Artashumara


Artashumara was a ruler who briefly succeeded his father Shuttarna II as the king of Mitanni in the fourteenth century BC. He was a brother of Tushratta and Artatama II. He was later assassinated by a pro-Hittite group led by Tuhi, who declared himself as a regent after placing Tushratta on the throne. Tuhi was later executed by Tushratta.

Name

The name is the Akkadian form of the Mitanni Aryan name, which is a cognate of the Vedic Sanskrit term ऋतस्मर, meaning "he remembers Ṛta".

Reign

He is known only from a single mention in a tablet found in Tell Brak that refers to him as "Artassumara the king, son of Shuttarna the king" and a mention in Amarna letter 17. According to the letter, after the death of Shuttarna II, he briefly took power but was later assassinated.