Zakutu (l. c. 728 - c. 668 BCE) was the Akkadian name of Naqi’a, a secondary wife of Sennacherib of Assyria (r. 705-681 BCE). Though she was not Sennacherib's queen, she bore him a son, Esarhaddon, who would succeed him. She may have ruled briefly as queen after Esarhaddon’s death and was grandmother to his successor, Ashurbanipal.
More about: ZakutuDefinition
Timeline
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c. 728 BCE - c. 668 BCELife of Zakutu, wife of Sennacherib, mother of Esarhaddon, grandmother of Ashurbanipal; one of the only women in Assyrian history to commission building projects or issue treaties under her own name.
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c. 713 BCEZakutu is associated with the crown prince of Assyria Sennacherib.
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683 BCESennacherib chooses Zakutu's son, Esarhaddon, as his successor.
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681 BCESennacherib assassinated by two of his sons.
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681 BCE - 669 BCEReign of King Esarhaddon, ascent of Zakutu as Queen Dowager.
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677 BCE - 673 BCEZakutu commissions palace for Esarhaddon in Nineveh under her own name.
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c. 670 BCE - c. 668 BCEIssuance of the Loyal Treaty of Queen of Assyria Naqia-Zakutu, ensuring the succession of Ashurbanipal as king.
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669 BCEEsarhaddon dies en route to Egypt to fortify his rule there.
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668 BCE - 627 BCEReign of Ashurbanipal, King of Assyria, last king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.