Position in chronology
Ashurbanipal 077
Translation · reference
High confidence(i' 1') [He sent Erisi]nni, [his] heir designat[e, to Nineveh] and he kissed my feet. I had [mercy] on him and (then) I dispatched [my messenger with (a message of) go]odwill to him. (i´ 5´) [H]e sent me [(his) daughter, his own offspring], to serve as a housekeeper. [(As for) his former payment, which they had discontinued i]n the time of the kings, [my ancestors, they carried (it)] b[ef]ore me. Completely missing
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/Q003776/
Why it matters
Records an Arab chieftain sending his daughter as housekeeper and reinstating lapsed tribute payments to Ashurbanipal — direct evidence of how the Assyrian court enforced loyalty through dynastic hostage-taking and fiscal obligation.
Transliteration
[me-ri-si-in]-⸢ni DUMU ri-du-ti⸣-[šú] / [a-na NINA.KI iš-pur]-⸢am⸣-ma ú-na-áš-šiq GÌR.II-⸢ia⸣ / [re-e-mu] ar-ši-šu-ma / [LÚ.A KIN-ia šá] ⸢šul⸣-me ú-ma-ʾe-er EDIN-uš-šú / [DUMU.MUNUS ṣi-it lìb-bi-šú] ⸢ú-še-bi⸣-la a-na e-peš MUNUS.AGRIG-u-ti / [ma-da-ta-šú maḫ-ri-tú šá i]-⸢na⸣ ter-ṣi LUGAL.MEŠ / [AD.MEŠ-ia ú-šab-ṭi-lu iš-šu-u-ni a]-⸢di maḫ-ri-ia⸣
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q003776.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P401334). 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/Q003776/.
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