Sennacherib 009

Obverse
11

[mdEN.ZU-ŠEŠ.MEŠ-eri-ba LUGAL GAL LUGAL dan-nu LUGAL KUR -šur.KI LUGAL la šá-na-an] RE.É.UM [mut-nen-nu-ú pa-liḫ DINGIR.MEŠ GAL.MEŠ]

(1) [Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of Assyria, unrivalled king, pious] shepherd [who reveres the great gods, guardian of truth who loves justice, renders assistance], goes to the aid of the weak, (and) [strives after good deeds, perfect man, virile warrior, foremost of all rul]ers, the bridle that controls the in[submissive, (and) the one who strikes enemies with lightning]:

22

[na-ṣir kit-ti ra-ʾi-im mi-šá-ri e-piš ú-sa-a-ti] a-lik tap-pu-ut a-ki-i [sa-ḫi-ru dam-qa-a-ti]

33

[eṭ-lu gít-ma-lum zi-ka-ru qar-du a-šá-red kal ma-al]-ki rap-pu la-ʾi-iṭ la [ma-gi-ri mu-šab-ri-qu za-ma-a-ni]

44

[d-šur KUR-ú GAL-ú LUGAL-ut la šá-na-an ú-šat-li-ma-an-ni-ma] UGU gi-mir a-šib pa-rak-ki [ú-šar-ba-a GIŠ.TUKUL.MEŠ-ia]

(4) [The god Aššur, the great mountain, granted to me unrivalled sovereignty and made my weapons greater] than (those of) all who sit on (royal) daises.

55

[i-na SAG LUGAL-ti-ia ša mdAMAR.UTU-IBILA-SUM.NA LUGAL KUR.kár-dun-ía-áš a-di ERIM.ḪI].A ELAM.MA.KI re-ṣi-šú i-na [ta]-mir-[ti kiš.KI áš-ta-kan BAD₅.BAD₅-šú]1

(5) [At the beginning of my kingship, I brought about the defeat of Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), king of Karduniaš (Babylonia), together with the troop]s of (the land) Elam, his ally, in [the p]lai[n of Kish. I seized the chariots, wagons, horses, mules, donkeys, cam]els, and [Bactrian camels that he had abandoned in the thick of battle].

66

[GIŠ.GIGIR.MEŠ GIŠ.ṣu-um-bi ANŠE.KUR.RA.MEŠ ANŠE.KUNGA.MEŠ ANŠE.MEŠ ANŠE.GAM].MAL.MEŠ ù [ANŠE.ud-ri ša i-na qit-ru-ub ta-ḫa-zi ú-maš-ši-ru ik-šu-da ŠU.II-a-a]2

77

[a-na É.GAL-šú ša -reb .DINGIR.RA.KI ḫa-diš e-ru-um-ma ap-te-e-ma É ni]-ṣir-ti-šú .GI .BABBAR ú-nu-ut .GI .BABBAR NA₄ [a-qar-tu mim-ma šum-šu NÍG.ŠU NÍG.GA ni-ṣir-tu ka-bit-tu]

(7) [I joyfully entered his palace, which is in Babylon, then I opened] his [trea]sury [and brought out] gold, silver, gold (and) silver utensils, [precious] stones, [all kinds of possessions (and) property, a substantial treasure, (together with) his wife, his palace women, courtiers, attendants], all of the craftsmen, as many as there were, (and) [his palace attendants, and I counted (them) as booty].

88

[DAM-su MUNUS.UN.MEŠ É.GAL-šú .TIRUM.MEŠ .man-za-az pa-ni] si-ḫir-ti .um-ma-a-ni ma-la ba-šu-ú [mut-tab-bi-lu-tu É.GAL ú-še-ṣa-am-ma šal-la-tiš am-nu]

99

[... a-na ]-reb ÍD.a-gam-me x x x x x x x x [...]3

(9) [... into the mi]dst of swamps ... [...]

1010

[i-na e-muq d-šur EN-ia 89 URU.MEŠ-ni dan-nu-ti É BÀD.MEŠ-ni ša KUR.kal-di ù 8] ME 20 URU.MEŠ TUR.MEŠ ša li-me-ti-šú-nu al-me ak-[šudud áš-lu-la šal-la-su-un]

(10) [With the strength of the god Aššur, my lord], I surrounded, conq[uered, (and) plundered 89 fortified cities, fortresses of Chaldea, and 8]20 small(er) settlements in their environs. [I brought out the auxiliary forces of the Arameans and Chaldeans who were in Uruk, Nippur, Kish, Ḫursagkalamma], (and) Cutha, together with the gu[ilty] citizens, [and I counted (them) as booty].

1111

[.úr-bi .a-ra-mu ù .kal-du ša -reb UNUG.KI NIBRU.KI kiš.KI ḫur-sag-kalam-ma].KI? ?.DU₈?.A?.KI? a-di DUMU.MEŠ URU EN ḫi-[iṭ-ṭi ú-še-ṣa-am-ma šal-la-tiš am-nu]4

1212

[i-na ta-a-a-ar-ti-ia .tu--mu-na .ri-ḫi-ḫu .ia-daq-qu .ú-bu]-du .gib-re-e .ma-li-ḫu [.gu-ru-mu .ú-bu-lum .da-mu-nu]

(12) [On my return march, I defeated all together the Tuʾmūna, Riḫiḫu, Yadaqqu, Ubu]du, Gibrê, Maliḫu (Malaḫu), [Gurumu, Ubulu, Damunu, (15) Gambulu, Ḫindaru, Ruʾuʾa, Puqudu, Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, (and) Liʾ]taʾu, insubmissive] Ara[means].

1313

[.gam-bu-lu .ḫi-in-da-ru .ru-ʾu-u-a .pu-qu-du .ḫa-am-ra-a-nu .ḫa-ga-ra-nu .na-ba-tu .li-]-ta?-a?-ú? .a-ra?-[mu la kan-šú mit-ḫa-riš ak-šudud]

Lacuna

Lacuna

1E. Frahm (Sanherib pp. 64–65) rightly questions whether or not there is a line completely destroyed between lines 5 and 6 since the copy is reported to be very clear at this point. Assuming the modern copyist did not omit a line and that nothing is missing between lines 5 and 6, then this text deviates in the passage reporting on Marduk-apla-iddina II’s flight after the battle at Kish either by omitting the mention of the Chaldean hiding in swamps and marshes altogether or by placing it in line 9.

2re-ṣi-šú “his ally”: Text no. 2 line 5, text no. 4 line 5, and text no. 8 line 5 all add re-ṣi-šú “his ally” after ERIM.ḪI.A ELAM.MA.KI “the troops of (the land) Elam.” Text no. 3 line 5 omits this word.

3The line corresponds to text nos. 2 and 3 line 6 or line 10; see Frahm, Sanherib p. 65 for details.

4Based on the copy, this inscription omits text no. 2 line 13 and text no. 3 line 13, the passage recording the appointment of Bēl-ibni as king of Sumer and Akkad. Like later inscriptions written on clay prisms (beginning in 698), this text may omit this event. Cf., for example, text no. 15 i 12´–35´ and text no. 22 i 35b–53.


Created by A. Kirk Grayson, Jamie Novotny, and the Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period (RINAP) Project, 2012. Lemmatized by Jamie Novotny, 2011. The annotated edition is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license 3.0. Please cite this page as http://oracc.org/rinap/Q003483/.