1. Chronicle Concerning the Early Years of Nabopolassar
(Grayson, Chronicles pp. 87–90 no. 2; Glassner, Chronicles pp. 214–219 no. 21; Glassner, Chroniques2 pp. 279–280 no. 43; RINAP 5/3 pp. 42–43)[[134]]
1–4a) [...] when he[[135]] had sent [troops] to Babylon, [they entered the city] during the night. Then, they did battle inside the city for an entire day. [They inflicted a defeat (on them and)[[136]] the garriso]n of Sîn-šarra-iškun[[137]] fled to Assyria. The city (Babylon) was entrusted to [...].[[138]]
4b–9) On the twelfth day of the month Ulūlu (VI), the troops of Assyria [went down to Akkad], entered the city Šasnaku,[[139]] (and) set fire to (its) temple (and) [had (its) property brought out]. Then, in the month Tašrītu (VII), the gods of Kish went to Babylon. [On the ...th day, the troops o]f Assyria marched to Nippur and Nabopolassar retreated before them. [The troops of As]syria and the citizens of Nippur went after him as fa[r] as Uruk. At Uruk, they did battle against Nabopolassar, but (then) retreated before Nabopolassar.
10–13) In the month Ayyāru (II),[[140]] the troops of Assyria went down to Akkad. On the twelfth day of the month Tašrītu (VII), when the troops of Assyria had marched against Babylon (and) when the Babylonians had come out of Babylon, on that (very) day, they (the Babylonians) did battle against the troops of Assyria. They inflicted a major defeat upon the troops of Assyria and took them as prisoners.
14–15a) For one (entire) year, there was no king in the land (Akkad). On the twenty-sixth day of the month Araḫsamna (VIII), Nabopolassar ascended the throne in Babylon.
15b–17) The accession year of Nabopolassar (626): In the month Addaru (XIII), Nabopolassar returned the gods of Susa to Susa, whom (the king of) Assyria had carried off and made reside in Uruk.[[141]]
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18–19) The first year of Nabopolassar (625): On the seventeenth day of the month Nisannu (I), terror fell upon the city (Šapazzu). The god Šamaš and the gods of the city Šapazzu (Bāṣ) went to Babylon.[[142]]
20) On the twenty-first day of the month Ayyāru (II), the troops of Assyria [en]tered the city Sal[lāte][[143]] (and) had (its) property brought out.
21–24) On the twentieth day (the month Simānu (III)/Duʾūzu (IV)), the gods of Sippar we[nt] to Babylon [and], on the ninth day of the month Abu (V), Nabopolassar and his troops [marched] to the city Sall[āte] and did battle against the city Sallāte, but he did not take the city. The troops of Assyria arriv[e]d and he (Nabo-polassar) retreated before them and withdrew.
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25–28) [The second year] of Nabopolassar (624): At the beginning of the month Ulūlu (VI), the troops of Assyria went down [to Akkad] and set up camp by the Banītu canal. They did [battle against Nab]opolassar, but achieved nothing. [...] ...[[144]] and (then) they withdrew.
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29–34) [The third year (623)]: On the eighth [day of the month ...], Dēr rebelled against Assyria. On the fifteenth day of the month Tašrītu (VII), [...[[145]] (In)] that (same) [year], the king of Assyria and his troops went down to Akkad and [took Uruk.[[146]] He had (its) property brought out] and made (it) enter Nippur. Afterwards, Itti-ili [rebelled. When the king of Assyria hea]rd (this),[[147]] he posted a garrison in Nippur [ (and) went back to his land. Itti-ili set out from] (the area) Across the River (Ebēr nāri), came up, and [...] against [ (the city) ...]. He ravaged [the city ...]nu. Then, he set out towards Nineveh.
35–40) [...],[[148]] who had come to do battle against him, [ ... whe]n they saw him, they bowed down before him. [...]. The rebel king [...] one hundred days [...] ... when [... the] rebel [king ...].
