Inscriptions, texts 1001-2007
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1001 1002 1003 1004 1005 1006 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
1001
This text, which is so fragmentary that no translation is given here, is known from a fragment of clay cone measuring 4.5 x 5.4 cm. The object was found at the Ištar temple at Nineveh. It is not possible to link it with certainty to any particular monarch: Aššurnasirpal II is one possibility. This is also the case with text nos. 1002 and 1003, both of which also come from Nineveh.
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1002
This text appears on one small fragment of clay cone (6 x 4 cm), found at Nineveh. See also the introduction to text no. 1001.
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1003
This text appears on one small fragment of clay cone (4 x 4.7 cm), found at the Ištar temple at Nineveh. See also the introduction to text no. 1001.
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1004
This small portion of text is preserved on an obelisk, which in its original form may have warranted comparison with the Rassam Obelisk (see text no. 24). Based on this similarity, it seems sensible to attribute it to the reign of Aššurnasirpal II, although both Adad-nārārī II [/riao/ria3/Adad-narariII/index.html] (see text no. 2 [/riao/ria3/Q006021/] of that monarch, lines 109 and 111) and Tukultī-Ninurta II [/riao/ria3/Tukulti-NinurtaII/index.html] (see text no. 5 [/riao/Q006035/] of that monarch, line 109) are potential possibilities. For more on Qattānu/Qatnu in relation to Aššurnasirpal II, see text no. 1 [/riao/ria4/Q004455/], lines i 78 and iii 5. The object itself was found at Ashur.
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1005
This fragment of text is preserved on a small piece of brick and was found at the palace of Aššurnasirpal II at Ashur. It is, unfortunately, too poorly preserved to link confidently to any particular monarch. Its provenance makes Aššurnasirpal II seem most probable. Grayson notes that the use of the phrase gimilla turru "to avenge" is most reminiscent of Aššur-rēša-iši I [/riao/ria2/Ashur-resha-ishiI/index.html], Aššurnasirpal II, or Esarhaddon [/rinap/rinap4/].
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1006
This stone slab from Calah bears an ill-preserved inscription. Not enough of the text is legible to justify an edition, however the final portion seems to be a building inscription that mentions Ninurta and Ninlil. Based on this, it is possible tentatively to link it to Aššurnasirpal II and his work on the Ninurta temple in Calah.
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2001
Text nos. 2001, 2002 and 2003 are all preserved on stone fragments found at the Nabû temple at Calah. They are private dedicatory inscriptions, although none of them are sufficiently well preserved to be presented here. The current text is inscribed on a fragment of stone bowl (4.5 x 11 cm) and the signs BA-eš = iqīš "he dedicated" can be made out in the last line.
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2002
A small piece of grey stone bowl (6 x 5.5 cm) bears this fragment of text. For more information, see the introduction to text no. 2001.
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2003
A fragment of agate cylinder (1.9 x 2.1 cm) bears this tiny portion of text. For more information, see the introduction to text no. 2001.
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2004
Elaboration from Abou-Assaf, Bordrueil, Millard - La statue de tell Fekherye. Et son inscription bilingue assyro-arameenne. 1982
A stone statue (200 x 165 cm, now in the Damascus Museum) found a Tell Fekherye, on the Upper Ḫabur River is engraved with two version of the same inscription, one in Akkadian and the other in Aramaic (one of the oldest Aramaic inscriptions discovered). Both texts are furthermore divided in two independent parts, written at different times. Part A (lines 1-18) is a dedication to the god Adad (Hadad in Aramaic) of the city Guzānu (Tell Halaf on the Ḫabur) from a man called Adad-itʾi in Akkadian and Hadad-yisʿi in Aramaic, the governor of Guzānu. This first texts ends typically with a wish for future restoration and a curse for anyone who would erase Adad-itʾi's name form the statue.
In the second text (lines 19-38), Adad-itʾi rules over a much larger territory, being governor of Guzānu, but also of Sikānu, and Zarānu. The statue itself is said to have been erected before the fod Adad "who resides in the city Sikānu, lord of the Ḫabur River." Also this texts ends with curses against any improper treatment of the statue, but this time much more elaborated and colorful.
The statue was found at the southern edge of the Tell, probably fallen or been thrown in antiquity, therefore there is no way to know its original location. It is however entirely possible that it had been originally erected in Guzānu and later moved to Sikānu.
A great absent on this monument dated to the ninth century BC is the
Assyrian king, which gives some important insight on the political
landscape of the period. Compare this inscription with that of
Bēl-ēriš, ruler of Šadikanni, a city-state on the Habur, during the
reigns of Aššur-rabi II and Aššur-rēša-iši II, as explicitly stated in
his inscription [/riao/Q006010/] (Aššur-rēša-iši II text no. 2001 [/riao/ria3/Ashur-resha-ishiII/index.html#ashurreshaishi22001]). In the present case, Adad-itʾi and his father Šamaš-nūrī, clearly belong to a ruling dynasty, which remains independent as long as its relations with Assyria remain peaceful, during a period in which the control of Assur on the Jazirah had been re-established but was still relatively loose. Nonetheless, as already demonstrated by Millard (1982), a fascinating extremely close affinity with Ashurnasipral II's inscriptions remains to confirm its belonging to the period of in which this Assyrian ruler reigned, and the great influence that this king had on the local dynasty.
