Position in chronology
Esarhaddon 011
Translation — scholar edition
RINAP 4(1) [Esarhaddon, ... king, ... kin]g of the world, king of Assyria, governor of Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad, [pious prince, humble, ... who] knows how [to revere] all of [the gods and goddess]es, [...] ... (1') [...] ... [...] (and) the immutable words from their l[ip]s [may they (Sîn and Šamaš) discuss with one another ...] (my) heart, [(my) reaching extreme old age, the abundanc]e of (my) offspring, the increase of my progeny, [...] ... [May they kill my enemies, flatten my enemies, cut down] my [foes, (and) allow me to stand] over my enemies in victory (and) triumph [so that] I may…
Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period, volume 4 — scholar edition (ORACC).
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Why it matters
Esarhaddon petitions Sîn and Šamaš jointly for long life, abundant heirs, and victory over enemies — placing the moon- and sun-gods at the centre of his dynastic theology in an era when Esarhaddon was aggressively rebuilding Babylon.
Transliteration
[mdaš-šur-ŠEŠ-SUM.NA LUGAL ...] ⸢LUGAL ŠÚ LUGAL⸣ KUR aš-šur.KI GÌR.⸢NÍTA⸣ KÁ.DINGIR.RA.KI LUGAL KUR EME.GI₇ u URI.KI / [NUN na-aʾ-du áš-ru ... ša pa-laḫ DINGIR.MEŠ u diš-ta]-⸢ri⸣ ka-la-ma i-du-ú / [...] x x (x) x1 / [...]-x-bat / [...] lìb-bi2 / [ka-šid lit-tu-ti šu]-⸢muḫ⸣ pe-er-ʾi šum-dul ⸢na⸣-an-⸢na-bi⸣ [...] x-KI / [li-tap-pa-lu a-ḫa-meš ...] x ⸢zi?-kir? šap?⸣-[te?]-e-šú-nu la šu-un-né-e3 /…
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Esarhaddon, edited by Erle Leichty (RINAP 4, 2011). ORACC text Q003240.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.earth/artifacts, P394643). 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/Q003240/.
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