Numerous building and display inscriptions of Ashurbanipal from Babylonia and the East Tigris region were written on clay cylinders.[15] These originate from Agade (modern identification unknown), Babylon, Borsippa (modern Birs Nimrud), Dēr (modern Tell Aqar), Nippur (modern Nuffar), Sippar (modern Tell Abu Habbah), and Uruk (modern Warka). All of these texts are written in Akkadian (Standard Babylonian, with Assyrianisms), but the script in which they are written varies. The texts are generally inscribed in contemporary or archaizing Neo-Babylonian script, but a few texts are either written (on different exemplars) in both contemporary and archaizing Neo-Babylonian script and in Neo-Assyrian script.[16] The inscriptions, when completely preserved, vary in length from twenty-four to thirty-three lines of text and are always written in a single column. These building inscriptions and display inscriptions follow four basic patterns. The first, which is a dedicatory inscription, contains: (1) a dedication to the deity whose temple, shrine, sanctuary, or ziggurat was being renovated/rebuilt; (2) the king's name, titles, and epithets; (3) a statement about what Ashurbanipal accomplished in Babylon during his reign; (4) a short building account; and (5) a concluding formula, with advice to future rulers and blessings and curses for those who obey and disregard Ashurbanipal's instructions on how to treat his inscribed objects.[17] The second, which is also classified as a dedicatory inscription, comprises the following five sections: (1) a dedication to a god or goddess; (2) the king's name, titles, and epithets; (3) a brief statement on why Ashurbanipal undertook the work; (4) a short building account; and (5) a statement about what the deity for whom the construction work was undertaken should do in response to Ashurbanipal's pious deeds.[18] The third group of dedicatory inscriptions combines elements from both of the Ashurbanipal dedicatory inscription types described above and it includes: (1) an opening dedication; (2) the king's name, titles, and epithets; (3) a statement about what Ashurbanipal accomplished in Babylon during his reign; (4) a short building account; (5) a statement about what the deity for whom the construction work was undertaken should do in response to Ashurbanipal's pious deeds; and (6) concluding formula, with advice to future rulers with blessings and curses.[19] The fourth type is a building, or display, inscription, which contains: (1) the king's name, titles, and epithets; (2) a statement about what Ashurbanipal accomplished in Babylon during his reign; (3) a short building account; (4) a passage describing what the deity for whom the repair work was carried out should do on account of Ashurbanipal's pious deeds; and (5) Ashurbanipal's advice against destroying his inscribed objects, with accompanying curses for anyone who harms his foundation documents.[20] Regarding the contents of the building accounts included in these inscriptions, they record some of the numerous building projects completed by Ashurbanipal at Babylon, including the renovation of its walls Imgur-Enlil ("The God Enlil Has Shown Favor") and Nēmetti-Enlil ("Bulwark of the God Enlil"); the restoration of Ṭābi-supūršu ("Its Fold Is Pleasant"), the city wall of Borsippa; the reconstruction of Egigunû, the ziggurat temple of the god Enlil at Nippur; the rebuilding of Ebabbar ("Shining House"), the temple of the sun-god Šamaš at Sippar; the restoration of Eanna ("House of Heaven"), the temple of the goddess Ištar at Uruk; and the rebuilding of Edimgalkalama ("House, Great Bond of the Land"), the temple of the god Anu rabû ("Great Anu" = Ištarān) at Dēr.[21] Most of the inscriptions were written before the outbreak of hostilities with his older brother Šamaš-šuma-ukīn in 652 since those texts mention him in a favorable manner.[22] None of Ashurbanipal's cylinders are dated, as one expects from Babylonian cylinder inscriptions.
A twenty-line Akkadian inscription of Aššur-etel-ilāni is preserved on two clay cylinders.[23] The text records that that Assyrian king returned the body of the Chaldean sheikh Šamaš-ibni to its proper burial place; the bones of that ruler had been in Assyria since the time of his grandfather Esarhaddon. Since all of the copies of this inscription were purchased, including one written on a clay tablet (see below), the original find spots of this text are not known.
Seven extant inscriptions of Sîn-šarra-iškun are written on clay cylinders.[24] These were discovered at Aššur (modern Qalʿat Širqāt), Kalḫu (modern Nimrud), and Nineveh (modern Kuyunjik). These building (or display) inscriptions are always written in (Standard Babylonian) Akkadian, in Neo-Assyrian script, and in a single column of text. Some of the cylinders have ruling lines between each line of text, or every second line of text, while others have no ruling lines at all, apart from before and after the line containing the date when the cylinder was inscribed.[25] These inscriptions record some of Sîn-šarra-iškun's building activities, especially his rebuilding of the Nabû temples Egidrukalamasumu ("House Which Bestows the Scepter of the Land") and Ezida ("True House"), as well as repairs that he had made to his great-grandfather Sennacherib's palace (Egalzagdinutukua, The "Palace Without a Rival"; = the South-West Palace).[26] The inscriptions, as far as they are preserved, can all be classified as building (or display) inscriptions. These begin with Sîn-šarra-iškun's name, a (detailed) statement about how the gods actively support him — which ultimately resulted in him becoming the king of Assyria — and his genealogy (which he traces back four generations to his great-great-grandfather Sargon II).[27] This is followed by a passage about his piety and devotion towards supporting Assyria's temples and cults[28] and the main topic of the text: the building account.[29] The inscriptions conclude with advice to future rulers, together with applicable blessings and curses.[30] The cylinders, at least the ones that are presently-known, are always dated. The preserved dates record that Sîn-šarra-iškun's cylinders were inscribed in the eponymies of Bēl-aḫu-uṣur (palace overseer; Ssi 10), Dādî (chief treasurer; Ssi 19), Nabû-tappûtī-alik (chief eunuch; Ssi 1), and Sîn-šarru-uṣur, (governor of Ḫindānu; Ssi 3).[31]
[15] Asb. 241–245, 252–253, 258, 262–263, and 265.
