Kassite

Kassite refers to the people and the dynasty that ruled Babylonia in southern Mesopotamia during the middle to late second millennium BCE. The Kassites founded the second dynasty of Babylon after the collapse of the Old Babylonian Kingdom and held sway for roughly four centuries. In Babylonian sources they are called Karduniash, a designation used for their kingdom and its territory.

The Kassites originated in the Zagros region, in or near the mountains to the east of Mesopotamia. The precise ethnolinguistic identity of the Kassites is uncertain. The Kassite language is poorly attested and probably not closely related to Akkadian. In administration and diplomacy, Akkadian remained the dominant language, and cuneiform was used for writing.

Politically, the Kassite rulers maintained and adapted much of the existing Mesopotamian bureaucratic system, while presenting themselves as legitimate heirs to Babylonian tradition. They built and rebuilt temples, promoted agriculture and trade, and established a relatively stable monarchy. Their capital was at times Dur-Kurigalzu, where a fortress and palace complex was erected, among other building projects. The dynasty also oversaw a flourishing of art and inscription, and left a substantial archive of administrative texts.

The Kassite period ended as regional powers such as Assyria and Elam intensified their pressure in the late second millennium BCE. Although conquered and absorbed, the Kassite era left a lasting imprint on Babylonian culture, language contact, and religious practice, and it is recognized as a distinct phase in the long history of Mesopotamia.