‘Oh!’ Adiar considered the implications of this news for a minute or two. ‘Doesn’t that mean that our position is weakened? You have always felt that he was a pale shadow compared to his father and that means our network of alliances is weakened.’
‘That’s true; unless we can use the situation to our advantage. We needed Assyria as an ally in the past because they would otherwise be a threat to me in the north. Now that threat is diminished, or may have even vanished. So it leaves me free to place Zimri-Lim on the throne of Mari and thus bind it, and Yamhad, closer to me. Having staunch allies so close to Eshnunna should convince Ibal-pi-El to resist the blandishments of Elam.’
‘Except that Mari is still under Assyrian control, and you can hardly tell my brother about your plans.’
‘So we play for time.’
~#~
Both Ashlatum and Samuditana were impressed with the capital city of Yamhad. Unlike Babylon, where the ziggurat on which the temples were built dominated the city, the circular central hill in Aleppo was surmounted by the royal palace. The temples occupied a large area of open ground below the palace. The city itself was divided into various trading quarters where the merchants, apprentices, servants and artisans all lived to be close to their work. The ones that interested Samuditana most were the goldsmiths’ and the armourers’ districts.
The boy was enthralled when he saw the beautifully worked examples of the goldsmiths’ work and bought a gold inlaid box as a present for his mother. When he saw the weapons and armour being made in the armourer’s quarter he was fascinated and nothing would make him leave until he had ordered a vest of bronze scales made to fit his slight frame. He added a burnished copper parade helmet crowned by black and white plumes and a short bronze sword. This had a straight blade from the hilt to the mid part of its length with an elongated sickle at the end. The curved concave shape made it easier to sever limbs and cut into your foe’s torso.
Samuditana was tired; it had been a long journey and the day had been spent touring the city, so he went to have a sleep before the banquet that had been laid on for that evening. His grandmother had just entered the room to wake him when Zimri-Lim slipped in behind her and closed the door.
‘Ashlatum, I assume that you have heard that Shamshi-Adad is dead?’
She nodded. ‘Yes, but only an hour ago. I think I can guess what you are about to say.’
He smiled. ‘It’s the moment that your son and I have been waiting for.’
‘I think that you, I and Yarim-Lim need to meet as soon as possible to discuss the future of Mari.’ She nodded to him and he left the room quietly before Ashlatum went over to wake her grandson; but he hadn’t been asleep and had heard every word of the conversation. He wasn’t a particularly bright boy but he knew exactly what they were talking about: the capture of Mari so that his father could install Zimri-Lim as its king.
That evening the boy was seated next to Zimri-Lim at the feast that had been laid on in their honour. He couldn’t wait to show the young man sitting next to him how clever he was to have found out about the plans to put him on the throne of Mari.
‘I suppose the next time we meet I will have to call you my lord king.’ The boy grinned at Zimri-Lim.
‘What do you mean?’ the young man had gone pale, thinking that somehow that day’s secret discussions had become common knowledge.
‘I overheard you talking to my grandmother,’ the boy replied in his somewhat piercing treble voice. ‘My father is going to help you to get back your father’s throne and depose Yasmah-Addu. That’s why my grandmother is here isn’t it; to conclude the treaty to do that?’
It was unfortunate that the conversation had died away at that point as the entertainment of the evening – a troupe of Anatolian tumblers – had entered the hall. Most of what Samuditana had just said was plainly audible to those sitting near him, including Ashlatum.
A mixture of disbelief, fury and then worry
flitted across her face. She got up from her seat beside King Yarim-Lim with a muttered apology and, seizing her grandson by his wrist, she hauled him from the hall.
‘You little fool, you have put our lives in danger as well probably scuppering your father’s plans. Why can’t you learn to think before you speak or, better still, keep your stupid mouth firmly shut.’
The boy was bewildered. ‘Why? We are amongst friends, aren’t we?’ He just didn’t understand the problem.
