KASHTARITI

 

KASHTARITI (kaš-ta-ri-ti, the Old Iranian Khshathrita), a city lord of Karkashshi which was located in the Central Zagros mountains. He ruled during the reign of the Assyrian king Esarhaddon (680–669 BCE), and all our information about him is from some twenty Assyrian oracle queries addressed to the sun god Shamash around 672 BCE. As seen from them, he was an ally of the Manneans, Medes, Cimmerians and some other ethnic group of West Iran. These queries contain information about political situation in Median regions which was received from Assyrian agents, as well as from Median and other fugitives of the region (see Starr, 1990, p. LVIII). In one query Esarhaddon asks whether a Median chieftain by the name of Mamitiarshu and Kashtariti would become hostile to the Assyrians (Starr, 1990, No.41). In several questions Esarhaddon asks whether Kashtariti with his troops, as well as his Cimmerian, Median and Mannean allies would conquer some particular cities (Starr, 1990, Nos.43–45, 48–51). To judge from one text (No.42), Kashtariti sent a messenger to another city lord of the country in order to offer to organize war against the Assyrians. The Assyrian king also inquires should he send his army against Kashtariti (No.60) and would the Assyrians escape from the Median troops (No.62).

 

Bibliography:

I. Starr, Queries to the Sungod. Divination and Politics in Sargonid Assyria (State Archives of Assyria, vol. IV), Helsinki, 1990. See also the entry Phraortes.

February 19, 2004

(M. Dandamayev)

Originally Published: May 1, 2012

Last Updated: July 20, 2004

This article is available in print.
Vol. XVI, Fasc. 1, p. 64