Part 3 (20-29)

020 021 022 023-040 023 024 025 026 027 028 029

020 [/rinap/rinap2/Q006501/]

American excavations in the palace at Khorsabad in the early 1930s found an inscription that invokes the goddess Ningal, wife of the moon god Sîn, incised upon a stone threshold leading into one the chapels in the palace at Khorsabad. The threshold appears to have been left in situ by the excavators and its inscription is edited from the copy by T. Jacobsen published in Loud, Khorsabad 1.

Access the composite text [/rinap/rinap2/Q006501/] of Sargon II 020

Source:

Loud, Khorsabad 1 pp. 109, 111, 128, and 133 no. 7

Bibliography

1936 Loud, Khorsabad 1 pp. 109, 111, 128, and 133 no. 7, and fig. 116 (copy and edition [by Jacobsen]; provenance)

1944 Meissner, ZDMG 98 p. 33 (edition)

1953 von Soden, SAHG pp. 280 and 390 no. 24c (translation)

1976 Seux, Hymnes pp. 527–528 (translation)

1993 Foster, Before the Muses 2 p. 707 no. IV.2.a.5 (translation)

1994 Fuchs, Khorsabad pp. 281 and 369–370 no. 3.2.3 (edition)

021 [/rinap/rinap2/Q006502/]

An inscription dedicated to Šamaš, the sun god, was found upon a limestone threshold near the entrance leading into one of the chapels within the palace at Khorsabad. Unfortunately, the inscription was "so badly weathered as to be undecipherable except for the first line, which fortunately gives us the name of the deity." The threshold was found during excavations in the palace at Khorsabad by the Oriental Institute (Chicago) in the early 1930s and was discovered in Court XXVII, near Door Z´´ leading into Room 172, an anteroom to one of the three larger chapels in the palace (see Loud, Khorsabad 1 pp. 102 and 104, and figs. 98 and 111). The threshold appears to have been left in situ by the excavators. Nothing further is known of the inscription. See also Fuchs, Khorsabad pp. 281 and 370 no. 3.2.4.

Access the composite text [/rinap/rinap2/Q006502/] of Sargon II 021

Source:

Loud, Khorsabad 1 pp. 102 and 104, and figs. 98 and 111

022 [/rinap/rinap2/Q006503/]

Numerous copies of an inscription referring to the building of the cella of the god Nabû — a god of wisdom and writing — were found upon thresholds and upon and near steps in the temple of that god at Khorsabad. This is the only independent temple within the citadel area and the largest one discovered at the city.

Access the composite text [/rinap/rinap2/Q006503/] or the score [/rinap/scores/Q006503/score] of Sargon II 022

Sources:

(01) Khorsabad, Nabû temple, on front of the left-hand platform flanking the steps from main cella (Room 21) into the main sanctuary (Room 22)

(02) Khorsabad, Nabû temple, on the lower five treads of the steps from Room 21 into Room 22

(03) Khorsabad, Nabû temple, on front of right-hand platform flanking the steps from Room 21 into Room 22

(04) Khorsabad, Nabû temple, on threshold between Room 19 and Room 23

(05) Khorsabad, Nabû temple, on top of right-hand platform flanking the steps from Room 23 to Room 24

(06) Khorsabad, Nabû temple, on top of left-hand platform flanking the steps from Room 23 to Room 24

(07) Khorsabad, Nabû temple, on the lower two treads of the steps from Room 23 to Room 24

(08) Khorsabad, Nabû temple, on threshold of main entrance between Court II and Room 19

(09) Khorsabad, Nabû temple, on threshold of secondary entrance between Court II and Room 19

(10) Khorsabad, Nabû temple

Commentary

For plans showing the findspots of exemplars 1–9, see Loud and Altman, Khorsabad 2 pls. 79 and 83–84. These exemplars were left in situ by the American archaeologists. M. Müller-Karpe provided the author with photos of ex. 10, which were taken by him at the site in 1994; the slab had been exposed by Iraqi archaeologists led by M. Subhi Abdullah. Dr. K. Salim, who kindly provided additional photos of the slab, informs me that the piece was probably found in an "entrance of court 2 (the central court)" and likely "in the southern entrance of the court." Thus it is possible that ex. 10 is to be identified with either ex. 8 or ex. 9.

