Position in chronology
Sennacherib 161
Translation · reference
High confidence(1) [To (the god) Aššur], the king of the gods, the father of the gods, the lofty one, the creator, the great god, [the one who molds] the Igīgū and Anunnakū gods, the one who holds the lead-rope of the [great] heavens, (the) deep-hearted (one) who deliberates (only) with himself, the assiduous one, [the regu]lator, the one who decrees fates, the splendid one, the perfect one, (5) [the l]eader of absolutely everything, controller of the gods of heaven (and) netherworld; the exalted force that makes devastation come like the Deluge to the land where there is negligence (and) [har]dship, who…
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/Q003966/
Why it matters
Addresses Aššur as supreme regulator of fate and wielder of deluge-force against negligent lands — evidence that Sennacherib recast the Assyrian state god in cosmological terms to legitimise royal punishment campaigns.
Transliteration
[a-na AN.ŠÁR] LUGAL DINGIR.MEŠ AD DINGIR.MEŠ šá-qu-<u> ba-nu-u ⸢DINGIR GAL⸣ / [šá-pi-ik?] dí-gì-gì u da-nun-na-ki ta-me-eḫ ṣe-rat AN-e1 / [GAL.MEŠ?] ŠÀ ru-qu ma-lik ra-ma-ni-šú muš-te-eʾ-u2 / [pa]-⸢qí⸣-du mu-šim NAM.MEŠ šar-ḫu gít-ma-lu / [mu]-⸢ma⸣-ʾe-er kul-lat gim-ri sa-niq DINGIR.⸢MEŠ⸣ šu-ut AN KI / ⸢e⸣-mu-qí MAḪ.MEŠ šá a-na KUR a-šar e-ta-gu / [ma]-⸢ru⸣-uš-tu šak-na-at šu-us-pu-nu a-bu-biš /…
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Sennacherib, edited by A. Kirk Grayson & Jamie Novotny (RINAP 3, 2012–2014). ORACC text Q003966.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P384935). 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/Q003966/.
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