Foundation inscription from a temple of Tukulti-Ninurta I

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Tukulti-Ninurta I was a powerful Assyrian king who ruled during the Middle Assyrian Empire from 1366 to 1050 BC. After his father, Shalmaneser I, passed away, Tukulti-Ninurta I seized the throne and led Assyria to a stunning victory over the Hittite Empire at the Battle of Nihriya early in his reign. The battle allowed him to claim vast territories in Asia Minor and the Levant for Assyria. He maintained tight control over Urartu, and later defeated Kashtiliash IV, the Kassite king of Babylonia, conquering Babylon and securing total dominance over Mesopotamia for Assyria. By declaring himself king of Babylon, Tukulti-Ninurta I became the first native ruler of the city, which had previously been governed by foreign Amorites or Kassites. He proudly adopted the ancient title "King of Sumer and Akkad," a role that Sargon of Akkad had pioneered centuries earlier.