Chronicle Concerning the Period from Nabû-nāṣir to Šamaš-šuma-ukīn Esarhaddon Chronicle Šamaš-šuma-ukīn Chronicle Akītu Chronicle
Four Mesopotamian chronicles provide useful information both on events of the reign of Ashurbanipal (and of his brother Šamaš-šuma-ukīn) and on the order of those events. The standard edition of Mesopotamian chronicles is the edition of Grayson (Grayson, Chronicles), but note also the recent edition by J.-J. Glassner (Glassner, Chronicles) and the ongoing work by I. Finkel and R.J. van der Spek (see www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/chron00.html [http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/chron00.html] [2018]). For the convenience of the user of this volume, it has been thought useful to present translations of the relevant passages here; these translations are adapted from the aforementioned works.[191]
| (ruling) | |
| iv 30–33) | The twelfth year (669): The king of Assyria marched to Egypt (but) became ill on the way and died on the tenth day of the month Araḫsamna (VIII). Esarhaddon ruled Assyria for twelve years. Šamaš-šuma-ukīn (and) Ashurbanipal, his two sons, ascended the throne in Babylon and Assyria respectively. |
| (ruling) | |
| iv 34–36) | The accession year of Šamaš-šuma-ukīn (668): In the month Ayyāru (II), the god Bēl and the gods of Akkad departed from Libbi-āli (Aššur) and entered Babylon on the fourteenth (or twenty-fourth) day of the month Ayyāru (II). |
| iv 37) | In that (same) year, the city Qirbit was t[aken] (and) its king was captured. |
| iv 38) | On the twentieth day of the month Ṭebētu (X), Bēl-ēṭir, a judge of Babylon, was seized and executed. |
| 28'–30') | The twelfth year (669): The king of Assyria marched to Egypt (but) became ill on the way and died on the [tenth] day of the month Araḫsamna (VIII). Esarhaddon ruled Assyria for twelve years. |
| (ruling) | |
| 31'–34') | For eight years (during the reign of) Sennacherib, for twelve years (during the reign of) Esarhaddon — twenty years (altogether) — the god Bēl stayed [in B]altil (Aššur) and the akītu-festival did not take place. The god Nabû did not go from Borsippa for the procession of the god Bēl. In the month Kislīmu (IX), Ashurbanipal, [his (Esarhaddon's)] so[n], ascended the throne in Assyria. |
| 35'–37') | The accession year of Šamaš-šuma-u[k]īn (668): In the month Ayyāru (II), the god Bēl and the gods o[f Akkad] de[par]ted from Baltil (Aššur) [an]d [entered] Babyl[on] on the twenty-fifth day of the month Ayyāru (II). The god Nabû and the gods of Borsippa c[ame] to Babylon.[193] |
| 38') | In that (same) year, the city Qirbit was t[aken] (and) its king was ca[ptured]. |
| 39') | On the twentieth day of the month Ṭebētu (X), {Bēl-ēṭir}, a judge of Babylon, was seize[d and executed]. |
| (ruling) | |
| 40'–44') | The first year of Šamaš-šuma-[uk]īn (667): [...] to [...] Taharqa, king of E[gypt, ...] Eg[ypt ...] Necho, [king of] Eg[ypt, ...]. |
| (ruling) | |
| 45') | [The second yea]r [of Šamaš-šuma-ukīn (666): ...] |
| Lacuna |
| 2–3) | The fourth [ye]ar of Šamaš-šuma-ukīn (664): On the twelfth day of the month Tašrītu (VII), a prince of the land Elam fled [to] Assyria. |
| (ruling) | |
| 4) | The fourteenth year (654):[194] The former bed of the god Bēl came from [Baltil (Aššur)][195] to Babylon. |
| (ruling) | |
| 5) | The fifteenth [ye]ar (653):[196] He (Ashurbanipal) sent the new chariot of the god Bēl [...] to Babylon. |
| (ruling) | |
| 6) | The sixteenth year (652): On the eighth day of the month Šabāṭu (XI), the king (of Babylon) entered Babylon b[efore the enemy]. |
| (ruling) | |
| 7–10) | The seventeenth year (651): On the ninth day of the intercalary month Ulūlu (VI₂), Šamaš-šuma-u[kīn ...][197] mustered his army and (then) marched to Cutha, [and t]ook [the city. He infli]cted a defeat on the army of Assyria and the C[utheans]. He seized [the ... of][198] the god Nergal and [to]ok (it) to B[abylon]. |
| 11–18) | [On] the twenty-seventh day of [the month ...], the officials of A[ssyria ...][199] a horseman [...] went [...][200] and [Nabû-bē]l-šumāti,[201] governor of [the Sealand, ...] them and like [...] he allowed his ... to enter ... He brought about [t]heir [defeat] and did not leave anyone (behind).[202] He seized [...][203] of Assyria and he brought (him/them) to the king of Babylon after he had overwhelmed (him/them). |
| (ruling) | |
| 19) | The eighteenth [year] (650): On the eleventh day of the month Duʾūzu (IV), the enemy reached Babylon. |
| (ruling) | |
| (ruling) |
| 1–4) | For [eight] years (during the reign of) Se[nnacherib], for twelve years (during the reign of) Esar[haddon] — twenty years (altogether) — the god Bēl s[tayed] in Baltil (Aššur) [and] the akītu-festival did not take pla[ce]. |
