Position in chronology
Ashurbanipal 002
Translation · reference
High confidence(i 1) [I, Ashurbanip]al, great king, [strong king, k]ing of the world, king of Assyria, [kin]g of the four qu[art]ers (of the world), [the cr]eation of (the god) Aššur and the goddess Mullissu, the one to whom the god Ea and the goddess Bēlet-ilī have stretched out (their) hands, one who was chosen by the gods Sîn, Šamaš, (and) Adad, beloved of the god Marduk (and) the goddess Zarpanītu, the one required by the deities Nabû, Tašmētu, (and) N[anāya], wise (and) capa[ble], (i 10) true shepherd, favorite of the [great] g[ods]; son of Esarhaddon, [great king], strong king, kin[g of the world,…
Source: Novotny, J. & Jeffers, J. 2018–. The Royal Inscriptions of Ashurbanipal (668–631 BC), Aššur-etel-ilāni (630–627 BC) and Sîn-šarra-iškun (626–612 BC), Kings of Assyria. RINAP 5. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap5/Q003701/
Why it matters
Lists nine deities who legitimise Ashurbanipal's rule, each sponsoring a different royal quality — a snapshot of the theological machinery the Neo-Assyrian court used to underwrite imperial authority.
Transliteration
[a-na-ku mAN.ŠÁR-DÙ]-⸢IBILA⸣ LUGAL GAL / [LUGAL dan-nu] ⸢LUGAL⸣ ŠÚ LUGAL KUR aš-šur.KI / ⸢LUGAL kib-rat⸣ LÍMMU-tim / ⸢bi⸣-nu-ut AN.⸢ŠÁR u⸣ dNIN.LÍL / ⸢ti⸣-ri-iṣ ŠU.II dé-a u DINGIR.MAḪ / ni-bit d30 dUTU ⸢d⸣IŠKUR / na-ram dAMAR.UTU dzar-pa-⸢ni-tum⸣ / ḫi-ši-iḫ-ti dAG dPAPNUN d⸢na?⸣-[na-a?] / ḫa-as-su le-⸢ʾu⸣-[u] / SIPA ke-e-nu mi-gir ⸢DINGIR⸣.[MEŠ GAL.MEŠ?] / DUMU maš-šur-PAP-SUM.⸢NA⸣ [LUGAL GAL] /…
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q003701.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P394094). source
Translation excerpted from Novotny, J. & Jeffers, J. 2018–. The Royal Inscriptions of Ashurbanipal (668–631 BC), Aššur-etel-ilāni (630–627 BC) and Sîn-šarra-iškun (626–612 BC), Kings of Assyria. RINAP 5. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap5/Q003701/.
Related tablets
Related sources
The earliest historical document in human history. Before this, we have lists, accounts, and dedications. Here, for the first time, a ruler tells us what happened — with names, places, and consequences.
The oldest surviving law code in human history. The principle that the state — not the wronged family — defines and enforces justice begins here.
Not the first law code, but the most complete and the most famous. Inscribed on a black diorite stele over two meters tall, displayed in a public place — law made visible, law made monumental.