Ashurbanipal 105

~655 BCE·Neo-Assyrian·Q003804

Translation · reference

High confidence

One or two columns completely missing (o? i' 1') [...] ... [exal]ted [...] ... [...] I destroyed his/its [...] who had performed [an abo]mination [...] the goddess Ištar (o? i' 6') (No translation possible) (o? i' 10') [... Babyl]on [...] his [...] (o? i' 12') (No translation possible) (r? i 1') (No translation possible) (r? i 7') [... the deities ... Šar]rat-K[idmur]i, [Ištar of Arbela, Ninurt]a, Nerga[l, (and) Nusku. He (Šamaš-šuma-ukīn) plotted evil (ways) to deprive (me) of the cult centers, the dwel]ling place(s) of the [great] gods [whose sanctuaries I had renovated (and) decor]ated with gol[d (and) silver, (and) in whose midst I constantly establis]hed appropriate procedu[res]. (r? i 12'b) (No translation possible) One or two columns 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/Q003804/

Why it matters

Preserves Ashurbanipal's framing of his brother Šamaš-šuma-ukīn's revolt as sacrilege — specifically the theft of cult centers the king had personally restored — casting civil war as divine betrayal rather than political rebellion.

Transliteration

[...] x x [x] ⸢ṣir?⸣-tú / [...] x x SI [x]-ti / [...] x-šú ap-pul / [... an]-⸢zil⸣-lu e-pu-šú / [...] ⸢d?15?⸣ / [...] x / [...] x / [...]-ti / [...]-nu / [... KÁ?.DINGIR?].RA.KI / [...] x-šú / [...]-ma / [...] x / [...] x / [...] x / [...] x / [...] x / [...] x / [...] x / [...] x / [... dšar]-rat-⸢kid?⸣-[mu]-⸢ri⸣ / [d15 šá LÍMMU-DINGIR.KI d]⸢MAŠ⸣ dU.⸢GUR⸣ [dnusku] / [a-na e-kem ma-ḫa-zi šu]-bat…

Scholarly note

Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q003804.

Attribution

Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P426481). 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/Q003804/.

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