Ashur-dain-aplu (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: Aššur-da’’in-aplu, meaning "Ashur is the heir's judge") was an ancient Assyrian prince of the Adaside dynasty and palace official with the title ša pān ekalli. He is explicitly identified in a letter as the "son of Shalmaneser", a name only used by Assyrian kings. Though a precise date of the documents that mention him has not been established, the Shalmaneser referenced is either Shalmaneser III (r. 859–824 BC) or, more probably, Shalmaneser V (r. 727–722 BC). If he was the son of Shalmaneser V, Ashur-dain-aplu survived the political turmoil in the aftermath of the deposition and death of his father and the rise of his successor, Sargon II (r. 722–705 BC), to the throne, and continued to retain a prominent political position thereafter, possibly a