Position in chronology
Ashurbanipal 077
Written in modern English
Erišinni, the heir designate, was sent to Nineveh, where he kissed Ashurbanipal's feet. Ashurbanipal showed mercy and sent his own messenger back with a goodwill reply. Erišinni then sent his daughter — his own child — to serve as a housekeeper. A tribute payment that had lapsed during the reigns of earlier kings, Ashurbanipal's ancestors, was reinstated and delivered in person. The remainder of the column is entirely lost.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — scholar edition
RINAP 5(i' 1') [He sent Erisi]nni, [his] heir designat[e, to Nineveh] and he kissed my feet. I had [mercy] on him and (then) I dispatched [my messenger with (a message of) go]odwill to him. (i´ 5´) [H]e sent me [(his) daughter, his own offspring], to serve as a housekeeper. [(As for) his former payment, which they had discontinued i]n the time of the kings, [my ancestors, they carried (it)] b[ef]ore me. Completely missing
Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period, volume 5 — scholar edition (ORACC).
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Why it matters
Records an Arab chieftain sending his daughter as housekeeper and reinstating lapsed tribute payments to Ashurbanipal — direct evidence of how the Assyrian court enforced loyalty through dynastic hostage-taking and fiscal obligation.
Transliteration
[me-ri-si-in]-⸢ni DUMU ri-du-ti⸣-[šú] / [a-na NINA.KI iš-pur]-⸢am⸣-ma ú-na-áš-šiq GÌR.II-⸢ia⸣ / [re-e-mu] ar-ši-šu-ma / [LÚ.A KIN-ia šá] ⸢šul⸣-me ú-ma-ʾe-er EDIN-uš-šú / [DUMU.MUNUS ṣi-it lìb-bi-šú] ⸢ú-še-bi⸣-la a-na e-peš MUNUS.AGRIG-u-ti / [ma-da-ta-šú maḫ-ri-tú šá i]-⸢na⸣ ter-ṣi LUGAL.MEŠ / [AD.MEŠ-ia ú-šab-ṭi-lu iš-šu-u-ni a]-⸢di maḫ-ri-ia⸣
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q003776.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.earth/artifacts, P401334). 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/Q003776/.
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