Esarhaddon 034
Obverse | ||
oo | Lacuna | |
o 1'1' | [...] x x [...]1 | (1') [...] ... [...] I [divided] that [land] in two, [and placed two of my officials over them as governors. I settled [in i]t [... I placed] Bi-ilu [in the city Uppumu ... (and)] Bēl-iddina in the city Kullimeri. I restored (it) to Assyrian territory (and) [reorganized that province. I imposed the tribute (and)] payment of my lordship [yearly, without ceasing upon them]. |
o 2'2' | [ma-a-tu] ⸢šú-a-tú a⸣-di 2-šú ⸢a⸣-[zu-uz-ma 2 LÚ.šu-ut SAG-ia a-na LÚ.NAM-ú-te UGU-šú-nu áš-kun ...]2 | |
o 3'3' | [ina? lìb?]-⸢bi?⸣ ú-še-šib mbi-ʾi-⸢lu⸣ [i-na URU.up-pu-me ...]3 | |
o 4'4' | m⸢EN⸣-AŠ i-na URU.kul-li-im-me-ri [...]4 | |
o 5'5' | a-na mi-ṣir KUR aš-šur.KI ú-⸢ter⸣ [na-gu-ú? šu-a-tú? a-na? eš-šu-te? aṣ-bat? GUN]5 | |
o 6'6' | man-da-at-ti EN-ti-ia [šat-ti-šam? la? na-par-ka-a? e-mid-su-nu-ti?]6 | |
o 7'7' | ina 10-e KASKAL-⸢ia⸣ AN.⸢ŠÁR⸣ [...] | (7') In my tenth campaign, the god Aš[šur ...] had me take [... (and) made me set out] to [Magan and Meluḫḫa, which are called] Kush and Egypt in (their) native tongue. I mustered the vast troops of the god Aššur, who are in [...]. (10′) In Nisannu (I), the first month, I set out from my city, Aššur, (and) crossed the Tigris (and) Euphrates Rivers when they were at flood level, (and) marched over difficult mountains like a wild bull. |
o 8'8' | ú-šá-⸢aṣ⸣-bi-ta pa-nu-u-a a-na ⸢KUR.má-gan-na?⸣ [ù KUR.me-luḫ-ḫa] | |
o 9'9' | ⸢šá⸣ ina ⸢pi⸣-i UN.MEŠ KUR.ku-u-si ù KUR.mu-ṣur ⸢i⸣-[nam-bu-ú ú-šá-áš-kin še-pu-u-a?]7 | |
o 10'10' | ⸢ad⸣-ke-⸢e⸣-ma ERIM.ḪI.A.MEŠ AN.ŠÁR gap-šá-a-ti šá qé-⸢reb⸣ [...] | |
o 11'11' | ⸢ina ITI.BÁRA⸣ ITI reš-tu-u ul-tú URU-ia aš-šur ⸢at-tu⸣-muš ÍD.IDIGNA ÍD.BURANUN.KI ina mi-li-⸢ši?-na? e?-te?-bir⸣8 | |
o 12'12' | ||
o 13'13' | ⸢ina me-ti⸣-iq KASKAL.II-ia UGU mba-ʾa-⸢lu⸣ MAN KUR.ṣur-⸢ri⸣ šá a-na mtar-qu-u MAN KUR.ku-u-si ib-ri-šú it-tak-lu-⸢ma⸣ | (13') In the course of my campaign, I set up fortifications against Baʾalu, the king of Tyre, who trusted in his friend Taharqa, the king of Kush, threw off the yoke of the god Aššur, my lord, and kept answering (me) with insolence. I cut off the supply of food and water that sustained their lives. (15′) I removed my camp from (this so-called) ‘Egypt’ and headed straight for Meluḫḫa, (covering) a distance of thirty leagues from the city Aphek, which is in the region of Samaria, to the city Raphia (Rapiḫu), which is in the neighborhood of the Brook of Egypt, a place that has no river(s). By means of ropes, chains, (and) sweeps, I provided water for (my) troops drawn from wells. |
o 14'14' | ||
o 15'15' | ⸢URU⸣.ḪAL.⸢ṢU.MEŠ⸣ UGU-šú ú-rak-kis-ma a-ka-lu ù mu-⸢ú⸣ ba-laṭ ZI-tì-šú-un ak-la | |
o 16'16' | ul-tú KUR.mu-⸢ṣur⸣ KARAŠ ad-ke-e-ma a-na ⸢KUR⸣.me-luḫ-ḫa ⸢uš⸣-te-še-ra ḫar-ra-nu | |
o 17'17' | 30 KASKAL.GÍD qaq-qar ul-tú URU.ap-qu šá pa-ṭi KUR.sa-me-⸢ri⸣-[na] a-di URU.ra-pi-ḫi | |
o 18'18' | a-na i-te-e na-ḫal KUR.mu-ṣur a-šar ÍD la i-šu-u ina ⸢eb-li⸣ ḫar-ḫar-ri kal-kal-tú | |
o 19'19' | ||
Reverse | ||
r 1r 1 | ki-⸢i⸣ qí-bit AN.ŠÁR EN-ia ina GEŠTU.II.MEŠ-ia ib-ši-ma [uš-ta-bi-la] ⸢ka⸣-bat-⸢ti⸣ | (r 1) In accordance with the command of the god Aššur, my lord, it occurred to me and my heart [prompted me] (and thus) I col[lected] camels from all of the Arab kings [and lo]aded them with [water skins (and water containers)]. I advanced twenty leagues distance, a journey of fifteen days, over [difficult] sand dunes, [where (one is always) thirsty]. I went four leagues distance (through terrain full of) alum, muṣu-stones, (and) [...]. (rev. 5) I trampled over four leagues distance, a journey of two days, (through terrain full of) two-headed snakes ... [... whose venom] is deadly and I crossed over four leagues distance, a journey of two [days] (through terrain full of) [(...)] flying green [dragonflies. ...] four leagues distance, a journey of two d[ays ...] ... I advanced sixteen leagues distance, a journey of eight days [...] ... very much. |