| Synoptic translation of the cuneiform and Aramaic inscriptions Synoptic translation of the cuneiform and Aramaic inscriptions (from: Dušek, J. – J. Mynářová 2016. Tell Fekheriye Inscription: A Process of Authority on the Edge of the Assyrian Empire. In: J. Dušek – J. Roskovec (eds.), The Process of Author- ity. The Dynamics in Transmission and Reception of Canonical Texts (Deuterocanoni- cal and Cognate Literature Studies 27). Berlin – New York, 9–39. ) | |
| A | |
| Akkadian text | Aramaic text |
| (1) To the god Adad, irrigation controller of heaven and earth, he brings (2) abundance, he gives pasture and watering-place (3) for the peoples of all the cities, he gives (4) shares and offerings (5) for the god(s), his brothers, ir- rigation controller of rivers, (6) he makes pros- perous the world-regions, merciful god (7) whose prayer is good, dwelling (in) the city of Guzanu, (8) great lord, his lord Adad-it'ī, go- vernor of the city of Guzanu, (9) son of Šamaš-nūrī, governor of the city of Guzanu. (10) For his life, that his days may be long, (11) his years many, to protect his house, his offspring (12) and his people, to remove illness (13) of his body, to hear my prayer, (14) to accept the utterance of my mouth, he dedicated (15) and gave (it). Whoever later (comes) may he restore its dilapidation, (16) may he place name! Whoever my name (17) removes and places his name, (18) may Adad, the Hero, be his adversary! | (1) Representation of Hadd-yis'ī that he placed before Hadad of Sikan, (2) irrigation controller of heaven and earth, he brings abundance and gives pasture (3) and watering-place for all the lands, and gives water-supply and libation ves- sel (4) for all gods his brothers, irrigation controller of all rivers, he makes prosperous (5) all the lands, merciful god whose prayer is good, dwelling (6) (in) Sikan, great lord, lord of Hadd-yis'ī, king of Guzanu, son of (7) Sās- nūrī, king of Guzanu. (In order) to keep him alive, that his days may be long, (8) to strength- en his years, to protect his house, to protect his offspring, to protect (9) his people, to remove illness from him, to hear his prayer, to (10) ac- cept the utterance of his mouth, he erected and gave (it) to him. And when whoever later (11) transports (this statue?), may he erect it anew, and may he place my name on it! And whoever removes my name from it (12a) and places his name, may Hadad, the Hero, be against him! |
| B | |
| (19) Statue of Adad-it'ī, governor of the city of Guzanu, (20) the city of Sikanu and the city of Zaranu. (21) For the appropriateness of his throne, that his period of office may be long, (22) utterance of his mouth towards gods and men (23) is pleasing, this statue than the previous one (24) he made (and) before the god Adad, (25) dwelling in the city of Sikan, lord of the Ḫabur river, (26) he set up his statue. Whoever my name from the heart (27) of the equipment of the house of the god Adad, my lord, (28) removes, shall the god Adad, my lord, his bread (29) (and) his water not accept! Šala, my lady, (30) his bread (and) his water ditto! May he sow (but) he shall not (31) harvest! One thousand may he sow (but only) one BÁN (32) may he take! One hundred ewes shall not satiate (33) a lamb! One hundred cows shall not satiate a calf! (34) One hundred women-villagers shall not satiate a child! (35) One hundred women bakers shall not fill (36) an oven! Upon a dumping ground gleaners (37) may they glean! Head- ache, plague, (38) sleeplessness, from his land shall not be cut off! | (12b) Statue of Hadd-yis'ī, (13) king of Guzan, of Sikan and of Azran. For the stability of his throne, (14) that his life may be long, for the utterance of his mouth towards gods and towards men (15) is pleasing, he made this representation, he has added to what was before. Before Hadad (16) dwelling in Sikan, lord of Ḥabur, he set up his statue. Whoever removes my name from the vessels (17) of the house of Hadad, my lord, my lord Hadad shall not accept his bread and his water from (18) his hand! And Šala, my lady, shall not accept his bread and his water from his hand! And may (19) he sow and he shall not harvest! And thousand barley (measures) may he sow, (only) a half a measure may he take from it! (20) And may one hundred ewes suckle a lamb and shall not satiate (it)! And may one hundred cows suckle (21) a calf and shall not satiate (it)! And may one hundred women suckle a child and shall not satiate (it)! (22) And may one hundred women bake bread in an oven and shall not fill it! And from a cesspit may his men glean barley, may they eat (it)! (23) And the plague, the affliction of Nergal, shall not be cut off from his land! |
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Bibliography
2005
BM 089135. Collon, First Impressions no. 341
Nos. 2005-2007 are edition of texts belonging to Mušēzib-Ninurta, ruler of Šadikanni (modern Arban or Tell Ajaja) on the Ḫabur River, who was a contemporary of Ashurnasirpal II. In the present text, inscribed on a cylinder seal found by Layard at Tarbiṣu (mod. Sherif Khan), the ruler gives the name of his grandfather, Samanuḫa-šar-ilāni, who is recorded for haveing paid tribute to Ashurnasirpal in text no. 1 i 78 [/riao/ria4/Q004455.79/]
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2006
In this text engraved on a cylinder seal, Mušēzib-Ninurta (see 2005) dedicates the seal to god Samnuḫa. At line 2, and erasure is visible where originally was engraved the first owner's name, then substituted by the name inscribed on the line above (now lost).
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2007
The ruler of Šadikanni Mušēzib-Ninurta (see 2005) is also the author of this label, engraved on two winged human-headed bulls from Šadikanni.
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Bibliography
Nathan Morello & Poppy Tushingham
Nathan Morello & Poppy Tushingham, 'Inscriptions, texts 1001-2007', RIA 4: Inscriptions of Ashurnasirpal II, The RIA Project, 2025 [http://oracc.org/Inscriptions/Texts1001-2007/]