List of rulers of Ammon

The following is a list of rulers currently known from the history of the ancient Levantine kingdom Ammon. Ammon was originally ruled by a king, called the "king of the children of Ammon" (Ammonite: 𐤌𐤋𐤊 𐤁𐤍𐤏𐤌𐤍 maleḵ banīʿAmān; Hebrew: מֶלֶךְ בְּנֵי עַמֹּון meleḵ bənē-ʿAmmōn). After the conquest of the Neo-Babylonian and Achaemenid Empires, Ammon was maintained by an administrator (עֶבֶדʿeḇeḏ, literally "servant"; Greek: ἡγούμενος hēgoúmenos, "leader"). Only a modest number of Ammonite kings are known today, mostly from the Bible and epigraphic inscriptions.[1][2]

Rulers of Ammon

Kings of Ammon

  • Getal or Giteal (Hebrew: גּתֵאַל Gitʾal; early 11th century B.C.) Ammonite king unnamed in Judges 11:12–28 but identified by Pseudo-Philo in his Biblical Antiquities.



  • Shanip (Ammonite: 𐤔𐤍𐤁ŠNB; Akkadian: 𒊭𒉌𒁍 Šanipu; c. 734 B.C.)
  • Zacchur son of Shanip[3][4][5] (Ammonite: 𐤆𐤊𐤓ZKR)
  • Jeraheazar son of Zacchur[3][4][5] (Ammonite: 𐤉𐤓𐤇𐤏𐤆𐤓YRḤʿZR, variously interpreted as Yəraḥʿāzār or Yariḥ-ʿezer)

  • Peduel (Ammonite: 𐤐𐤃𐤀𐤋PDʾL, variously interpreted as Pədūʾēl, Padōʾēl, Pădāʾēl, or Pədāʾēl; Akkadian: 𒁍𒁺𒀭 Pudu-ilu; c. 720s B.C.)

  • Barachel (𐤁𐤓𐤊𐤀𐤋BRKʾL; c. 670s)


  • Baalis (Hebrew: בַּעֲלִיס Baʿălīs; Ammonite: 𐤁𐤏𐤋𐤉𐤔𐤏BʿLYŠʿ, variously interpreted as Baʿlyīšaʿ, Baʿlyīšʿ, or Baʿlīšāʿ; 580s B.C.)

Administrators of Ammon

  • Tobiah (Hebrew: טוֹבִיָּה Ṭōḇīyyā; fifth century B.C.)
  • Timothy (Greek: Τιμόθεος Timótheos; second century B.C.)

See also

References

  1. ^ Deutsch, Robert. "Seal of Baʿalis Surfaces". Robert Deutsch: Archaeological & Epigraphic Monographs, Publications & Photographs. Archived from the original on 2011-05-18. Retrieved 2017-04-12. The list of known Ammonite kings is short, so the discovery of a new one is especially important. Some are mentioned in the Bible. In addition to Ba'alis, the Bible also refers to an Ammonite king named Nahash. […] Nahash's son, who succeeded him as king, is identified as Hanun. […] A number of other Ammonite kings are known from cuneiform inscriptions. The total, until the appearance of Barak-el, was nine. Now it is ten.
  2. ^ Way, Kenneth C. (2016). Judges and Ruth. Baker Books. ISBN 9781493405350. Many Ammonite royal names are attested in epigraphic and biblical sources (e.g., Nahash, Hanun, Shanip, Padoel, Amminadab, Hissalel, Baalis).
  3. ^ a b c Block, Daniel (2013). The Gods of the Nations: A Study in Ancient Near Eastern National Theology. Baker Books. p. 64 (footnote). ISBN 978-1-62032-974-0. The names of the known kings of Ammon are (in chronological order) Nahash, Hanun, Shobi, Shanib, Zakur, Yariḥ-Ezer(?), Pudu-Ilu/Buduilu, ʿAmminadab I, Hissal-El, ʿAminadab II, Baalis/Baal-Yashaʿ.
  4. ^ a b Boardman, John; et al., eds. (1991). The Cambridge Ancient History: The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires and Other States of the Near East, from the Eighth to the Sixth Centuries B.C. Vol. III.2. Cambridge University Press. p. 336. ISBN 0-521-22717-8. The name of the king of Ammon, šnb, is preserved on a statue, probably representing the king, which was found near Jebel el-Qalʿa, the citadel of Rabbah, modern Amman, the ancient capital of Ammon. This statue bears a damaged inscription on its base, of which the major part may plausibly be restored to read yrḥʿzr [br z]kr br šnb, 'Yerah-ʿazar [son of Za]kkur son of Shanib', thus giving the names of the son and grandson of Shanib (Sanibu).
  5. ^ a b Barton, John (2002). The Biblical World. Vol. 1. Routledge. p. 515. ISBN 0-415-35090-5. Sanipu reigned in the time of Tiglath-pileser III (722 BCE). A certain Yarih-azar is mentioned in a statue from the eighth century BCE. He is the son of Zakkur, the son of Sanipu, possibly the same Sanipu mentioned above.