Rukibtu (Akkadian: ππππ π ru-ΓΊ-kib-tu)[1] or Rukibti (Akkadian: πππΎ ru-kib-ti)[2] was a king of Ascalon in the 8th century BC, when Philistia was a dependency of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. After his predecessor Mitinti I instigated an unsuccessful rebellion against the emperor Tiglath-Pileser III in Ashkelon, Rukibtu deposed him and usurped the throne for himself. Tiglath-Pileser III's annals call him "Rukibtu, son of [...]" - the name of his father has not survived. Some scholars have suggested that his father was Mitinti I, however, kings of ignoble origins were often called "son of a nobody" in Assyrian and Babylonian sources, and with Rukibtu having usurped the throne, this possibility cannot be ruled out.[3]
Rukibtu died sometime between the reigns of Shalmaneser V and Sargon II. He was succeeded by Sidqa, who also instigated a failed revolt against Assyrian authority. Sennacherib then deposed Sidqa, and placed Rukibtu's son Ε arru-lu-dari on the throne of Ashkelon.
References
- β Rukibtu (KING OF ASHKELON), Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus
- β Rukibtu (KING OF ASHKELON), ORACC
- β Carl S. Ehrlich (1996). The Philistines in Transition: A History from Ca. 1000-730 B.C.E. BRILL. pp. 100β. ISBN 978-90-04-10426-6. OCLC 1014512115.