Chronicle Concerning the Period from Nabû-nāṣir to Šamaš-šuma-ukīn An Eclectic Chronicle
The Eponym Chronicle and two Mesopotamian chronicles provide useful information both on events of the reigns of Tiglath-pileser III and Shalmaneser V and on the order of those events. The standard edition of the Eponym Chronicle is that of Millard (Millard, SAAS 2) and that of the Mesopotamian chronicles is the edition of A.K. Grayson (Grayson, Chronicles), but note also the recent edition by J.-J. Glassner (Glassner, Chronicles) and the ongoing work by I. Finkel and R.J. van der Spek (see www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/chron00.html [http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/chron00.html] [2011]). For the convenience of the user of this volume, it has been thought useful to present translations of the relevant passages here; these translations are adapted from the aforementioned works.
| [In the eponymy of Nabû-bēlu-uṣur of the ci]ty Arrapḫa (745): | In the month Ayyāru (II), on the thirteenth day, [Tiglat]h-pileser (III) ascended the throne. [In the month T]ašrītu (VII), he marched to the (land) Between the River(s). |
| [In the eponymy of Bēl-dān o]f the city Kalḫu (744): | Against the land Namri. |
| [In the eponymy of Tiglath-pileser III, kin]g of Assyria (743): | The land Urarṭu [was defea]ted at the city Arpad. |
| [In the eponymy of Nabû-daʾʾinanni], field marshal (turtānu) (742): | Against the city Arpad. |
| [In the eponymy of Bēl-Ḫarrān-bēlu-uṣur], palace herald (nāgir ekalli) (741): | Against the same city. It was conquered within three years. |
| [In the eponymy of Nabû-ēṭiranni], chief butler (rab šāqê) (740): | Against the city Arpad. |
| [In the eponymy of Sîn-taklāk], chamberlain (masennu) (739): | Against the land Ulluba. The fortress was seized. |
| [In the eponymy of Adad-bēlu-kaʾʾin], governor (šaknu) of the land (738): | The city Kullani was conquered. |
| [In the eponymy of Bēl-ēmuranni] of the land Raṣappa (737): | Against the Medes. |
| [In the eponymy of Ninurta-ilāya] of the city Naṣībīna (736): | To the foot of Mount Nal. |
| [In the eponymy of Aššur-šallimanni] of the land Arrapḫa (735): | Against the land Urarṭu. |
| [In the eponymy of Bēl-dān] of the city Kalḫu (734): | Against the land Philistia. |
| [In the eponymy of Aššur-daʾʾinanni] of the city Mazamua (733): | Against the land Damascus. |
| [In the eponymy of Nabû-bēlu-uṣu]r of the city Siʾme (732): | Against the land Damascus. |
| [In the eponymy of Nergal-uballi]ṭ of the city Aḫi-Zuḫīna (731): | Against the city Šapīya. |
| [In the eponymy of Bēl-lū-dār]i of the city Tillê (730): | (The king stayed) in the land (Assyria). |
| [In the eponymy of Lipḫur-il]u of the land Ḫabruri (729): | The king took the hands of the god Bēl (Marduk). |
| [In the eponymy of Dūr-Aššu]r of the city Tu[šḫ]an (728): | The king took the hands of the god Bēl (Marduk). The city/land Ḫi... [was conquered]. |
| [In the eponymy of Bēl-Ḫarrān-bēlu-uṣur, governor] of [the land Guz]āna (727): | Against the cit[y ... Shalma]neser (V) [ascended] the [throne]. |
| [In the eponymy of Marduk-bēlu-uṣur of the city Ame]di (726): | (The king stayed) i[n the land (Assyria)].[8] |
| [In the eponymy of Maḫde of the city] Nineveh (725): | Again[st ...]. |
| [In the eponymy of Aššur-išmânni of the city Kili]zi (724): | Again[st ...]. |
| [In the eponymy of Shalmaneser (V), king of Assyria] (723): | Again[st ...]. |
| [In the eponymy of Ninurta-ilāya ...] (722): | ... [...]. |
| i 1–5) | [The third year of Nabû-nāṣir], king of Babylon (745): Tiglath-pileser (III) ascended the throne in Assyria. The same year: [The king of Assyria] came down to Akkad, plundered the cities Rabi-ilu and Ḫamarānu,[9] and carried off the gods of the city Šapazza. |
| i 6–8) | In the time of Nabû-nāṣir, Borsippa revolted against Babylon, (but) the battle that Nabû-nāṣir waged against Borsippa is not recorded (in writing). |
| i 9–10) | The fifth year of Nabû-nāṣir (743): Ḫumban-nikaš (I) ascended the throne in Elam. |
| i 11–13) | The fourteenth year (734): Nabû-nāṣir became ill and died in his palace. Nabû-nāṣir ruled Babylon for fourteen years. (Nabû)-nādin-(zēri), his son, ascended the throne in Babylon. |
| i 14–18) | The second year (732): (Nabû)-nādin-(zēri) was killed in a rebellion. (Nabû)-nādin-(zēri) ruled Babylon for two years. (Nabû)-šuma-ukīn (II), a governor (and) the leader of the rebellion, ascended the throne. (Nabû)-šuma-ukīn (II) ruled Babylon for one month and two days. (Nabû)-mukīn-zē[ri, the] Amukanite, removed him from the throne and seized the throne (for himself). |
| i 19–23) | The third year of (Nabû)-mukīn-zēri (729): When Tiglath-pileser (III) had come down to Akkad, he ravaged Bīt-Amukāni and defeated (Nabû)-mukīn-zēri. (Nabû)-mukīn-zēri ruled Babylon for three years. Tiglath-pileser (III) ascended the throne in Babylon. |
| i 24–28) | The second year (727): Tiglath-pileser (III) died in the month Ṭebētu (X). Tiglath-pileser (III) ruled Akkad and Assyria for (eighteen) years. For two of those years he ruled in Akkad. On the twenty-fifth day of the month Ṭebētu, Shalmaneser (V) ascended the throne in Assyria (and Akkad). He ravaged Samaria. |
| i 29–32) | The fifth year (722): Shalmaneser (V) died in the month Ṭebētu (X). Shalmaneser (V) ruled Akkad and Assyria for five years. On the twelfth day of the month Ṭebētu, Sargon (II) ascended the throne in Assyria. In the month Nisannu (I) Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan) ascended the throne in Babylon. |
| rev. 19) | [... Tiglath-pilese]r (III), the king of Assyria, ascended the throne. |
| rev. 20) | [... Shalmaneser (V), king of Assyria], ascended [the thro]ne. |
| Lacuna |
8 For this interpretation of the line, see p. 14 n. 6; cf. Millard, SAAS 2 p. 59 ("i[n ]").
9 Rabi-ilu and Ḫamarānu are also the names of Aramean tribes; for example, see text no. 4 line 5 and text no. 47 obv. 5.
Hayim Tadmor & Shigeo Yamada
Hayim Tadmor & Shigeo Yamada, 'C. Chronicles', RINAP 1: Tiglath-pileser III and Shalmaneser V, The RINAP 1 sub-project of the RINAP Project, 2019 [http://oracc.org/rinap/rinap1/RINAP1Introduction/DatingandChronology/Chronicles/]