Position in chronology
SAA 04 010. Hostilities between Iškallu of Tabal and Mugallu of Melid (AGS 056a) [military and political]
Translation — scholar edition
SAA 4(1) Šamaš, gr[eat lo]rd, [give me a firm positive answer] to what I am as[king you]! (2) Will Iškallû the Tab[alean ......], who engaged in mutual hostilities with Mugallu the Me[lidean concerning ......] and the city Ištiar[u ......], (6) will the argument and quarrel which [they had......] (7) talk [......] (Break) (r 1) [Be present in this ram, place (in it) a firm positive answer, favorable designs, favorable, propitious] omens [by the oracular command of your great divinity, and may I see (them)]. (r 3) The middle of the 'station' is effaced ...[......]. (r 4) The 'finger' is thick…
State Archives of Assyria, volume 4 — scholar edition (ORACC).
Transliteration
dUTU ⸢EN GAL⸣-ú šá a-šal-⸢lu⸣-[ka an-na GI.NA a-pal-an-ni] / miš-kal-lu-ú LÚ.ta-⸢ba⸣-[la-a.a x x x x x x x x x x x] / šá KI mmu-gal-lu LÚ.mi-[li-da-a.a x x x x x x x x x x x x x] / ù URU.iš-ti-a-⸢ru*⸣ [x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x] / ṣal-ti a-ḫa-meš ig-[ru-ú x x x x x x x x x x x x x x] / dib-bi u ṣal-ti šá KI ⸢a⸣-[ḫa-meš x x x x x x x x x x x x x] / dib-bi i-⸢x⸣+[x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x…
Scholarly note
Extispicy query addressed to Šamaš, the sungod and patron of divination, edited by Ivan Starr (SAA 4, 1990). The king asks the deity to render a yes/no verdict on a political or military question. ORACC text P238971.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.earth/artifacts, P238971). source
Translation excerpted from Starr, I. 1990. Queries to the Sungod: Divination and Politics in Sargonid Assyria. SAA 4. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa04/P238971/.
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