Position in chronology
Ashurbanipal 225
Translation · reference
High confidence(1) For the god Marduk, the exalted lord, [king of the gods, supreme one, pre-eminent one ...], one of exalted strength, [foremost of all the lords, ...], all-powerful one, foremost in heaven and netherworld, [who directs the Igīgū and Anunnakū gods ...], who bears the fierce divine weapon, hero [of the great gods, ...], the honored, perfect lord who[se] boundaries [cannot be transgressed ...]; (6) the god Šazu (Marduk), who exterminates all of the wicke[d, who ...], who oversees everything, who holds the n[ose-rope of ...], who maintains the bond of heaven and netherworld, who [...], who is…
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/Q007633/
Why it matters
Catalogs Marduk's epithets — cosmic judge, holder of heaven's bond, destroyer of the wicked — showing how a 7th-century Assyrian king legitimized power by publicly honoring Babylon's chief god.
Transliteration
a-na dAMAR.UTU EN ṣi-i-ri [LUGAL DINGIR.MEŠ šur-bi-i e-tel-li ...] / e-mu-qa-an ṣi-ra-a-ti [a-šá-red nap-ḫar EN.MEŠ ...] / dan-dan-ni a-šá-red AN-e u KI-⸢tim⸣ [a-ši-ir dí-gì-gì u da-nun-na-ki ...] / na-áš GIŠ.TUKUL.DINGIR ez-zu ma-am-⸢al⸣ [DINGIR.MEŠ GAL.MEŠ ...] / EN kab-tu gít-ma-lum ša i-ta-⸢a⸣-[šú la in-né-ti-qu ...] / dŠÀ.ZU mu-bal-lu-u nap-ḫar rag-⸢gi⸣ [šá ...]1 / pa-qid kul-lat nap-ḫa-ri…
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q007633.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P399455). 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/Q007633/.
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