KASSITES, an ancient dynastic family of Babylonia who ruled it from about 1761 to 1185 B.C. They wereprobably the same people as the Cossaeans. The first king of' the Kassites was Gandash (1761-45 a.c.); but history sheds little real light on his origin, though he was probably the chief or leader of one of the tribes of Babylonian districts. The list of his suc cessors has been pretty accurately ascertained with the dates of their kingship. A great deal has been gathered in the way of excavated material from the ruins of Nicam but most of this still remains to 'be deciphered and corre lated in order to make it furnish a consecutive and in any way account of the almost six centuries of Kasstte rule in Baby lonia, which must have been one of the most in teresting periods in the history of the great an dent city. The recovered records show these apparently foreign rulers (to the city) coming gradually under the uplifting influence of Babylonian culture. In all there were 36 kings who ruled over Babylon almost 577 years. The records so far recovered and deciphered show, in a fragmentary manner, yet in a most inter esting way, many of the activities of this an cient line of Babylonian kings, who played the several parts in many of the historic events of their day known to us through the records of other countries. In the 8th century B.C. we
find one of their sovereigns making an offensive and defensive treaty with Assyria. According t' an account preserved, the daughter of the Assyrian king, Asuruballit I, became the wife of the Kassite ruler Bumaburiash (1381-56) who was on friendly relations with Amenkotep IV (1375-50) of Egypt and with other foreign potentates, with one of which at least he fortned a treaty of friendship. Others of Kassite sovereigns are shown as carrying on wars against neighboring sovereigns, punishing traitors, plating their sons on foreign thrones and marrying their daughters to friendly potentatei and thus strengthening their foreign relations. Behind the forbidding form of the clay tablets which record the events of the reigns of Kassites and display their activities, lies a very human story of which only glimpses are displayed. The Kassites, on account of their relationship with the development of the great cultural region surrounding Babylonia and their contact with Egypt, Assyria and other historic peoples are of historic interest; and their story is being unfolded and further material to throw light on obscure or missing parts, is being sought.