Numerous stone vessels are inscribed with a one-line proprietary inscription stating that the objects belonged to Ashurbanipal.[73] Most come from Nineveh, one was discovered at Aššur, and one was found at Persepolis. Some of the stone vessels bearing an Ashurbanipal proprietary label have images of a table and a lion incised to the left of the inscription. In the repertoire of Assyrian 'hieroglyphs,' the lion represents the king and, thus, these vessels were probably used to serve Ashurbanipal's meals, that is, these are the objects that were used specifically for "the king's table" (TABLE + LION).[74] In addition, several stone vessels have a single-line proprietary inscription of Sîn-šarra-iškun written on them, as well as that of a late Neo-Assyrian queen Ana-Tašmētu-taklāk.[75]
An ornately-decorated and gold-leafed silver goblet with a proprietary inscription of Ashurbanipal is also known.[76] Although the text appears to be a genuine inscription, the authenticity of the object itself cannot be verified since its provenance is uncertain and since such a highly-decorated metal vessel is presently not otherwise attested for the late Neo-Assyrian period.[77]
[73] Novotny and Jeffers, RINAP 5/1 pp. 362–366 Asb. 68–70; and, in this volume, Asb. 269. PT4 368 + PT5 156 + PT5 244 (Asb. 269), which was found in Hall 41 and Corridor 31 of the Treasury at Persepolis, is an impressive sculptured bowl with four lion handles.
[74] For further details and bibliography on Assyrian hieroglyphs, see Leichty, RINAP 4 pp. 238–243 Esarhaddon 115; Nadali, Iraq 70 (2008) pp. 87–104; and Niederreiter, Iraq 70 (2008) pp. 51–86.
[75] Ssi 21–2001. For other possible vessels of this king (or his brother Aššur-etel-ilāni), see Novotny and Jeffers, RINAP 5/1 pp. 362–365 Asb. 68 (exs. 1*–19*) and Asb. 69 (exs. 1*–3*). On the identity of Ana-Tašmētu-taklāk, see the commentary of Ssi 2001.
[76] Asb. 270.
[77] The only other metal vessel known from the late Neo-Assyrian period is a silver bucket that is inscribed with a two-line dedicatory inscription of Esarhaddon (Leichty, RINAP 4 pp. 281–282 Esarhaddon 140). That object was discovered in 1992 by the Iranian Department of Antiquities in a hoard of silver vessels found in a cave in the Luristan region.
Jamie Novotny
Jamie Novotny, 'Stone and Metal Vessels', 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/stoneandmetalvessels/]