Position in chronology
Ashurbanipal 106
Translation · reference
High confidence(1') [(As for) Ta]mmarīt[u, the king of the land Elam who had spoken insolent word(s) on account of the cutting off of the head of Teumman — which a low-ranking soldier of my army had cut off] — saying: “Will they cu[t off the head of the king of the land Elam in his (own) land, in the assembly of his troops?” He spoke a second time]: “Moreover, [how could] Um[manigaš kiss the ground before the messengers of Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria, the creation of] (the god) Aššur and the goddess Mul[lissu?” On account of these words that he had slanderously uttered, (the god) Aššur and the goddess…
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/Q003805/
Why it matters
Records Tammarītu of Elam's mocking words about the beheading of Teumman and Ummanigaš's submission — then Aššur's divine retribution, linking Assyrian war propaganda directly to theological justification for punishing vassal insolence.
Transliteration
[m]⸢tam-ma-ri-tu⸣ [MAN KUR.ELAM.MA.KI ša UGU ni-kis SAG.DU mte-um-man me-re-eḫ-tu iq-bu-u šá ik-ki-su a-ḫu-ru-ú ERIM.ḪI.A-ía] / ⸢um⸣-ma i-⸢nak⸣-[ki-su-u SAG.DU MAN KUR.ELAM.MA.KI ina qé-reb KUR-šú ina UKKIN ERIM.ḪI.A-šú šá-ni-ia-a-nu iq-bi] / ù mum-[man-i-gaš ke-e ú-na-áš-šiq qaq-qa-ru ina pa-an LÚ.A KIN.MEŠ ša maš-šur-DÙ-A MAN KUR AN.ŠÁR.KI bi-nu-ut] / ⸢AN.ŠÁR⸣ u d⸢NIN⸣.[LÍL UGU a-ma-a-ti…
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q003805.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P401199). 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/Q003805/.
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