[16] Asb. 248, 252, 253 (ex. 3), 258, 263, and 265 are written in contemporary Neo-Babylonian script. Asb. 242 and 247 are written in an archaizing script. Copies of Asb. 241 and 262 are written in both contemporary and archaizing Neo-Babylonian scripts. Asb. 243–245 and 253 (exs. 1–2 and 4) are written in Neo-Assyrian script.
[17] Asb. 241 and 253. Section 1 begins with ana DN "to DN"; section 2 starts with anāku Aššur-bāni-apli "I, Ashurbanipal"; section 3 opens with ina palêya "during my reign"; section 4 commences with ina ūmēšūma "at that time"; and section 5 begins with rubû arkû "O future ruler." In Asb. 253, the opening two words of section 3 are completely restored and the first words of sections 4–5 are partially preserved.
[18] Asb. 258. Section 1 begins with ana DN "to DN"; section 2 starts with Aššur-bāni-apli "Ashurbanipal"; section 3 opens with ana balāṭīšu "in order to ensure his good health"; section 4 commences with the name of the building being renovated; and section 5 begins with ana šatti "on account of this."
[19] Asb. 263. Section 1 begins ana DN "to DN"; section 2 starts with Aššur-bāni-apli "Ashurbanipal"; section 3 opens with ina palêya "during my reign"; section 4 commences with ina ūmēšūma "at that time"; section 5 begins with ana šatti "on account of this"; and section 6 starts with ayyumma rubû arkû "any future ruler."
[20] Asb. 242–245 and 262. There are two subtypes. As for the first subtype (Asb. 243–245), section 1 begins with Aššur-bāni-apli "Ashurbanipal"; section 2 starts with šipir Esagil ša abu bānûʾa lā uqattû "the work on Esagil that the father who engendered me had not finished"; section 3 commences with ina ūmēšūma "at that time"; section 4 begins with the name of the deity for whom the work was undertaken or ana šatti "on account of this"; and section 5 starts with ša šumī šaṭru "(but as for) the one who ... my inscribed name." As for the second subtype (Asb. 242 and 262), section 1 begins with Aššur-bāni-apli "Ashurbanipal"; section 2 opens with ina palêya "during my reign"; section 3 starts with ina ūmēšūma "at that time"; section 4 begins with ana šatti "on account of this"; section 5 begins with matīma ina aḫrât ūmē "at any time in the future"; and section 6 commences with ša šumī šaṭru "(but as for) the one who ... my inscribed name."
[21] See the section Ashurbanipal's Building Activities in Babylonia and the East Tigris Region below for further information.
[22] For details, see the section Dates of Ashurbanipal's Babylonian Inscriptions below.
[23] Aei 6 exs. 1 and 3.
[24] Ssi 1–5, 10, and 19. YBC 2171 (Stephens, YOS 9 no. 80), as mentioned above, is not included here. See the section Texts Excluded from RINAP 5/3 above.
[25] Ssi 1–5 and 19 have horizontal rulings between each line of text. Ssi 10 exs. 1 and 3 have rulings after every second line of text. Ssi 10 ex. 2 is not ruled, except for before and after its date line.
[26] See the section Sîn-šarra-iškun, Aššur-uballiṭ II, and the End of the Assyrian Empire below for details on this king's building activities.
[27] These inscriptions always start with anāku Sîn-šarra-iškun "I, Sîn-šarra-iškun" and end with the name of his great-great-grandfather Sargon II. Sîn-šarra-iškun is unusual in that he traces his genealogy back four generations. For example, Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal give only the names of their fathers and grandfathers.
[28] This section begins with ina rēš šarrūtīya, "at the beginning of my reign," or ultu Aššur ... qātūʾa umallû, "after the god Aššur placed ... into my hands."
[29] The building report usually commences with ina ūmēšū(ma) "at that time," but it can also start with ina rēš šarrūtīya, "at the beginning of my reign."
[30] This section begins with rubû arkû "(May) a future ruler." Ssi 1 includes only blessings, while Ssi 10 and 19 have both blessings and curses.
[31] The names of the eponym-officials are presented in alphabetical order. For a discussion of their chronological sequence, see the section Eponym Dates below.
Jamie Novotny
Jamie Novotny, 'Clay Cylinders', RINAP 5: The Royal Inscriptions of Ashurbanipal, Aššur-etel-ilāni, and Sîn-šarra-iškun, The RINAP/RINAP 5 Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2023 [http://oracc.org/rinap/rinap5/rinap53introduction/surveyofinscribedobjects/claycylinders/]