The inscription is written in a mixture of Assyrian and Babylonian script, with an occasional archaic sign form. The master line and line arrangement follow ex. 1. All exemplars were left in situ and thus none could be collated from the original. Since there are no individual copies or legible photos of exs. 2–4 and 6–9, only the variants for exs. 2–4 noted by Jacobsen in Loud and Altman, Khorsabad 2 that are not simple variant sign forms (e.g., a Babylonian form of LUGAL instead of the Assyrian form) are included in the score.

The inscription on the threshold from Court I into Room 13 is reported to be illegible (Loud and Altman, Khorsabad 2 p. 59), but it may well be a further duplicate of this inscription.

Bibliography

1938 Loud and Altman, Khorsabad 2 pp. 61–63 and 103–104 no. 1 (ex. 1, copy and edition [by Jacobsen; with variants from exs. 2–5]; exs. 1–9, provenance), and pls. 25C and 26E (exs. 2, 5–7 photo [inscription not legible]) and pl. 27A (ex. 5, photo)

1944 Meissner, ZDMG 98 p. 36 (edition)

1953 von Soden, SAHG pp. 281 and 390 no. 24f (translation)

1976 Seux, Hymnes pp. 527 and 529–530 (translation)

1993 Foster, Before the Muses 2 p. 707 no. IV.2.a.4 (translation)

1994 Fuchs, Khorsabad pp. 281–282 and 370 no. 3.2.5 (exs. 1–9, edition)

Plan of the Temple of Nabû at Khorsabad. Reprinted from Loud and Altman, Khorsabad 2 pl. 79 courtesy of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.

23–40

A number of epigraphs are found on the stone reliefs from the palace of Sargon II at Khorsabad, sometimes on reliefs that also bear part of the king's Annals (text nos. 1–4 and 6) and sometimes on ones that bear part of his Display Inscription (text no. 7). They have been gathered together here (text nos. 23–40). The epigraphs are presented in order by the room from which they come. For the most part, the editions are based upon P.E. Botta's copies, although on a few occasions E. Flandin's copies have been given precedence. Botta claims to have based his copies of all except text no. 40 upon collations of the originals or squeezes. Squeezes of text nos. 23–30 and 36–37 are preserved in the Louvre and photographs of these have also been utilized.

Text nos. 23–32 and 36–40 are found on slabs which also contained part of Sargon's Annals (see text nos. 1–4 and 6), while text nos. 33–35 are on slabs which also preserved part of Sargon's Display Inscription (see text no. 7 ex. 5).

It has been argued that the reliefs in any one room often depict the events of only one campaign, and in particular that Room II illustrates events of Sargon's sixth regnal year (716), Room V events of his second regnal year (720), Room XIII events of his eighth regnal year (714), and Room XIV events of his seventh regnal year (715). (See in particular the items in the bibliography by M. El-Amin, J.E. Reade, and A. Fuchs.) With regard to epigraphs on Sargon's reliefs and Assyrian reliefs in general, see J.M. Russell, Writing on the Wall pp. 115–122 and Senn.'s Palace pp. 22–31.

Rather than have a detailed bibliography for each individual epigraph, it has been thought preferable to provide one bibliography for the epigraphs as a group, as well as two charts listing the major publications of the epigraphs and the reliefs associated with them. In the latter chart, the first plate number listed for each relief in the columns for Flandin in Botta, Monument de Ninive and Flandin in Albenda, Palace of Sargon shows the relief in small scale and in relation to the other reliefs in the room; any other plates listed show the relief in much larger scale. The plates cited in parentheses in both columns are drawings of the relief with the text omitted (or, in the case of reliefs depicted in small scale, totally illegible). Those without parentheses show both the text and the relief.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ON EPIGRAPHS

