Nebuchadnezzar II 048

1This passage probably deals with the completion and decoration of Ezida, the temple of the god Nabû at Borsippa. If not, then it would report on decorating Ezida together with Esagil, the god Marduk’s temple at Babylon.

2Although Babylon is not specifically named in this inscription’s main building report, this passage appears to have recorded Nebuchadnezzar II’s rebuilding of Eḫursagsikila, the temple of the goddess Gula/Ninkarrak in East Babylon, rather than Eulla or Etila, her temples at Sippar and Borsippa respectively. This is evident from the fact that there are stronger similarities between i´ 3´–12´ and Nbk. 31 (C33) iii 5–37 than with C211 (Eulla) ii 1–26, C37 (Eulla) iii 13–51, and C023 (Etila) ii 10–22. Moreover, the impressions given by these three texts is that both Eulla and Etila had been in ruins long before Nebuchadnezzar became king, so that they were buried under the earth. Since the present inscription records that the walls of Ninkarrak’s temple collapsed, it is likely to have concerned a different building, possibly Eḫursagsikila, which is regularly mentioned in the prologues of Nebuchadnezzar’s inscriptions and whose earlier stages of rebuilding are recorded in the main building report of Nbk. 31 (C33). Of course, this proposed identification is not as firm as one could hope for since Nbk. 31 iii 9–10 also states that that temple had turned into ruins. Note, however, that B 32 comes from Amran, which corresponds to where one expects to find Eḫursagsikila, a building that according to Tintir = Babylon Tablet IV (George, BTT pp. 57–62) is located in the Eridu district of East Babylon. For further information about Eḫursagsikila, see the on-page note to Nbk. 2 (East India House) iv 38–43 and the commentary of Nbk. 31 (C33).

3be-el-ti-ia “my lady”: Compare Nbk. 31 (C33) iii 6–8, which have be-el-ti ra-aʾ-im-ti-⸢ia⸣ na-ṣi-ra-at na-pí-iš-ti-⸢ia mu-ša⸣-al-li-ma-at pé-ré-ʾi-⸢ia⸣, “the lady who loves me, safeguards my life, (and) preserves the well-being of my descendants.”

4[e-pé-šu ku]-⸢up⸣-ru ù a-gur-ru aš-te-ʾe-e-šu-ma “I strove [to build (it) using bitu]men and baked bri[ck]”: Compare Nbk. 31 (C33) iii 18–21, which have i-ga-ar É šu-a-ti a-na du-un-nu-nim e-pé-šu ESIR.UD.DU.A ù SIG₄.AL.⸢ÙR⸣.[RA] É ša a-na a-ša-ba ^dnin-kar-ra-⸢ak⸣-[a] ú-us-su-um aš-te-eʾ-⸢ú⸣, “I strove to reinforce the wall of that temple, to build (it) using bitumen and baked bri[ck], (and) to make (that) temple suitable as a residence of the goddess Ninkarrak.” The wall mentioned here might be the one that is said to have collapsed in i´ 6´ of the present text.

5[te-me-en-ša la-bí-ri] ⸢a⸣-ḫi-iṭ ab-re-e-ma “I examined (and) checked [its original foundation(s)]”: According to Nbk. 31 (C33) iii 12, Nebuchadnezzar II also examined the foundations of Eḫursagsikila. He is reported to have done the same with Eulla, the Ninkarrak temple at Sippar; see C37 iii 37.