Sumerian·Book

Position in chronology

Sennacherib 139

~695 BCE·Neo-Assyrian·Q003944

Translation · reference

High confidence
(i' 1') [...] ... [...] he (Ispabāra) fl[ed far awa]y. I overwhel[med all of his wide land] like a fog. [I surrounded, conquered, destroyed, devastated, (and) bur]ned [with fire the cities Mar­u­biš­tu (and) Ak]­kud­du, cities of [his] ro[yal] house, [together with thirty-four small(er) settlements] in [their] environs. (i' 6'b) I carrie[d off] people, young (and) [old, male and female, horses], mules, donkey[s, camels, oxen, and sh]eep and goats without number, [and (then) I brought him (Ispabāra) to nought and] made [his land] smaller. [...]

Source: Grayson, A.K. & Novotny, J. 2012–2014. The Royal Inscriptions of Sennacherib, King of Assyria (704–681 BC). RINAP 3. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap3/Q003944/

Why it matters

Chronicles Sennacherib's campaign against the Ellipi king Ispabāra — destruction of Marubištu and Akkuddu, deportation of populations, seizure of livestock — documenting Assyrian methods of provincial subjugation on the Zagros frontier ca. 695 BCE.

Transliteration

[...] x x x x [...] / [a-na ru-qé-e]-⸢ti⸣ in-na-[bit gim-ri KUR-šú] / [DAGAL-tim] ⸢GIM⸣ MURU₉ as-⸢ḫu⸣-[up URU.mar-ú-biš-ti] / [URU.ak]-⸢ku⸣-du URU.MEŠ É ⸢LUGAL⸣-[ti-šú a-di 34]1 / [URU.MEŠ TUR].⸢MEŠ⸣ ša li-me-⸢ti⸣-[šú-nu al-me KUR-ud ap-pul aq-qur] / [i-na dGIŠ.BAR aq]-⸢mu⸣ UN.MEŠ TUR [GAL NITA u MUNUS] / [ANŠE.KUR.RA.MEŠ] ⸢ANŠE⸣.KUNGA.MEŠ ANŠE.[MEŠ ANŠE.GAM.MAL.MEŠ] / [GU₄.MEŠ ù US₅].⸢UDU⸣.ḪI.A la mi-nam áš-lu-[lam-ma a-di la ba-ši-i]2 / [ú-šá-lik-šu-ma] ⸢ú⸣-ṣa-ḫir [KUR-su] / [...] x [...]

Scholarly note

Royal inscription of Sennacherib, edited by A. Kirk Grayson & Jamie Novotny (RINAP 3, 2012–2014). ORACC text Q003944.

Attribution

Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P424529). source
Translation excerpted from Grayson, A.K. & Novotny, J. 2012–2014. The Royal Inscriptions of Sennacherib, King of Assyria (704–681 BC). RINAP 3. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap3/Q003944/.

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