Text no.	Provenance	Botta, MdN	Winckler, Sar. 2	Luckenbill, ARAB 2	El-Amin, Sumer	Wäfler, AOAT 26	Walker in Albenda	Fuchs, Khorsabad
23	Khorsabad, Palace, Room II, slab 7	4 pl. 180c	pl. 49 no. 2a	§125a	9 p. 51 and fig. 8	p. 269	no. 1	pp. 277, 364
24	Khorsabad, Palace, Room II, slab 14	4 pl. 180c	pl. 49 no. 2b	§125b	9 p. 58 and fig. 13	p. 272	—	pp. 276, 364
25	Khorsabad, Palace, Room II, slab 17	4 pl. 180c	pl. 49 no. 2c	§125c	9 p. 57 and fig. 12	p. 276	—	pp. 276, 364
26	Khorsabad, Palace, Room II, slab 22	4 pl. 180c	pl. 49 no. 2d	§125d	9 p. 55 and fig. 10	p. 269	no. 2	pp. 276, 364
27	Khorsabad, Palace, Room II, slab 28	4 pl. 180c	pl. 49 no. 2e	§125e	9 p. 53 and fig. 9	p. 280	—	pp. 276, 364
28	Khorsabad, Palace, (Room II), Entrance H₁	4 pl. 180c	pl. 49 no. 2o	§125o	9 p. 56 and fig. 11	p. 272	no. 3	pp. 276, 364
29	Khorsabad, Palace, Room V, slab 5	4 pl. 180c	—	—	9 p. 37 and fig. 3	p. 27	no. 4	pp. 277, 364
30	Khorsabad, Palace, Room V, slab 1o	4 pl. 180c	pl. 49 no. 2f	§125f	9 p. 39 and fig. 4	p. 27	no. 5	pp. 277, 364
31	Khorsabad, Palace, Room V, slab 15	4 pl. 180c	pl. 49 no. 2g	§125g	9 p. 42 and fig. 5	p. 285	—	pp. 277, 364
32	Khorsabad, Palace, Room V, slab 16	4 pl. 180c	pl. 49 no. 2h	§125h	9 p. 44 and fig. 6	p. 285	—	pp. 277, 364
33	Khorsabad, Palace, Room VIII, slab 12	4 pl. 181c no. 4	—	—	—	pp. 34–35 n. 143	—	pp. 277, 364
34	Khorsabad, Palace, Room VIII, slab 17	4 pl. 181c no. 3	pl. 49 no. 2i	§125i	10 p. 35 and fig. 22	pp. 269–270	—	pp. 278, 364
35	Khorsabad, Palace, Room VIII, slab 25	4 pl. 181c no. 2	pl. 49 no. 2k	§125k	10 p. 27 and fig. 21	p. 133	—	pp. 278, 364
36	Khorsabad, Palace, Room XIII, slab 4	4 pl. 180c	—	—	9 p. 227 and fig. 19	p. 274	no. 6	pp. 278, 364
37	Khorsabad, Palace, Room XIV, slab 2	4 pl. 180c	pl. 49 no. 2l	§125l	9 p. 225 and fig. 17	p. 276	no. 8	pp. 278–279, 364
38	Khorsabad, Palace, Room XIV, slab 10	4 pl. 180c	pl. 49 no. 2n	§125n	9 p. 219 and fig. 16	—	no. 7	pp. 279, 364
39	Khorsabad, Palace, Room XIV, slab 12	4 pl. 180c	pl. 49 no. 2m	§125m	9 p. 216 and fig. 15	p. 272	no. 9	pp. 279, 364
40	Khorsabad	4 pl. 163 (bottom)	pl. 26 no. 55 (bottom)	—	—	—	—	pp. 279, 365

