Serua-eterat was the eldest daughter of Assyrian King Esarhaddon (r. 681 to 669 BC) and the older sister of his twin sons Ashurbanipal and Samas-shum-ukin. She's the only one of Esarhaddon's daughters to be known by name. Her mother may have been Esarra-hammat.
King Esarhaddon designated respectively Ashurbanipal and Samas-shum-ukin, crown princes of Assyria and of Babylonia (c. 672 BC).
Under Ashurbanipal's reign (c. 669–627 BC), the boundaries of the Assyrian Empire reached as far as the Caucasus Mountains. Later ancient kingdoms of the region included Armenia, Albania, Colchis and Iberia, among others. These kingdoms were later incorporated into various Iranian empires, including Media, the Achaemenid Empire, Parthia, and the Sassanid Empire, who would altogether rule the Caucasus for many hundreds of years.
He defeated the Elamites, cutting off Babylon from its supporting tribesmen. Babylon itself fell after a two-year siege, his brother Samas-shum-ukin committed suicide in his burning palace (c. 648 BC). In 640 BC, Elam was invaded and its capital Susa plundered, some of its inhabitants being exiled to Samaria, capital of the northern kingdom of Israel.
Assyria previously destroyed Samaria in 722 BC, most of the northern 10 tribes never returned.
Serua-eterat married Scynthian king Bartatua, and was the mother of his successor Madyes, who brought Scythian power in Western Asia to its peak.
She was likely involved in politics, particularly the politics of the south, being mentioned alongside Kandalanu (the "puppet king" of Babylonia installed after the death of Samas-shum-ukin) and the king of Elam in a letter.
The title of Serua-eterat after Esarhaddon's death was ahat sarri ("sister of the king").
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Like this post? Stop by and read “Naqiya-Zakutu: Queen of Assyria, Wife of Sennacherib, Mother of Esarhaddon.” Queen Naqiya-Zakutu was a wife of the Assyrian king Sennacherib (r. 705–681 BC) and the mother of his son and successor Esarhaddon (r. 681–669 BC).
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