Position in chronology
Esarhaddon 047
Translation · reference
High confidence(1') foremost [so]n of [Sennacherib, king of the world (and) king of Assyria; gra]ndson of Sarg[on (II), king of the world, king of Assyria, gover]nor of Babylon, k[ing of Sumer and Akkad; des]cendant of the eternal line [of Bēl-bāni, king of Assyria, (5′) an]cient stock, [whose place of ultimate origin is Baltil (Aššur), gov]ernor of Babylon, [... wh]o holds the nose-rop[es of ... shep]herd of the black-headed [people ...]. (9') [...] ... [...]
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/Q003276/
Why it matters
Preserves Esarhaddon's sevenfold titulary — king, governor, shepherd, dynastic heir — the formulaic language through which Assyrian kings simultaneously claimed Babylonian legitimacy and descent from Aššur's oldest royal line.
Transliteration
⸢IBILA a-šá-re-du šá⸣ m[d30-ŠEŠ.MEŠ-SU MAN ŠÚ MAN KUR aš-šur.KI] / ⸢DUMU⸣ DUMU mLUGAL-⸢GI⸣.[NA MAN ŠÚ MAN KUR aš-šur.KI] / ⸢GÌR⸣.NÍTA KÁ.DINGIR.RA.KI ⸢MAN⸣ [KUR EME.GI₇ u URI.KI] / [li]-ip-li-ip da-⸢ru⸣-[u šá mEN-ba-ni MAN KUR aš-šur.KI] / ⸢ki⸣-sít-ti ṣa-a-ti [šá du-rug-šú bal-til.KI] / ⸢GÌR⸣.NÍTA KÁ.DINGIR.RA.KI [...] / ⸢ta⸣-me-eḫ ṣer-⸢re⸣-[ti ...] / [RE.É].⸢UM⸣ ṣal-mat SAG.[DU ...] / [...]-i IGI [...] / [...] x [...]
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Esarhaddon, edited by Erle Leichty (RINAP 4, 2011). ORACC text Q003276.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P400437). 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/Q003276/.
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