‘You seem to be naïve as well as stupid. That dining hall contains men who are either spies or who would sell valuable information for money.’ She sighed. ‘Well the damage is done now. I just hope we can return to Babylon safely. The trouble is, we have to traverse Mari to get there.’
~#~
Hammurabi and Adiar returned to Sippar to await the arrival of Ashlatum and Samuditana. As soon as the king arrived, he found an embassy from Ishme-Dagan awaiting him. When Shamshi-Adad had died his elder son had declared himself King of Assyria and sent out embassies to the King of the Hittites, his brother in Mari, Hammurabi and Ibal-pi-El in Eshnunna. Before they had left Eshnunna Adiar’s brother had agreed not to enter into a pact with Elam until the situation clarified itself. With that Hammurabi had to be content. He had at least gained some of the breathing time he needed.
The three ambassadors from Assyria had come to ask Babylon to renew the treaty that Hammurabi had agreed with Shamshi-Adad. This placed the Babylonian king in a difficult position. He had no intention of doing so but he didn’t want to make his strategy obvious until he was ready.
‘Who is Ishme-Dagan most worried about?’ he asked the three Assyrians. ‘Who does he want my army to protect him against?’
The three men looked at each other. The previous treaty had been drawn up to allow Assyria to attack Mari. From Babylon’s point of view it had given him freedom of action in Eshnunna without interference from the north. Whilst the latter still applied, Assyria now controlled Mari so it was a fair question.
‘Is it the Hittites?’ Babylon is too far to the south to be of any assistance there. Besides my army has no experience of fighting in the mountains; so not the Hittites then.’
‘The Syrians perhaps? Yamhad is the nearest Syrian kingdom but they are our friends, just as Assyria is, or was, so not Yamhad?’ He looked enquiringly at the ambassadors, who avoided his eyes.
‘Eshnunna then? I would only consider that if Ibal-pi-El sided with the Elamites. So is that what you are offering? An alliance against Eshnunna and Elam if the two kingdoms become allies?’
He let the question hang in the air. The ambassadors were silent for several minutes, each looking enquiringly at his fellows. Then at last one spoke.
‘Lord king, you have asked us questions we are unable to answer. Your agreement was with our late lamented king and our mission was merely to seek to renew that agreement on behalf of his successor. We will need to seek further instructions.’
‘Do that, and come back when you have a clearer idea of what exactly it is that you want.’
He turned to Adiar when they had left. ‘That should buy us a little more time. The sooner my mother and our son return with the results of their mission , the sooner I shall know what line to take with Assyria.
‘They should have returned before now, I would have thought.’ Adiar couldn’t keep the worry out of her voice.
~#~
When Ashlatum crossed into Mari she sent the horsemen out as scouts and flank guards. She had decided to avoid the city of Mari itself and, sending the chariots along the normal road, the camels and the horsemen turned into the hinterland to find a way around the city.
The chariots were stopped at the city gates and detained for several days. However, it was obvious that the King of Babylon’s mother and son weren’t with them and, once the captain of the city watch was satisfied there weren’t any documents hidden away anywhere, they were eventually allowed to continue on their way towards Sippar.
The senior officer was surprised that his chariots had arrived first; he had expected Ashlatum to have arrived several days before him. Hammurabi sent for him as soon as he had stepped down from his chariot and he made his way to the council chamber, brushing the dust from his armour and clothing as best he could.
He told the king and queen exactly what had happened. He hadn’t been at the banquet to hear Samuditana’s faux pas but he had soon heard the rumours about what had transpired. As soon as he had been dismissed Hammurabi sat down with his head in his hands.
‘This is a disaster. I knew that Samuditana had faults, including his arrogance, but I hadn’t realised that he was so stupid.’
‘You said “had”’. Adiar said in a small voice.
He got up and went over to take her in his arms. ‘They should have been here a week ago. I’ll send out search parties straight away, but I fear the worst.’
Adiar wept softly in his arms for some time. For someone with such a fiery temperament, her muted expression of sorrow surprised Hammurabi. It was as if all the fight had gone out of her. At first she could do little but think about her eldest son but then, slowly, her mind started to work again. She pulled away from her husband’s arms and looked him in the face.
‘If you send armed patrols into Mari, won’t that antagonise Yasmah-Addu before you are ready?’
‘I couldn’t care less. The break with him had to come sooner or later. I care much more for my mother and my son.’
At dawn the next day Hammurabi collected together the four captains of horse and camel archers he had brought with him as an escort. There were three possible routes through the hills that his mother could have taken and he sent the three camel companies along them. He sent the horsemen back up the road towards Mari just in case of an attack along the road south of Mari after the chariots had traversed it. Mari was a long way north of Sippar and so the four search parties had a great deal of ground to cover.
At the same time he sent several messengers south, to Arishaka in Babylon and to his other city states; he sent another with one of the search parties with orders to get to Aleppo as soon as possible. Hammurabi just hoped that Ashlatum’s mission to Zimri-Lim and Yarim-Lim had been successful. He considered sending a messenger to Eshnunna as well, but he was far from certain he could trust Ibal-pi-El, so he decided to keep him in the dark for now.
The four companies travelled together until they neared the border with Mari, then they took to the hills to avoid the border customs post. Once inside Mari it was another one hundred and fifty miles to the city itself. This lay along a long curve of the Euphrates which began twenty miles north of the border. The three valleys that led north and north west away from the river all began within a few miles of one another some twenty miles from where the river’s curve to the west began. Here the four parties split up, with the horsemen continuing along the road by the river and the three camel companies each taking one of the valleys through the hills.
Dadanum was the captain of the one hundred camel archers that took the westernmost valley. This was the shortest route through the hills and the most likely of the three to have been taken by Ashlatum. The messenger sent to Aleppo had accompanied his company so far, but now he kicked his horse into a gentle canter to leave the search party behind as he set off alone towards distant Yamhad.
At nightfall he camped on his own and at dawn the next day he set off again, having breakfasted on an unleavened bread cooked overnight under the embers of his camp fire. He had debated whether to light a fire but it was cold at night in the hills and it might be the last chance he had to enjoy a cooked evening meal and breakfast. In future he would have to make do with dried meat and hard boiled eggs until he crossed the border into Yamhad.
As he rode north he noted a few buzzards and vultures circling in the sky ahead. He knew what that meant and approached the centre of the carrion birds’ area of interest with caution. He was well aware of what he might see on the ground but, even so, he leaned over and vomited when
the bodies came into view.
The valley floor was strewn with corpses of both animals and humans. The difference was that the camels and the horses hadn’t been mutilated. Some hair, skin or flesh was left on the carcasses so that they looked almost surreal with parts of their white rib cages, leg bones and skulls appearing here and there in the middle of otherwise normal looking bodies. The one thing that they had in common was the eyes. There weren’t any; every single one had been pecked out and eaten.
The human bodies were different. They had all been stripped of clothes and mutilated. The heads had been removed and piled in a heap, the feet and hands had been chopped off and placed in another pile. There were two bodies slightly apart from the rest. These were of a boy and a woman. From what remained of their clothing, the rider knew that these were what was left of Ashlatum and her young grandson. They hadn’t ben mutilated. Instead they had obviously been staked out alive under the hot sun and left to die. It wasn’t clear whether they had died from dehydration or been pecked to death by the carrion birds.
The messenger vomited again, then washed his mouth out from his water skin and debated what to do. He was tempted to ride back and find the search party but that would delay him and his orders had been to reach Aleppo as quickly as possible. To turn south to find the others would also mean that he would have to traverse this awful place again on his return. They were bound to find it soon, so he kicked his mount into a gallop to quit the nightmare scene as quickly as he could.
Dadanum had sent messengers back to Sippar and to find the other search parties as soon as he had found the Valley of Death, as his men had named the place. He was about to send a messenger to Sippar to tell the king and queen but he hesitated. They would be devastated by the news and he felt that he should be the bearer of the tragic news rather than sending some poor soldier.