Position in chronology
SAA 04 023. Will Scythians Invade Assyria through Passes of Hubuškia? (AGS 035) [military and political]
Translation · reference
High confidence(1) [Šamaš, great lord, give me a firm positive answer to what I am asking you]! (2) [From this day, the 22nd day of this month, Sivan (III), to the 21st day of the following month, Tammuz (IV), of this year, for 30 days and nights], the stip[ulated term for the performance of (this) extispicy — within this stipulated term], (5) will the troops of the S[cyth]ia[ns, which have been staying in the district of Mannea and which are (now) moving out from the territory] of Mannea, strive and plan? (6) Will they move out and go through the passes [of Hubuškia] to the city Harrania (and) the city…
Source: 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/P336050/
Why it matters
Transliteration
[dUTU EN GAL-ú šá a-šal-lu-ka an-na GI.NA a-pal-an-ni] / [TA UD an-ni-e UD 22-KÁM šá ITI an-ni-e ITI.SIG₄ a-di UD 21-KÁM] / [šá ITI TU-ba ITI.ŠU šá MU.AN.NA an-ni-ti 30 UD-MEŠ 30 MI-MEŠ] / ši-[kin a-dan-ni DÙ-ti ba-ru-ti i-na ši-kin a-dan-ni šu-a-tú] / LÚ.ERIM-MEŠ ⸢iš⸣-ku-[za-a.a šá i-na na-gi-i šá KUR.man-na-a.a áš-bu-ma TA UGU ta-ḫu-me] / [šá] KUR.man-na-a.a DU-MEŠ-ku i-ṣar-⸢ri-mu-u…
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 P336050.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P336050). 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/P336050/.
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