r 22 | ANŠE.gam-mal-li šá LUGAL.MEŠ KUR.a-ri-bi ka-li-šú-un ⸢ad⸣-[ke-e-ma KUŠ.na-a-di (KUŠ.ḫi-in-ti) e]-⸢mid⸣-su-nu-ti9 | |
r 33 | ⸢20⸣ KASKAL.GÍD qaq-qar ma-lak 15 u₄-me ina ši-pik ⸢ba⸣-[ṣi KAL.MEŠ a-šar ṣu-ma-a-me] ar-de | |
r 44 | ||
r 55 | ⸢4⸣ KASKAL.GÍD qaq-qar ma-lak 2 u₄-me MUŠ 2 SAG.DU.MEŠ x [... ša i-mat-su]-⸢un⸣ mu-tú-ma10 | |
r 66 | ad-da-iš-ma e-ti₇-iq 4 KASKAL.GÍD qaq-qar ma-lak ⸢2⸣ [u₄-me (...)] ⸢MUŠ.MEŠ⸣ SIG₇.MEŠ11 | |
r 77 | šá ṣu-ub-bu-bu a-gáp-pi 4 KASKAL.GÍD qaq-qar ma-lak 2 ⸢u₄⸣-[me ...] x-li-ti | |
r 88 | ⸢16⸣ KASKAL.GÍD qaq-qar ma-lak 8 u₄-me ar-de [...] x ma-⸢a-diš⸣ | |
r 99 | ⸢d⸣AMAR.UTU EN GAL-ú re-ṣu-ti il-⸢lik⸣ [...] | (r 9) The god Marduk, the great lord, came to my aid [...] (rev. 10) he revived my troops. Twenty days (and) seven [...] of the border of Egy[pt], I stayed overnight. [...] from the city Mig[do]l to Me[mphis ...] I advanced a distance of forty leagues [...] that terrain is like [gazelle]-to[oth] stone [...] (rev. 15) like the head of an arrow [...] blood and gore ... [...] a dangerous enemy, together with [...] to the city Isḫup[ri ...] ... [...] |
r 1010 | ⸢ú-bal⸣-liṭ ZI-⸢tì⸣ ERIM.ḪI.A-ia 20 u₄-me 7 [...] | |
r 1111 | ša mì-⸢ṣir KUR.mu-ṣur áš-ta-kan⸣ nu-bat-⸢ti⸣ [...] | |
r 1212 | ||
r 1313 | mi-ši-iḫ-ti 40 KASKAL.GÍD ⸢qaq-qar⸣ ar-⸢de⸣ [...] | |
r 1414 | ||
r 1515 | ki-ma ṣip-ri GIŠ.šil-ta-⸢ḫi⸣ [...] | |
r 1616 | ||
r 1717 | ||
r 1818 | ⸢a-na⸣ URU.is-ḫup-[ri ...] | |
r 1919 | [...] x (x) AN [...] | |
Lacuna |
1This line was overlooked in RINAP 4 and, thus, the line count of the obverse now differs by one line; 2´–19´ = 1´–18´ of the old edition.
2The restorations in these lines have been significantly changed; compare RINAP 4 p. 87. This is in part due to the fact that there is more space on the tablet than indicated in the 2011 print edition. However, it should be pointed out here that the scribe who wrote out this tablet often left space between words and signs and, thus, it is possible that these lines may have also had blank space between some of the words; for example, see obv. 12´, 14´–19´.
3[ina? lìb?]-⸢bi?⸣ “[in i]t”: The updated reading is based on collation and known parallels with the word ušēšib “I settled” in the Esarhaddon corpus.
4i-na “in”: RINAP 4 has ina.
5The conjectural restorations are based on text no. 1 (Nineveh A) iii 12–13.
6The conjectural restorations are based on text no. 31 (Frt. B) obv. 8 and text no. 98 (Mnm. A) rev. 49–50.
7The conjectural restorations are based on text no. 104 (Babylon A) v 24 and 105 (Babylon C) vii 28, but with the first person possessive suffix (compare obv. 8´).
8The reading of the signs at the end of the line, those following ÍD.IDIGNA ÍD.BURANUN.KI (“the Tigris (and) Euphrates Rivers”) cannot be confirmed with any degree of certainty.
9It is not certain if there is sufficient space restore both KUŠ.na-a-di (“water skins”) and KUŠ.ḫi-in-ti (“water containers”).
10The reading of the sign after SAG.DU.MEŠ is uncertain; it is not šu, as suggested in the print edition of RINAP 4.
11There is space for about three to five signs between ⸢2⸣ and ⸢MUŠ.MEŠ⸣ SIG₇.MEŠ. It is not impossible that there are blank spaces between the words, which commonly happens on this tablet.
Created by Erle Leichty, Jamie Novotny, and the Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period (RINAP) Project, 2011, 2017. Lemmatized by Jamie Novotny, 2010, and updated by him, 2017, for the Munich Open-access Cuneiform Corpus Initiative (MOCCI), a corpus-building initiative funded by LMU Munich and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (through the establishment of the Alexander von Humboldt Chair for Ancient History of the Near and Middle East) and based at the Historisches Seminar - Abteilung Alte Geschichte of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. The annotated edition is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license 3.0. Please cite this page as http://oracc.org/rinap/Q003263/.