Editing Sennacherib (section)

== Family and children ==
[[File:Assyrian_Crown-Prince_MET_hb32_143_13.jpg|thumb|alt= Stele depicting an Assyrian crown prince | Stele with a depiction of an Assyrian crown prince. Dated to Sennacherib's reign, it could depict [[Ashur-nadin-shumi]], Arda-Mulissu or [[Esarhaddon]].]]
As was traditional for Assyrian kings, Sennacherib had a harem of many women. Two of his wives are known by name—'''[[Tashmetu-sharrat]]''' (''Tašmetu-šarrat''){{Sfn|Frahm|2002|p=1114}} and '''[[Naqi'a]]''' (''Naqiʾā''). Whether both held the position of queen is uncertain, but contemporary sources suggest that though the king's family included multiple women, only one at a time would be recognized as queen and primary consort. For most of Sennacherib's reign, the queen was Tashmetu-sharrat, whose name literally means "[[Tashmetum]] is queen".{{Sfn|Elayi|2018|p=15}} Inscriptions suggest that Sennacherib and Tashmetu-sharrat had a loving relationship, with the king referring to her as "my beloved wife" and publicly praising her beauty.{{Sfn|Frahm|2002|p=1114}}

Whether Naqi'a ever held the title of queen is unclear. She was referred to as the "queen mother" during Esarhaddon's reign, but as she was Esarhaddon's mother, the title may have been bestowed upon her either late in Sennacherib's reign or by Esarhaddon.{{Sfn|Elayi|2018|p=15}} Though Tashmetu-sharrat was the primary consort for longer, Naqi'a is more well-known today for her role during Esarhaddon's reign. When she became one of Sennacherib's wives, she took the Akkadian name ''Zakûtu'' (Naqi'a being an Aramaic name). Having two names could point to Naqi'a being born outside Assyria proper—possibly in Babylonia or in the Levant—but there is no substantial evidence for any theory regarding her origin.{{Sfn|Elayi|2018|p=16}}[[File:Relief_Esarhaddon_Louvre_AO20185.jpg|thumb|alt= Relief depicting Esarhaddon and his mother Naqi'a | Relief depicting Sennacherib's son and successor Esarhaddon (right) and Esarhaddon's mother (and Sennacherib's wife) [[Naqi'a]] (left)]]
Sennacherib had at least seven sons and one daughter. Except for Esarhaddon, who is known to be Naqi'a's son, which of Sennacherib's wives were his children's mothers is unknown. Tashmetu-sharrat is likely to have been the mother of at least some of them.{{Sfn|Elayi|2018|p=17}} Their names were:
* '''[[Ashur-nadin-shumi]]''' (''Aššur-nādin-šumi''){{Sfn|Porter|1993|p=14}} – probably Sennacherib's eldest son. Appointed king of Babylon and crown prince in 700 BC, he served as both until his capture and execution by the Elamites in 694&nbsp;BC.{{Sfn|Porter|1993|pp=14–16}}
* '''Ashur-ili-muballissu''' (''Aššur-ili-muballissu''){{Sfn|Frahm|2002|p=1114}} – probably Sennacherib's second eldest son (he is called ''māru terdennu'', meaning "second son"). He is mentioned as being "begotten at the feet of Ashur", suggesting that he held some role in the priesthood.{{Sfn|Frahm|2002|p=1114}} His father gave him a house at Assur, probably at some point before 700&nbsp;BC, and a precious vase later excavated at Nineveh.{{Sfn|Frahm|2002|p=1115}}
* '''[[Arda-Mulissu]]''' (''Arda-Mulišši''){{Sfn|Baker|2016|p=272}} – Sennacherib's eldest living son by the time of Ashur-nadin-shumi's death in 694&nbsp;BC, he served as his crown prince from 694&nbsp;BC until 684&nbsp;BC, when for unknown reasons he was replaced as heir by Esarhaddon. He orchestrated the 681&nbsp;BC conspiracy which ended in Sennacherib's death in hopes of taking the throne for himself.{{Sfn|Radner|2003|p=166}} After his troops were defeated by Esarhaddon, he escaped to Urartu.{{Sfn|Radner|2003|p=166}}
* '''Ashur-shumu-ushabshi''' (''Aššur-šumu-ušabši'') – a son whose place in Sennacherib's sequence of children is unknown. Sennacherib gave him a house in Nineveh. Bricks bearing inscriptions discussing the construction of this house were later excavated at Nineveh, possibly indicating that Ashur-shumu-ushabshi had died before the house was completed.{{Sfn|Frahm|2002|p=1115}}
* '''[[Esarhaddon]]''' (''Aššur-aḫa-iddina''){{Sfn|Postgate|2014|p=250}} – a younger son who served as Sennacherib's crown prince 684–681&nbsp;BC and succeeded him as the king of Assyria, reigning from 681 to 669 BC.{{Sfn|Radner|2003|p=166}}
* '''Nergal-shumu-ibni''' (''Nergal-šumu-ibni''){{Sfn|Frahm|2002|p=1115}} – the reconstructed name (the full name of the prince is missing in the inscriptions) of another son of Sennacherib. He is mentioned as having employed a large staff, including a personal horse raiser called Sama. He might be the same person as an information officer mentioned in 683&nbsp;BC. His name might alternatively be reconstructed as ''Nergal-shumu-usur''.{{Sfn|Frahm|2002|p=1115}} Nergal-shumu-ibni might have served as crown prince alongside Arda-Mulissu, possibly as the intended heir to Babylonia, but the evidence is inconclusive.'''{{Sfn|Šašková|2010|p=152}}'''
* '''Nabu-shar-usur''' (''Nabû-šarru-uṣur''){{Sfn|Frahm|2014|p=193}} – a younger son who joined Arda-Mulissu in his plot to murder Sennacherib and seize power. He escaped with Arda-Mulissu to Urartu.{{Sfn|Radner|2003|p=166}}
* '''Shadditu''' (''Šadditu''){{Sfn|Frahm|2002|p=1115}} – The only one of Sennacherib's daughters known by name, Shadditu appears in land sale documents and protective rituals were conducted on her behalf. She was probably a daughter of Naqi'a as she retained a place in the royal family during Esarhaddon's reign. She or another daughter was married to an Egyptian noble named Shushanqu in 672&nbsp;BC.{{Sfn|Elayi|2018|p=17}}

A small tablet excavated at Nineveh lists the names of mythological Mesopotamian heroes, such as [[Gilgamesh]], and some personal names. As the name Ashur-ili-muballissu appears in the list of personal names, alongside fragmentary names that could possibly be reconstructed as Ashur-nadin-shumi (or Ashur-shumu-ushabshi) and Esarhaddon, it is also possible that the other personal names were names of further sons of Sennacherib. These names include ''Ile<nowiki>''</nowiki>e-bullutu-Aššur'', ''Aššur-mukkaniš-ilija'', ''Ana-Aššur-taklak'', ''Aššur-bani-beli'', ''Samaš-andullašu'' (or ''Samaš-salamšu'') and ''Aššur-šakin-liti''.{{Sfn|Frahm|2002|p=1115}}