Ashurbanipal 230

~655 BCE·Neo-Assyrian·Q007638

Translation · reference

High confidence

Obverse completely missing One column likely missing (r i' 1') [...] ... [...] (r i' 2') [At] that [tim]e, (as for) Emeslam, [which a king of the past (who had come) before me had bui]lt, (and which) had becom[e old], I renovated its [dilapidat]ed section(s and) [removed] the por[tion(s) of it that had collapsed. (rev. i´ 5´) In b]rick mold(s) of ebony (and) [musukannu-wood, I made its bricks with crushe]d pieces of ar[omatics]. One column likely 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/Q007638/

Why it matters

Records Ashurbanipal's restoration of Emeslam — the temple of Nergal at Cutha — including bricks molded in ebony and musukkanu-wood and scented with crushed aromatics: a concrete window into Sargonid sacred construction ritual.

Transliteration

[...] x AN ⸢MUŠ⸣ x [...] / [ina u₄]-⸢me-šú⸣ é-mes-lam [ša LUGAL pa-ni maḫ-ri-ia] / [e]-⸢pu⸣-šú il-li-⸢ku⸣ [la-ba-riš] / [an-ḫu]-us-su ud-diš ⸢mi⸣-[qit-ta-šú ad-ke] / [ina GIŠ].⸢Ù⸣.ŠUB GIŠ.ESI [GIŠ.MES.MÁ.KAN.NA] / [ḫi]-⸢biš?-ti? ŠIM?⸣.[ḪI.A SIG₅.ḪI.A-šú al-bi-in]

Scholarly note

Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q007638.

Attribution

Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P403015). 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/Q007638/.

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