Babylonia comes under control of the Kassite Empire in the aftermath of the 1531 BCE sack of Babylon by the Hittites to the north. The Kassites are a formidable force in the ancient near East, reigning almost 400 years to 1155 BCE.
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It's believed the Kassites originate in the Zargos Mountains in today's southeastern Iran. Evidence of military correspondence with the kings of Babylon show the Kassites are in the Babylonian area at least 150 years before they make their move.
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They speak and write Kassite, as well as the language of trade and commerce, Akkadian. At first the Kassites occupy Babylon. They bring their gods into the Mesopotamian pantheon and appropriate Marduk from the Babylonians. As their wealth grows, toward the end of the 15th century BCE, the ruler Kurigalzu I decides to shift their power base.
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He shows his might by founding a city. He relocates the capital to Dur-Kurigalzu, about a day's ride west of Baghdad in southern Mesopotamia. In Dur-Kurigalzu, meaning “Fortress of Kurigalzu", he builds a monumental palace and great temples.
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The Kassite deities are the god Shuqamuna and goddess Shumaliya. Called "Gods of the King," they are the personal deities and tutelary protectors of the royal family.
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Apart from these the Kassites have no pantheon, strange in a center of civilizations with thousands of gods. As time goes on, they adopt a few more.
Pre-existing cities occupied by the Kassites include Sippar, Babylon, Kish, Nippur, Isin, Girsu, Uruk and Ur. All are important centers of trade, communication and worship, busy with workers, merchants, tradespeople, travelers, river traffic or seagoing vessels.
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At the height of power the Kassites control Mesopotamia. They continue to develop a strained relationship with the warlike Hittites to the north. They correspond with the also warlike Assyrians.
It's a time of distrust, big weapons and big egos, and a collaborations of aggressive tribes.
Nonetheless, in 1258 BCE the Hittite King Ḫattušili III signs the world's first peace treaty with Ramesses II of Egypt ... with a little help from their Queens.
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King Kadashman-Enlil II, meaning 'he who believes in Enlil', assumes the Kassite throne as a boy king. He's advised by a vizier "whom the gods have caused to live far too long and [from] whose mouth unfavorable words never cease”, according to the Hittite King.
Still, Hattushili maintains diplomatic and trade relations with the Kassites. One resource the Kassites have in abundance is skilled labor. Doctors, artisans, carpenters, metalworkers, scribes and other specialists are exchanged on loan. Occasionally someone is enticed to stay, as happens with doctors from Babylonia, prompting a royal investigation.
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Overall the Kassites maintain a precarious balance. They ingratiate themselves with the people by rebuilding temples and public sites in Nippur and elsewhere, such as the Temple of Gula in Isin. They lay down patterns of administration still used today.
They adopt gods such as Marduk and Enlil from the pre-existing pantheons, as well as others such as Ishara, goddess of Death and Desire. Then from the southeast comes a new threat.
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In 1157 BCE, the Elamites sack the major cities of Babylonia. In 1155, the Elamite king takes the statue of Marduk from Babylon to Elam. This marks the end of Kassite domination in Babylonia.
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