Sennacherib 040

1The translation assumes that a-na si-ḫi-ir-ti-šu i-na 1 ME 90 ti-ib-ki “in its entirety 190 courses of brick” appeared at the end of the now-missing line before line 1´.

27 ME: The restoration is based on text no. 39 line 27.

3[a-na mu-šab be]-lu-ti-[ia] “[for my lo]rdly [residence]”: Cf. text no. 15 vi 45, text no. 16 vi 56b–57a, and text no. 39 line 31, which have a-na mu-šab LUGAL-ti-ia “for my royal residence.”

4Like text nos. 39 (lines 33–34a) and 44 (line 44), this text does not include ša e-ri-su-un ṭa-a-bu bi-nu-ut KUR.ḫa-ma-nim ù KUR.si-ra-ra KUR.MEŠ KÙ.MEŠ “whose scent is sweet, product(s) of Mount Amanus and Mount Sirāra, the holy mountains” after GIŠ.ÙR.MEŠ GIŠ.ere-ni GIŠ.ŠUR.MÌN “beams of cedar (and) cypress”; and has GIŠ.IG.MEŠ GIŠ.li-ia-ri GIŠ.ŠUR.MÌN “doors of white cedar (and) cypress” instead of GIŠ.IG.MEŠ GIŠ.ere-ni GIŠ.ŠUR.MÌN ŠIM.LI GIŠ.si-in-da “doors of cedar, cypress, juniper, (and) Indian wood” or GIŠ.IG.MEŠ GIŠ.ere-ni GIŠ.ŠUR.MÌN ŠIM.LI “doors of cedar, cypress, (and) juniper.” Cf., for example, text no. 17 vi 24–28a, text no. 43 lines 23–24a, and text no. 46 lines 125b–126a.

5Like text nos. 39 (line 35), 44 (line 45), and 49 (line 25), this text does not include ša qé-reb É.PA.PAḪ.MEŠ-(a-ni) “that are within the papāḫu-chambers” after i-na ba-rak-ka-ni “in the corridors”; cf., for example, text no. 17 vi 30, text no. 43 line 25, and text no. 46 line 127. Also note the addition of the third feminine plural suffix (-šin).

6ša kit-mu-sa rit-ta-šin “whose hands are folded”: Cf., for example, text no. 17 vi 33, text no. 43 line 26, and text no. 46 line 128, which have ša il-lu-ru na-šá-a kit-mu-sa rit-ta-šin “whose folded hands hold poppies.” This shorter version of the passage in text nos. 17, 43, and 46 should be regarded as an earlier version of that passage, rather than an abridged version of it. Cf. text no. 39 line 36, which does not include anything between ^dLAMMA.MEŠ NA₄.GIŠ.NU₁₁.GAL ZÚ AM.SI “apotropaic figures of alabaster (and) elephant ivory” and i-na KÁ.MEŠ-šin ul-ziz “I stationed at their gates” or include a-na tab-ra-a-te ú-šá-lik “I made (them) an object of wonder” after ul-ziz “I stationed.” Like text nos. 39 (line 36), 41 (line 2´), and 44 (line 46), this text does not include ṣu-lul ta-ra-a-ni ša qé-reb ba-rak-ka-a-ni e-ṭu-su-un ú-šaḫ-la-a u₄-mì-iš uš-nam-mir “the covering of the roof that (hangs) over the corridors — I made their somber atmosphere cheerful, making (them) as bright as day” before sik-kàt kar-ri “knobbed nails”; cf., for example, text no. 17 vi 37–39, text no. 43 line 27b–28a, and text no. 46 line 129.

7Line 10´ is probably the final line that was inscribed under the belly of the first lion. There are probably only three or four lines missing from the beginning of the surface between the hind legs of that colossus.

8Cf. the earlier version of this passage in text no. 39 lines 38b–41a.

9i-na u₄-me-šú-ma^* “at that time”: The copy has i-na u₄-me-šú-AB.

10GIŠ.ere-IGI “cedar”: This word is generally written GIŠ.EREN and GIŠ.ere-ni in the Sennacherib corpus. For this spelling, see also line 39´´.

11Like text nos. 39 (line 44) and 44 (line 51), this text does not add ša pa-a-ṭi URU.DU₆-bar-si-ip “which is on the border of the city Tīl-Barsip” after URU.kap-ri-da-ar-gi-la-a “Kapridargilâ”; cf., for example, text no. 17 vi 60, text no. 43 line 48, and text no. 46 line 134.

