Ashurbanipal 126

~655 BCE·Neo-Assyrian·Q003825

Translation · reference

High confidence

Obverse completely missing (r 1) I slew his (Teumman’s) warriors [without number. I captured his fighting men] al[ive]. I [filled the plain of the city Susa with] their [bodies] like baltu-plant(s) (and) ašāgu-plant(s). [I placed Um]manigaš (Ḫumban-nikaš II), who had fled to me (and) had grasp[ed my feet, on his throne. I installed Tamm]arītu, the thi[rd] brother of Ummanigaš, [as king in the city Ḫidalu]. (r 5) [... concerni]ng the journey of the goddess Nanāya to Uruk [...] he scorned [my kindness, as] much as I had done for him, and [...] Šamaš-šuma-ukīn, the king of B[abylon, ...]. (r 8)…

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/Q003825/

Why it matters

Narrates Ashurbanipal's defeat of the Elamite king Teumman at the Ulai River and his installation of client rulers in Elam — direct royal testimony to the Assyrian policy of dynastic partition as an instrument of imperial control.

Transliteration

[ina la mì-ni] ⸢a⸣-duk qu-ra-di-šú ina ŠU.II bal-[ṭu-(u)-ti ú-ṣab-bit mun-daḫ-ṣe-e-šú] / [šal-ma-ti]-šú-nu GIM GIŠ.DÌḪ GIŠ.KIŠI₁₆ ⸢ú⸣-[mal-la-a ta-mir-ti URU.šu-šá-an] / [mum]-man-i-gaš ša in-nab-ta iṣ-ba-[ta GÌR.II-ia ina GIŠ.GU.ZA-šú ú-še-šib] / [mtam]-⸢ma-ri⸣-tú ŠEŠ mum-man-i-gaš šal-⸢šá⸣-[a-a ina URU.ḫi-da-lu a-na LUGAL-ú-ti áš-kun] / [šu]-⸢ut a-lak⸣ dna-na-a a-na UNUG.KI ⸢a⸣-[...] / [x x…

Scholarly note

Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q003825.

Attribution

Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P394573). 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/Q003825/.

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