16. Dating a king

A series of planetary observations fix the date of the 7th-century Babylonian king Kandalanu. The text logs the first and last visibilities of Saturn from  Kandalanu Year 1 to Kandalanu Year 14 - enough information to establish that his reign began in 647 BC.

Though the Eponym List terminates 2 years before Kandalanu takes office, his dates are important for organizing the chronology of the warring brothers Assurbanipal and Shamash-shuma-ukin. The Saturn data furnishes the exact year 647 BC in which Assurbanipal crushed his brother's revolt and replaced him with Kandalanu on the throne of Babylon.