The first of the great rulers of Assyria, who started with a tribe near Mari on the Euphrates River. He created an empire in northern Mesopotamia from the middle Euphrates to the mountains in the east. His capitals were at Assur and Shubat-Enlil. His sons, Ekallatum and Mari, acted as governors - but could not maintain the empire after Shamshi-Adad's death. The remains of Shamshi-Adad's palace were partially excavated, with the most important find at the site being an archive of royal correspondence preserved on more than 1,000 cuneiform tablets. The archives consist mostly of financial and administrative records, with some diplomatic correspondence between the ruler of Shubat-Enlil and neighboring kings. They complement the archives found at the site of the ancient city of Mari in the great palace of Zimrilim.