Position in chronology
Ashurbanipal 212
Translation · reference
High confidence(1') [... who] se[es the wick]ed and the just [...] ... [... who pre]sents bursagg[ê]-offerings [...] ... [...] the rites [... (5´) ...], who burns up evil ones, w[ho] strikes [the ...] of the evil (doer), [...] ..., beloved of the god Duranki (Enlil), who dwells in E[m]elamana that is inside the city Ḫarrān, [the great lord, his lord] — (7') I, Ashurbanipal, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, judiciou[s] ruler, [...], obedient governor, favorite of god and goddess, who loves the (cities’) privileged status, who establishe[s ...], who obeys the command of the god Sîn…
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/Q007620/
Why it matters
Attests Ashurbanipal's devotion to the moon-god Sîn at Ḥarrān and his self-presentation as upholder of civic privileges — evidence of late Sargonid royal ideology binding northern cult centres to Assyrian kingship.
Transliteration
[... ša rag]-⸢gu⸣ u ke-e-nu i-bar-[ru-u ...] / [...] ⸢na⸣-áš-KI MU x [...] / [...].⸢MEŠ?⸣ [... ú]-⸢ṭaḫ⸣-ḫu-u BUR.SAG.⸢GÁ⸣ [...] / [...] x x MU x [...] sak-ke-e LUḪ [...] / [...] x ⸢qa⸣-mu-u MUNUS.ḪUL.MEŠ ⸢ša?⸣ [x x] ⸢ID⸣ lem-ni i-maḫ-ḫa-ṣu [...] / [x (x)] x ⸢KUN?⸣-nu-u na-ram ddur-an-ki a-⸢šib é-me-lám⸣-an-na šá qé-reb URU.KASKAL [EN GAL-e EN-šú]1 / ⸢a-na⸣-ku mAN.ŠÁR-⸢DÙ⸣-A LUGAL GAL-u LUGAL…
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q007620.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P394700). 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/Q007620/.
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