Tiglath-pileser III 05

1[ú]-za-ʾi-in-šú-nu-ti-ma “[I] adorned them”: Exactly what -šunūti (“them”) refers back to is uncertain; however, based on context, it may refer to images of the tutelary deities of cities east of the Tigris, the target of the campaign being narrated. It does not refer to the priestly personnel of Esagil and other major Babylonian cult centers, as was once thought; that interpretation was based upon the incorrect placement of text no. 24 before this Annals unit (see Rost, Tigl. p. 2 lines 1–7; and Luckenbill ARAB 1 p. 269 §762).

2The restoration of the damaged text is based on text no. 39 lines 6–7 and text no. 47 obv. 10–11.

3GIŠ.TUKUL aš-šur “weapon of (the god) Aššur”: For the significance of placing the weapon of Aššur as a central cultic object in conquered cities that were reorganized as provincial centers, see Cogan, Imperialism pp. 53–55; and Holloway, Aššur is King pp. 160–177.

4ÍD.pa-at-ti-⸢^d⸣[EN.LÍL] “the Patti-[Enlil] canal”: The restoration is based on the fact that a well-known canal of this name is located near Sippar and Dūr-Kurigalzu; see Nashef, Rép. Géogr. 5 p. 312; and Zadok, Rép. Géogr. 8 p. 395.

5E. Frahm (personal communication) suggests that one could tentatively restore eš-šiš (“anew”) before ⸢aḫ⸣-re-e-ma (“I dug out”). nu-uḫ-⸢še⸣ “abundance”: Layard, MS A mistakenly copied the damaged še as ḪI, with scratches following it.

6[LÚ].⸢na⸣-sik-ki “[the] Nasikku”: It is not entirely clear whether this is the name of an Aramean tribe or just an unusual plural form of nasīku, a term used almost exclusively to denote Aramean tribal leaders (Brinkman, PKB pp. 273–274).

7[LÚ.a-di]-le-e “[the Adi]lê”: The restoration is based on text no. 47 obv. 6.

8LÚ.šu-ut SAG-ia: ša/šūt rēši, a title that is attested in numerous Neo-Assyrian sources as well as in the Middle Assyrian harem edicts, designated a “eunuch” who served as Assyrian courtier or official. This title appears to have been loaned into Hebrew and Aramaic, meaning “eunuch” in both of those languages. The noun phrase, probably etymologically meaning “attendant” (lit. “one at the head”) was used in the Old Babylonian Period as a designation for non-castrated officials, but it was later used in Assyria almost exclusively for castrated officials, i.e., “eunuchs.” Although some scholars translate ša rēši as “official” (cf., for example, Leichty, RINAP 4), the authors of this volume prefer the translation “eunuch.” For further information on eunuchs, see Tadmor, Sex and Gender pp. 603–611; and cf. Oppenheim, Studies Gaster pp. 325–334 and Dalley, BiOr 58 (2001) cols. 198–206.

9ša šat-ti-šam-ma “which annually”: The restoration is based on context and follows a suggestion by M. Streck (ZA 89 [1999] p. 153). ⸢a⸣-ṣab-: These two signs are damaged on the slab now housed in the British Museum; Layard also copied these signs as being damaged. The first sign is the right half of A, and not ⸢aṣ⸣-, as suggested by Tadmor in Tigl. III.

10[ú-pa-ar-ri^?]-is “[I distribut]ed”: The restoration is conjectural.

11This passage, which begins with this line and continues in the first line of the next unit (text no. 6), is not connected with the Babylonian campaign, but rather is part of a topos concerned with the restoration of desolate border areas. [ina tar-ṣi LUGAL.MEŠ-ni AD].⸢MEŠ⸣-ia “[during the reign(s) of (previous) kings], my [ancestor]s”: Cf. G. Smith, Assyrian Disc. p. 268 line 12 and Rost, Tigl. p. 4 line 19, where KUR aš-šur is restored between [LUGAL.MEŠ-ni] and [AD].⸢MEŠ⸣-ia. Based on the copy, there is room for only six or seven signs.