Hama (queen)
Ancient Assyrian queen / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hama (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: Ḫamâ)[3] was a queen of the Neo-Assyrian Empire as the primary consort[lower-alpha 2] of Shalmaneser IV (r. 783–773 BC). Historical records reveal next to nothing about Hama, and the vast majority of the information known about the queen comes from studies on her skeletal remains and the contents of the bronze coffin she was buried in, discovered by modern researchers in 1988 but not securely identified as Hama until 2017. Hama's skeleton indicates that she died at a young age, at some point between the age of 18 and 20, and that she suffered from some mild health issues, including gingivitis, dental plaque and chronic sinusitis.
Hama | |
---|---|
Woman of the Palace[lower-alpha 1] | |
Died | Between c. 783 and c. 773 BC (aged 18–20) Nimrud |
Spouse | Shalmaneser IV |
Akkadian | Ḫamâ |
After her death, Hama was buried among the tombs of other Assyrian queens at Nimrud, the Assyrian capital. Her coffin was discovered in the entryway to a greater tomb; this was likely not its intended final resting place but possibly a temporary solution, as she died young and a proper tomb might not have been available yet. Hama was buried alongside some of the most spectacular treasures of the royal tombs, including a vast number of gold items. Out of these gold items, the treasures that have received the most attention from modern historians are her seal (in the form of a necklace) and her golden crown.