134 For a recent study of lines 1–17, see Fuchs, Studies Oelsner pp. 64–65.
135 Lines 1–9 likely record events that took place during 627. J.-J. Glassner (Chronicles pp. 216–217) reads the beginning of line 1 as [ina ITI.x mdAG-IBILA-ÙRU ERIM.MEŠ] ana TIN.TIR.KI ki-i iš-pu-ru, which he translates as "[in the month of ..., Nabopolassar] having sent [troops] to Babylon." As the events recorded here took place before Ulūlu (VI), presumably in 627, it is unclear whether or not Nabopolassar was involved at Babylon at that time. It is not impossible that this passage refers to infighting between Sîn-šumu-līšir and Sîn-šarra-iškun.
136 J.-J. Glassner (Chronicles p. 217) translates this passage as "they inflicted a defeat on Assyria," but restores only [BAD₅.BAD₅ GAR.MEŠ].
137 It is possible that Sîn-šarra-iškun could be an error for Sîn-šumu-līšir.
138 A.K. Grayson (Chronicles p. 88) translates the first part of line 4 as "he appointed [officials with]in the city."
139 Šasnaku is probably not far from Sippar. On its location, see Zadok, Rép. Géogr. 8 pp. 289–290.
140 Lines 10–17 probably record the events that occurred in 626.
141 The Assyrian in question is Ashurbanipal, who sacked and plundered Susa in 646.
142 Šapazzu, which was also known as Bāṣ, is a city in the vicinity of Sippar. See Bagg, Rép. Géogr. 7/3 p. 102. Its principal god is Bēl-ṣarbi.
143 Sallāte is a city in northern Babylonia, on the east bank of the Euphrates, in the vicinity of Sippar; see M.P. Streck, RLA 11/7–8 (2008) p. 578; Zadok, Rép. Géogr. 8 p. 285; and Bagg, Rép. Géogr. 7/3 p. 499. This city is not to be confused with the Assyrian city Raqamātu, which is located in the Habur triangle, west of Naṣibina and north of Guzana; see Bagg, Rép. Géogr. 7/2 pp. 505–506.
144 J.-J. Glassner (Chronicles p. 216) reads the beginning of line 28 as [ERIM.MEŠ KUR aš-šur ...]-suḫ-ma "[the troops of Assyria broke up ca]mp."
145 J.-J. Glassner (Chronicles p. 216) restores here mi-ti-DINGIR ṣal-tú ana NIBRU.KI DÙ ("Itti-ili did battle against Nippur"), but without justification.
146 The interpretation of lines 31–34 follows Fuchs, Studies Oelsner p. 34 (with nn. 29 and 31). J.-J. Glassner (Chronicles p. 216) tentatively restores BÀD.AN.KI ("Dēr") in line 31.
147 J.-J. Glassner (Chronicles p. 216) restores after EGIR mi-ti-DINGIR ("after Itti-ili") [GIN UNUG.KI iḫ-te]-pe-e-ma, thus understanding the end of line 31 and the beginning of line 32 as "[He pursued] Itti-ili, ravaged [Uruk]." Note that A. Fuchs (Studies Oelsner p. 34 n. 29) proposes Uruk's conquest was mentioned at the beginning of line 31, and not in line 32, as Glassner suggests.
148 J.-J. Glassner (Chronicles p. 218) reads the beginning of line 35 as [ERIM.MEŠ šá md30-LUGAL-GAR-un LUGAL KUR aš]-šur "[the troops of Sîn-šarra-iškun, the king of Ass]yria."
Jamie Novotny & Frauke Weiershäuser
Jamie Novotny & Frauke Weiershäuser, '1. Chronicle Concerning the Early Years of Nabopolassar ', RIBo, Babylon 7: The Inscriptions of the Neo-Babylonian Dynasty, The RIBo Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2024 [/ribo/babylon7/RINBE11Introduction/DatingandChronology/Chronicles/ChronicleConcerningtheEarlyYearsofNabopolassar/]