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]

Statue of an Ammonite deified King on display at the Jordan Museum. The statue was found near the Amman Citadel and is thought to date to 8th century BC.

Rulers of Ammon

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Kings of Ammon

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  • 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

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

See also

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References

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  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.