12With the exception of the variants in lines 18´´, 20´´, 31´´, 33´´, 36´´, and 39´´, the contents of lines 18´´–41´´a are identical to those in text no. 39 line 45b–68a. See the on-page notes below for details. Cf., for example, the later versions of these passages in text no. 17 vi 62–79 and vii 9–40, text no. 43 lines 49b–67a and 79b–89a, and text no. 46 lines 135b–139a and 143b–150a. Lines 18´´–41´´a of this text and text no. 39 line 45b–68a are reworked versions of text no. 16 vi 83–vii 11. Note that the bull inscriptions change the order: The passage recording the stationing of colossi at gateways in order to hold door bolts is placed before the one describing the setting up of columns, whereas in text no. 16 the passage recording the erecting of columns on sculptured bases comes before the statement about the colossi being made to hold door bolts.

13Cf. text no. 39 line 45 which does not include i-te-e URU.ni-na-a “near Nineveh” before and ki-i ṭè-em DINGIR-ma “by divine will” after ina er-ṣe-et URU.ba-la-ṭa-a-a “in the territory of the city Balāṭāya.”

14Cf. text no. 39 line 51, which does not include nab-ni-ta-šu-un ú-šar-ri-iḫ “I made their appearance(s) resplendent.” This text does not include the passage in which Sennacherib records how previous kings exhausted their workmen and depleted materials making inferior statues and how Sennacherib invented a new, superior bronze casting technique. Cf. text no. 17 vi 80–vii 8, text no. 43 lines 67b–78a, and text no. 46 lines 139b–143a. Text nos. 39 (line 51) and 44 (line 57) also do not include this passage.

15Text no. 39 line 53 does not include anything between 22 MUNUS.ÁB.ZA.ZA-a-ti “twenty-two sphinxes” and zi-iʾ-pi ṭi-iṭ-ṭi “clay mold(s).” Later inscriptions add ša šuk-lu-lu nab-ni-tu “with perfect features” after 12 ^dALAD.^dLAMMA.MEŠ MAḪ.MEŠ “twelve magnificent bull colossi” and ša ku-uz-ba ul-ṣu ḫi-it-lu-pa bal-tu la-la-a kúm-mu-ru ṣe-ru-uš-šin “that are coated in allure (and) charm (and) that have pride (and) exuberance heaped upon them” after 22 MUNUS.ÁB.ZA.ZA-a-ti “twenty-two sphinxes.” See, for example, text no. 17 vii 11–15, text no. 43 lines 80b–81a, and text no. 46 lines 144b–145a.

16Like text no. 39 (lines 54b–56a), this text does not include ki-i pi-ti-iq 1/2 GÍN.TA.ÀM “just like the cast work of (an object weighing only) a half shekel” before ú-šak-li-la nab-ni-su-un “I perfected their form(s)”; cf., for example, text no. 17 vii 18, text no. 43 lines 82b–83a, and text no. 46 lines 145b–146a.

17É.GAL.MEŠ be-lu-ti-⸢ia⸣ “my lordly palatial halls”: This is generally É.GAL.MEŠ-ia “my palatial halls”; cf., for example, text no. 17 vii 24, text no. 43 line 84, and text no. 46 line 147.

18ša ra-mu-ú nam-ri-ir-ri “who are endowed with radiance”: Cf. text no. 39 lines 64–65, where these words are not included after né-ʾi-ru-ti “raging.” GIŠ.ere-IGI “cedar”: See the on-page note to line 6´´.

19GIŠ.ta-ti-du: According to the CAD (T p. 299) tatītu is “(a variety of oak tree and its wood).”

20Like text nos. 39 (line 75), 41 (line 11´´), and 44 (line 72), this text does not include the passages recording the creation of a botanical garden, the digging of a canal from the city Kisiru, and the creation of a marsh, nor the statement about the palace’s inauguration; cf., for example, text no. 43 lines 93b–105a and text no. 46 lines 153b–163a. ù a-na ^fdtaš-me-tum-šar-⸢rat⸣ ... MUNUS.ÁB.ZA.ZA-a-ti NA₄.pi-i-li pe-ṣi-i ina KÁ.MEŠ-šá ul-ziz “moreover, for Tašmētu-šarrat ... I stationed sphinxes of white limestone in its gates”: This passage appears in lieu of É.GAL.MEŠ šá-ti-na ú-šá-lik as-mì-iš si-ḫir-ti É.GAL a-na tab-rat kiš-šat UN.MEŠ ul-la-a re-ši-šá É.GAL šá-ni-na la i-šu-u ni-bit-sa az-kur “I made those palatial halls beautiful. To be an object of wonder for all of the people, I raised the superstructure of the entire palace. I called it the ‘Palace Without a Rival’”; cf., for example, text no. 17 vii 49b–52, text no. 43 lines 92b–93a, and text no. 46 lines 152b–153a.