Position in chronology
Tiglath-pileser III 19
Translation · reference
High confidenceContinued from text no. 18 (1) which is in midst of the land Muṣurni[..., ...] their sons, their daughters, [their] fam[ily, ...] I cut off [their hands] and I [released] (them) in their (own) land. [I carried off ...] horses, mules, [...]. (5) I destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire [...]. I captured, destroyed, devastated, (and) [burned] with fire [...]. I captured (and) defeated him ... [...] After gap, continued in text no. 20
Source: Tadmor, H. & Yamada, S. 2011. The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III (744–727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726–722 BC), Kings of Assyria. RINAP 1. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap1/Q003432/
Why it matters
Transliteration
ša i-na MURUB₄ KUR.mu-ṣur-ni-[...] / DUMU.MEŠ-šú-nu DUMU.MUNUS.MEŠ-šú-nu kim-[ta-šú-nu? ...]1 / ú-bat-ti-iq-ma ina KUR-šú-nu ⸢ú⸣-[maš-šir ...] / ANŠE.KUR.RA.MEŠ ANŠE.GÌR.NUN.<NA>.MEