KAS'SITES. An Elamitish people, whose princes for 477 years ruled over Babylonia. In the cuneiform inscriptions they are called Kaslr she. Delitzseh regards this name as referring to the Coss:Tans (Koacrakn), mentioned by Poly bius v. 44, 7; Strai) xi. 13, 6; XVI. 1, IS; XV Ill; and Arrian, Anab., vii. 15, 1— a warlike people living in the Zagros Mountains Belli' the borders of Media, against whom Alex ander fought. oppert and Lehmann identify the Ka.5hshu with the Cissians (Kbratoo, mentioned by .Eschylus (Chrph. 424, Persa: 17). llerodo tus, and others. The fact that Sennacherib found the Ra.s.hshu in the same region where the Coss:cans were in the days of Alexander (An nals, i. 63-ii. 7) favors the first view. But Leh mann thinks that this is only an instance of the constantly occurring extension of a territorial name. As the Kassite kings seem to have looked upon Karduniash, a district near the Persian Gulf, as in some sense their home, the opinion that would connect them with Southern Elam is perhaps more plausible. The Kassites ap parently invaded Babylonia from Karduniash about B.C. 1717. Candish (B.c. 1717-01) was the first King. According to a Babylonian list. of kings, he was followed by Agumishi (B.c.
1701-1679), Bibiyashi 1 n.c. 1679-57), Dushi ( B.C. 657-49), Adumetash (B.c. 1649- %), and Tashzigurumash. If the last of these is identi cal with Tashsbigurun:ash, the father of Agum kakrimi, as is probable, this great king reigned about n.c. 1611-1571. An inscription of Agum kakrimi shows that he ruled over a wide terri tory, including, besides Susiana and Babylonia, Mesopotamia (Padan), Kurdistan. and the land bordering on Media (Aivas and Cuti). During his time statues of Martha: and Zarpanit were recovered that had been carried away by the people of Chani probably in the time of the Sec ond Babylonian Dynasty. lle also built temples. There is a break in the list of kings after Tash zigurumash, after which the names of ten kings are given. But from the summary at the bot tom we know that there were thirty-six kings of this dynasty. reigning 576 years and 9 months. Contract tablets, royal inscriptions, and the so called Synchronistic History of Assyria and Babylonia give us the names of a number of the missing kings. and by reference to their contem poraries in Assyria and in Egypt it is possible to fix the dates of some of these approximately. Thus Adadmushishir may have been the eleventh king (c.1511-1491 B.c.), and his successors Ku clur Turgn (c.1491-76 n.c.) and Shagarakti Bur flash (e.I476-5S p.c.). Karaindash le.145S-40 B.c.) made a treaty with Asshurbilnishishi of Assyria, according to an amount of the relations between the two kingdoms drawn up for political purposes in the rei:.,m of Adadnirari TIT. (n.c. S11 783). Four of his letters are among the Amarna tablets. His son was Kadashman Bil (c.1440-23 B.c.), who corresponded with Amenophis HI. (B.C.
1437-01). Burnaburiash 1. (c.1423-05 n.c.) with Puzur AssInir of Assyria, and his son, Kurigalzu 1. (e.1405•1395 B.c.), is men tioned as the father of Burnaburiash TI. (B.c. 1390-65), who had relations with Amenophis IV. of Egypt (n.c. 1401-1389), as four letters in the Amarna Collection show. Karachardash (B.c. 1365-45) married a daughter of the As syrian King Asshuruballit. and their son Ka dashmaneharbi 1. (me. 1345-39) made a sue eessful campaign against the Sutu, hut was killed by Nazibugash, who sought to usurp the throne. He was put to death, however, by Assburuhallit, and the old line was reestab lished by the accession of Kurigalzu II. (B.C.
1338-1283). Kurigalzu invaded Elam and cap tured the city of Susa; he also defeated Bil nirari. of Assyria. This war with Assyria was continued by Nazimaruttash (B.c. 1283-57), who was defeated by Adadnirari I. Kadashman Turgu (tic. 12,57-40) was followed by liadash man Buriash 1240-38), who fought with Shalmaneser 1. of Assyria. After the reigns of Kudur Bil (n.c. 1238-32), Shagarakti Shuriash (n.c. 1232-19), and Bibiyashu (n.c. 1219-10), an Assyrian invasion led by Tukulti Ninip (e.1210-05 the.) seems to have reduced the Baby lonian kings Bilshumiddin (n.c. 1210-09), Ka dashman Charbi II. (n.c. 1209-07), and Adad shumiddin (B,c. 1207-02) to vassalage. But after several years of subjection the Babylonians made themselves independent, and placed Adad shumuzur on the throne. He reigned for thirty years (n.c. 1202-1172), and gained some suc cesses against Assyria. The reign of Alili Shichu (B.c. 1172-56) was also marked by victories over the Assyrian King Ninipapalishara (B.c. 1175 55) ; and his successor, Mardukapaliddin I. (n.c. 1156-43), maintained his power. But Zamama shumiddin (n.c. 1143-40) and his successor, Bil shumiddin (B.c. 1140-39), could not defend the land, which would have fallen into the hands of Assyria had not a powerful Chaldean invader, Nebuchadnezzar I., taken possession of the throne. This king styles himself 'Conqueror of Kassites'; but this is not likely to imply a con quest of Elam, which had long since ceased to be governed by the Kassite Dynasty in Babylon. Consult: Delitzsch, Die Spraehe dcr Kossrier (Leipzig, 1884) ; Oppert, in Zeitschrift fiir As syriologie (1888, p. 421 sqq.; 1890, p. 106 sqq.) ; Lehmann, ib. (1892, p. 32S sqq.) ; id., Z wei Ha u ptprobleme der altorientalischen Chrono logic (Leipzig, 1898) ; Tide, Babylonisch-assy rische Ge.schichte (Gotha, 1886); Winckler, Gesehichte Babyloniens un4 A ssyriens (Leipzig, 1892) ; id., Altorientalische Forschungen (Leip zig, 1892 sqq.) ; Hilprecht, Old Babylonian I n script ions, i. (Philadelphia, 1893) ; Rogers, A History of Babylonia and Assyria (New York, 1900) ; Htising, "Elamische Studien," in Mit tei lu ngen der Vorderasia t ischen t (Berlin, 1898).