Sumerian·Book

Position in chronology

Esarhaddon 031

~675 BCE·Neo-Assyrian·Q003260

Translation · reference

High confidence
(1') [...] the reign [...]. (2') [Nabû-zēr-kitti-līšir, the reb]el, the tra[itor, heard of the approach of my army and fl]ed [like a fox to the land Elam]. Because of the oath of the great gods [which he had transgressed, the gods Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Bēl, and Nabû] imposed a grievous punishment [on him and they killed him with the sword in the midst of the land Elam. (5′) Naʾid-Marduk, his brother, saw the] evil [deeds] that [they had done] to his brother i[n Elam], he [fled] from the land Elam [to save] his life, [and came to Assyria, before me]. I had pity on [Naʾid-Marduk and U]mmanigaš…

Source: Leichty, E. 2011. The Royal Inscriptions of Esarhaddon, King of Assyria (680–669 BC). RINAP 4. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap4/Q003260/

Why it matters

Records Nabû-zēr-kitti-līšir's flight and death in Elam — corroborating evidence for Esarhaddon's suppression of the Sealand rebellion and his subsequent reception of the fugitive Naʾid-Marduk.

Transliteration

[...] ⸢BALA-ú⸣ [...] / [mdAG-NUMUN-ZI-SI.SÁ ba-ra]-⸢nu⸣-u ⸢na-bal⸣-[kàt-ta-nu a-lak ERIM.ḪI.A-ia iš-me-e-ma] / [a-na KUR.ELAM.MA.KI še-la-biš in-na]-⸢bit áš-šú ma-mit⸣ DINGIR.MEŠ ⸢GAL?.MEŠ?⸣ [ša e-ti-qu daš-šur] / [d30 dUTU dEN u dAG] ⸢an-na⸣ kab-⸢tú⸣ e-mì-da-[šú-ma qé-reb KUR.ELAM.MA.KI i-na-ru-uš ina GIŠ.TUKUL] / [mna-ʾi-id-dAMAR.UTU ŠEŠ-šú ep-šet] ⸢ḪUL-tim⸣ šá ⸢a-na ŠEŠ-šú qé-reb⸣…

Scholarly note

Royal inscription of Esarhaddon, edited by Erle Leichty (RINAP 4, 2011). ORACC text Q003260.

Attribution

Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P397669). source
Translation excerpted from Leichty, E. 2011. The Royal Inscriptions of Esarhaddon, King of Assyria (680–669 BC). RINAP 4. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap4/Q003260/.

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