| 5–8) | The accession year of Šamaš-šuma-ukīn (668): In the month Ayyāru (II), [the god Bēl] and the gods of Akkad dep[arted] from Baltil (Aššur) [and] they entered Babylon on the twenty-fourth day of the month Ayyāru (II). The god Nabû and the gods of Borsippa came to Babylon. |
| (ruling) | |
| 9–12) | The sixteenth year of Šamaš-šuma-ukīn (652): From the month Ayyāru (II) to the month Ṭebētu (X), the rab-bīti-official raised a levy in Akkad. On the nineteenth day of the month Ṭebētu (X), Assyria and Akkad became hostile. The king (of Babylon) entered Babylon before the enemy. |
| 13–16) | On the twenty-seventh day of Addaru (XII), the troops of Assyria and the troops of Akkad did battle in (the region of the city) Ḫirītu and the troops of Akkad retreated from the battlefield and a major defeat was inflicted upon them. (Afterwards), there were hostilities (and) warfare was constant. |
| (ruling) | |
| 17–19) | The seventeenth year (651): The[re we]re [insurr]ections in Assyria and Akkad [an]d the god Nabû did not go from [Borsippa] for the procession of the god Bēl. The god Bēl did not come out. |
| (ruling) | |
| 20–21) | The eighteenth year (650): The god N[abû] did not go from Borsippa for the procession of the god Bēl. The god Bēl did not come out. |
| (ruling) | |
| 22) | The nineteenth year (649): The god Nabû did not go (and) the god Bēl did not come out. |
| (ruling) | |
| 23) | The twentieth year (648): The god Nabû did not go (and) the god Bēl did not come out. |
191 The chronicles recording the rise of Nabopolassar and the end of Assyria under Sîn-šarra-iškun (Grayson, Chronicles pp. 87–96 nos. 2–3) will be translated in the introduction of Part 2 since those texts provide information of Ashurbanipal's successors, who have not been treated in the introduction of Part 1.
192 J.A. Brinkman (Studies Moran pp. 73–104) and E. Weissert (CRRA 38 p. 273 n. 1) prefer to treat this chronographic text as made up of three separate recensions rather than duplicates; J.-J. Glassner (Chronicles pp. 193–203 no. 16 and pp. 202–207 no. 17) similarly prefers to treat this text as two separate recensions.
193 Or possibly "twenty-fourth day." See Brinkman, Studies Moran p. 90 n. 90.
194 The date conflicts with the scribal note written on K 2411 (Grayson and Novotny, RINAP 3/2 p. 231 no. 162 rev. iii 39'–40'), which states that the bed was returned on the twenty-seventh day of Simānu (III) of the eponymy of Awiānu (655). Therefore, the 14th year mentioned in the Šamaš-šuma-ukīn Chronicle appears to be a mistake for the king of Babylon's 13th regnal year; note, however, that Marduk's bed was returned during Ashurbanipal's 14th year as king (= the eponymy of Awiānu).
195 As A.K. Grayson (Chronicles p. 129) points out, some form of the city Aššur is to be restored in the break. Baltil, written (URU.)bal-til.KI, seems the most likely option since Aššur is always written KUR aš-šur (without KI). This reading of the line follows Millard, Iraq 26 (1964) p. 15.
196 The date seems to conflict with one inscription of Ashurbanipal: Text no. 61 (EȘ 6699), which is dated to Tašrītu (VII) of the eponymy of Awiānu (655), records the decoration of this new chariot. Thus, it is possible that the 15th year mentioned here refers to Ashurbanipal's 15th regnal year, rather than Šamaš-šuma-ukīn's, and, therefore, a mistake for the king of Babylon's 14th regnal year.
197 A.R. Millard (Iraq 26 [1964] p. 15) restores [LUGAL TIN.TIR].KI ("[the king of Babylon]") after Šamaš-šuma-ukīn's name. As correctly pointed by A.K. Grayson (Chronicles p. 129), this is very unlikely since the use of a title after a royal name is rare in late Babylonian chronicles.
198 J.-J. Glassner (Chronicles pp. 212–213) restores [ALAN] ("[the statue of]"); this follows the suggestion of A.R. Millard (Iraq 26 [1964] p. 15).
199 After "the officials of A[ssyria]," A.K. Grayson (Chronicles p. 129) suggests the restoration [BAL.MEŠ-ma] ("[rebelled]"); J.-J. Glassner (Chronicles pp. 212–213), following his suggestion, restores [is-ḫu] ("[revolted]").
200 A.R. Millard (Iraq 26 [1964] p. 15) restores a[na URU.šá-pi-i-d]EN "t[o the city Ša-pī]-Bēl."
201 The conjectural restorations in line 13 follow Grayson, Chronicles p. 129; A.K. Grayson's readings follow Millard, Iraq 26 (1964) p. 15.
202 The reading ma-na-ma ("anyone") at the end of line 16 is uncertain. See the comments of A.K. Grayson (Chronicles p. 130).
203 Possibly read "troops of Assyria." A.K. Grayson (Chronicles p. 130) suggests that the sign before KUR aš-šur could be ERIM.
Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers
Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers, 'Chronicles', RINAP 5: The Royal Inscriptions of Ashurbanipal, Aššur-etel-ilāni, and Sîn-šarra-iškun, The RINAP/RINAP 5 Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2022 [http://oracc.org/rinap/rinap5/rinap51introduction/datingandchronology/chronicles/]