Born: Unknown, Unknown
Died: Unknown
Country most active: Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Turkey
Also known as: Shammuramāt
Sammurāmat was a wife of King Shamshi-Adad V who ruled the Neo-Assyrian Empire as its regent for five years after his death in 811 BC until her son Adad-nirari III came of age. She is believed to be the basis for the mythical figure of Semiramis, though this is disputed. It is speculated that the successful reign of a woman led the Assyrians to revere her, and her achievements – which included stabilizing and strengthening the empire after a destructive civil war – were retold over the generations until she was elevated to a mythical figure.
In the city of Ashur, she had an obelisk built and inscribed, reading “Stele of Sammurāmat, queen of Shamshi-Adad, King of the Universe, King of Assyria, Mother of Adad Nirari, King of the Universe, King of Assyria, Daughter-in-Law of Shalmaneser, King of the Four Regions of the World.”
Sammurāmat’s stela (memorial stone) has been found at Assur, while an inscription at Nimrud indicates that she was dominant there after the death of her husband and before the rule of her son.