Nabonidus 04

1[mu^?-dam]-⸢mi⸣-qu “[(the one who) makes fav]orable”: It is uncertain if this line originally had the participle mudammiqu or the finite verb udammiqu ([ú^?-dam]-⸢mi⸣-qu “[who made fav]orable”). The former is tentatively restored here.

2[^m]^dAG-NÍ.TUKU ⸢LUGAL šá⸣ <ana> DINGIR.DINGIR GAL.⸢GAL na⸣-a-du a-na-[ku] “Nabonidus, the ki[ng] who reveres the gre[at] gods, am I”: H. Schaudig (Inschriften Nabonids p. 540) suggests that these three lines should be read as [^m]^dAG-NÍ.TUKU ⸢LUGAL⸣ [pa-liḫ] / ⸢šá⸣ DINGIR.DINGIR GAL.⸢GAL⸣ [NUN] / ⸢na⸣-a-du a-na-[ku] “Nabonidus, the ki[ng who reveres] the gre[at] gods, attent[ive prince], am I.” The space available in each line, however, does not support Schaudig’s reading, as there is not sufficient space at the end of lines 4´ and 5´ to restore pa-liḫ and NUN respectively.

3This passage presumably records work on Ezida (“True House”), temple of the god Nabû at Borsippa, as suggested by similar passages in inscriptions of the Assyrian kings Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal recording the decoration of this temple. See, for example, Leichty, RINAP 4 p. 117 Esarhaddon 54 rev. 10–12 (esp. 11), [... KÙ].GI 2 AM.MEŠ KÙ.BABBAR 2 AM.MEŠ ZABAR 2 SUḪUR.MÁŠ.KU₆ ZABAR “[go]ld [...], two wild bulls of silver, two wild bulls of bronze, two goat-fish of bronze”; and Novotny and Jeffers, RINAP 5/1 p. 216 Ashurbanipal 10 (Prism T) ii 1–6 (esp. ii 1), 4 AM.MEŠ KÙ.BABBAR ek-du-u-ti ... ul-ziz “I stationed four fierce wild bulls of silver.”

4SIG₇.IGI.KÙ “vault”: It is uncertain if this word is to be read as mat(i)gigu or kur(i)gigu. This rarely-attested Akkadian word also appears in the inscriptions of Esarhaddon (Leichty, RINAP 4 p. 24 Esarhaddon 1 vi 25) and Nebuchadnezzar II (CT 37 pl. 10 ii 5; and Legrain, PBS 15 no. 79 i 71) and is used to designate part of a gate, perhaps the vaulted, glazed-brick archway (Schaudig, Inschriften Nabonids p. 541).

5⸢é-lagab-gíd⸣ “Elagabgid”: This Sumerian ceremonial name, which means “House, Long Block,” is not otherwise attested and H. Schaudig (Inschriften Nabonids p. 541 n. 854) tentatively suggests that it could be the name of a temple magazine.

6⸢iṣ⸣-ṣu-riš ip-[par-šú-ma] i-lu-ú ⸢ša⸣-[ma-míš] “(the gods) fl[ew] up to the hea[vens] like birds”: This exact wording appears in several inscriptions of Esarhaddon describing the divine abandonment of Babylon; see Leichty, RINAP 4 p. 196 Esarhaddon 104 i 44–46, pp. 203–204 Esarhaddon 105 ii 10–11, and p. 245 Esarhaddon 116 obv. 15´.

7ú-še-pa “I made glorious”: W.R. Gallagher (AfO 48/49 [2001–02] p. 105) suggests reading this word as ú-še-reb “I had (them) enter.” If that proposal proves correct, then the KAL sign is defectively written: it is missing a vertical wedge.

8⸢ki⸣-ma si-ma-ti-šú-nu reš-ta-a-ti “according to their original appearance(s)”: A similar statement is made by Neriglissar in a passage in an inscription recording the creation of eight copper mušḫuššu-dragons for four prominent gateways in Esagil; compare Neriglissar 3 (Royal Palace Inscription) i 32, ki-ma sì-ma-a-ti-šu re-eš-ta-a-ti “according to its original appearance.”

9⸢ṣa⸣-lam^? ⸢šá-ru⸣-ti-⸢ia⸣ “[a stat]ue of my royal majesty”: The reading of the line tentatively follows Gallagher, AfO 48/49 (2001–02) p. 106. The interpretation of the second sign, however, is not entirely certain. H. Schaudig (Inschriften Nabonids p. 543) suggested that last four signs of the line could be read either as šá šub-ti-⸢ia⸣ “of my dwelling” or šá-ru-ti-⸢ia⸣ “of my kingship.” The latter proposal is preferred here based on the preceding and following words, respectively ṣalmu and mutnennû.