Position in chronology
SAA 04 051. Will Kaštaritu or Dusanni Conquer Kilman? (PRT 007) [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 10th day of this month, Iyyar (II)], of this year, [to the 9th day of Sivan (III) of this year, 30 days and] nights, my stipulated term — (4) [within this stipulated term, should Esarhaddon, king of Assyria], strive and plan? Should he let [troops and horses] enter [the city Kilman which is at the mou]th of the pass of the city Sandu? [Is it pleasing to your great divinity? (6) If he should let troops and horses] enter the city Kilman, (7) [will Kaštaritu, city lord of Karkaššî, or…
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/P237461/
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-i UD 10-KÁM šá ITI an-ni-i ITI.GUD.SI.SÁ] šá MU.AN.NA an-ni-ti / [EN UD 09-KÁM šá ITI.SIG₄.GA šá MU.AN.NA an-ni-ti 30 UD-MEŠ] ⸢30⸣ MI-MEŠ ši-kin a-dan-ni-ia / [i-na ši-kin a-dan-ni šu-a-tú mAN.ŠÁR—ŠEŠ—SUM-na LUGAL KUR—AN.ŠÁR] ⸢li⸣-iṣ-rim lik-píd-ma / [x x x x x x x a-na URU.ki-il-man ša ina pi]-⸢i⸣ né-ri-bi šá URU.sa-an-du…
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 P237461.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P237461). 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/P237461/.
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