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ILLUSTRATING THE RELIEFS

Text no.	Provenance	Flandin in Botta, MdN 1–2	Flandin in Albenda	Maniori, Campagne di Sargon
23	Khorsabad, Palace, Room II, slab 7	pl. (52), 55	pl. (110), 112	fig. 5
24	Khorsabad, Palace, Room II, slab 14	pl. (52, 61)	pl. (110, 119)	fig. 6
25	Khorsabad, Palace, Room II, slab 17	pl. (52, 64)	pl. (110, 120)	fig. 8
26	Khorsabad, Palace, Room II, slab 22	pl. (52), 68, 68^bis	pl. (110), 125–26	fig. 4
27	Khorsabad, Palace, Room II, slab 28	pl. (52, 70)	pl. (110, 128)	fig. 3
28	Khorsabad, Palace, (Room II), Door H₁	pl. (52), 76	pl. (110), 123	fig. 7
29	Khorsabad, Palace, Room V, slab 5	pl. (85), 89	pl. (92), 95	—
30	Khorsabad, Palace, Room V, slab 10	pl. (85), 93	pl. (92), 98	—
31	Khorsabad, Palace, Room V, slab 15	pl. (85)	pl. (92)	—
32	Khorsabad, Palace, Room V, slab 16	pl. (85)	pl. (92)	—
33	Khorsabad, Palace, Room VIII, slab 12	pl. (116, 118)	pl. (73, 75)	—
34	Khorsabad, Palace, Room VIII, slab 17	pl. (116, 119^bis)	pl. (73, 77)	—
35	Khorsabad, Palace, Room VIII, slab 25	pl. (116, 120)	pl. (73, 78)	—
36	Khorsabad, Palace, Room XIII, slab 4	pl. (139), 141	pl. (131), 133	fig. 13
37	Khorsabad, Palace, Room XIV, slab 2	pl. (144), 145	pl. (135), 136	fig. 10
38	Khorsabad, Palace, Room XIV, slab 10	pl. (144), 146	pl. (135), 137	fig. 12
39	Khorsabad, Palace, Room XIV, slab 12	pl. (144), 147	pl. (135), 138	fig. 11
40	Khorsabad, Palace	—	—	—

Bibliography

1844 Botta, JA 4/3 pp. 94–95 and pls. XXV and XXXI,1 (no. 23, copy, study of relief)

1849 Botta, Monument de Ninive 1–2 pls. 52, 55, 61, 64, 68, 68^bis, 70, 76, 85, 89, 93, 116, 118, 119^bis, 120, 139, 141, and 144–147 (nos. 23–39, drawing [by Flandin])

1849 Botta, Monument de Ninive 4 pls. 163 bottom, 180, and 181 nos. 2–4 (nos. 23–40, copy)

1874 Ménant, Annales p. 209 (study)

1886 Bezold, Literatur p. 94 §56.14i (study)

1889 Winckler, Sar. 1 pp. 190–191 no. 2 (nos. 23–27, 30–32, 34–35, 37–39, transliteration, partial translation); and 2 pl. 26 no. 55 (no. 40, copy) and pl. 49 no. 2 (nos. 23–28, 30–32, 34–35, 37–39, copy)

1912 Thureau-Dangin, TCL 3 p. XVIII (no. 36, drawing)

1927 Luckenbill, ARAB 2 pp. 66–67 §125a–o (nos. 23–28, 30–32, 34–35, 37–39, translation)

1941 Herzfeld, Iran in the Ancient Near East pp. 197–199 figs. 306–308 (nos. 23, 26, 36, drawing)

1953 El-Amin, Sumer 9 pp. 35–59 and eight pls. following p. 58, and pp. 214–228 and four pls. following p. 228 (nos. 23–32, 36–39, copy, edition, study)

1954 El-Amin, Sumer 10 pp. 23–42 and three pls. following p. 42 (nos. 34–35, copy, edition, study)

1960 Nougayrol, RA 54 pp. 203–207 (no. 36, partial drawing and partial photograph [AO 19892])

1964 Boehmer, Bagh. Mitt. 3 pp. 22–23 and pl. 1 no. 2 and pl. 2 (no. 37, copy, edition)

1966 van Loon, Urartian Art p. 44 (no. 36, drawing)

1966 Tadmor, BiAr 29 p. 90 fig. 9, p. 93 fig. 10, and p. 94 (nos. 29–30, drawing, study)

1975 Wäfler, AOAT 26 pp. 27, 34–35 n. 143, 133, 269–270, 272, 274, 276, 280, and 285, pl. 1 figs. 1–2, and plan 4 (nos. 30, 33, drawing; nos. 23–37, 39, edition, study)

1976 Reade, JNES 35 pp. 95–104 (nos. 23–32, 36–39, translation; study)

1986 Albenda, Palace of Sargon pp. 140–141, 144–150, pls. 95, 98, 112, 123, 125–126, 133, and 136–138, and fig. 90 (nos. 23, 26, 28–30, 36–39, drawing [by Flandin], translation [by Walker], study)

