Position in chronology
Esarhaddon 1008
Translation · reference
High confidence(1') [... and (my) victory] (and) my [conqu]est [I had written upon it and] I set (it) up [for all time for the admira]tion of [all (my) enemies]. (4') [Whoever takes away this stele from] its [p]lace [and erases my inscr]ibed [name and wri]tes [his name, cov]ers (it) [with dirt, throws (it) into water, burns (it) w]ith fire, [...]
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/Q003380/
Why it matters
Transliteration
[... ù li-i-tú ki-šit-ti] ⸢ŠU.II-ía?⸣ / [EDIN-uš-šú ú-šá-áš-ṭir-ma ana tab]-rat / [kiš-šat na-ki-ri ana ṣa-at u₄-me] ul-ziz / [šá NA₄.NA.RÚ.A šú-a-tú TA] ⸢áš⸣-ri-šú / [ú-nak-kar-u-ma šu-mì ša]-aṭ-ru / [i-pa-ši-ṭu-ma MU-šú i-šaṭ]-ṭa-ru / [lu-u ina e-pe-ri i-kàt]-ta-mu / [lu-u ina A.MEŠ i-nam-du-u lu-u] ⸢ina IZI⸣ / [...] (blank) [...]
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Esarhaddon, edited by Erle Leichty (RINAP 4, 2011). ORACC text Q003380.
Attribution
Image: Created by Erle Leichty, and the Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period (RINAP) Project, 2011. Lemmatized by Jamie Novotny, 2010. The annotated edition is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license 3.0. Please cite this page as http://oracc.org/rinap/Q003380/..
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/Q003380/.
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Related sources
The earliest historical document in human history. Before this, we have lists, accounts, and dedications. Here, for the first time, a ruler tells us what happened — with names, places, and consequences.
The oldest surviving law code in human history. The principle that the state — not the wronged family — defines and enforces justice begins here.
Not the first law code, but the most complete and the most famous. Inscribed on a black diorite stele over two meters tall, displayed in a public place — law made visible, law made monumental.