1986 Walker in Albenda, Palace of Sargon pp. 107–112 nos. 1–9 (nos. 23, 26, 28–30, 36–39, edition, study)

1991 Tadmor, Studies Mikasa pp. 421–422 and 425 fig. 2 (no. 37, drawing, study)

1993 Wartke, Urartu p. 56 fig. 17 (no. 36, drawing)

1994 Albenda in Fontan, Khorsabad p. 193 figs. 3d–e and p. 284 (nos. 26, 28, drawing [by Flandin])

1994 Franklin, Tel Aviv 21 p. 267 fig. 5 (no. 29, drawing)

1994 Fuchs, Khorsabad pp. 276–79 and 364–368 no. 3.1 (nos. 23–40, edition, study)

1995 Boehmer, RLA 8/5–6 p. 449 Abb. 5 (no. 36, drawing)

1995 Collon, Ancient Near Eastern Art p. 33 fig. 16 (no. 36, drawing)

1996 Matthiae, I grandi imperi p. 65 (no. 36, drawing)

1999 J.M. Russell, Writing on the Wall pp. 115–122 (nos. 23–40, translation, study)

2001 Reade, RA 95 pp. 73–74 and fig. 7 (no. 37, partial drawing, partial copy)

2002 Guralnick, RA 96 p. 43 and p. 53 pl. 7 (no. 23, copy, translation, study of relief)

2002 Pezzoli-Olgiati, Immagini urbane pp. 77–80 figs. 7–11 (nos. 23, 26–27 37, 39, drawing)

2012 Çilingiroğlu, Biainili-Urartu p. 300 fig. 20.11 (no. 36, drawing)

2012 Curtis, Biainili-Urartu p. 430 fig. 31.03 (no. 36, drawing)

2012 May, Iconoclasm pp. 206 and 225 (no. 38, copy, edition)

2012 Radner, Biainili-Urartu p. 252 fig. 17.06 (no. 36, drawing)

2012 Stronach, Biainili-Urartu p. 312 fig. 21.07 (no. 36, drawing)

2013 Mayer, Assyrien und Urarṭu I p. 64 and fig. 2 and p. 90 fig. 5 (nos. 36–37, drawing of relief, edition)

2014 Maniori, Campagne di Sargon pp. 55–63 D1–D11, p. 158 fig. 3, p. 160 fig. 4, p. 165 fig. 5, p. 167 figs. 6–8, p. 194 fig. 10, p. 196 fig. 11, p. 197 fig. 12, p. 248 fig. 13, and passim (nos. 23–28, 36–39, drawing; nos. 23–28, 34, 36–39, study)

2018 Franke, AoF 45 pp. 157–158 figs. 1a–b (no. 36, drawing)

2018 Zamazalová in Yamada, SAAS 28 p. 186 fig. 1 and p. 189 fig. 2 (nos. 23 and 29, drawing)

023 [/rinap/rinap2/Q006504/]

This epigraph is the first of six found on wall slabs from Room II of the palace at Khorsabad and an adjacent doorway (text nos. 23–28). The reliefs in this room are thought to depict Sargon's campaign to the east in his sixth regnal year (716); see the introduction to text no. 1. The lower register of slab 7 shows Assyrian soldiers attacking a large city and this epigraph is placed within the city. The main inscription on the slab is part of Sargon's Annals (text no. 1 lines 66–78). For bibliography on the epigraph, see the introduction to text nos. 23–40. The transliteration is based on Botta, Monument de Ninive 4 pl. 180^c, although earlier copies can be found in Journal Asiatique 4/2 [1843] pls. 25 and 31, 1. (See also in particular El-Amin, Sumer 9 [1953] fig. 8 [following p. 58].) The initial copy of the inscription made by P.E. Botta is found in the Archives of the Institut de France (Botta-Cotta II 2976 folio I sheet 310). A photo of the squeeze of the inscription in the Louvre might suggest that the ḪAR is slightly damaged. E. Flandin's copy of the epigraph (Monument de Ninive 1 pl. 55) appears to be somewhat confused (see Walker in Albenda, Palace of Sargon p. 108). Sargon put down a rebellion in Ḫarḫar, located in western Media, during his sixth regnal year (716) and renamed the city Kār-Šarrukīn (see text no. 1 lines 96b–100, text no. 2 lines 89–95a, and text no. 4 lines 42´b–45´). A rebellion broke out in that area already in the following year (see text no. 1 lines 109b–114a).

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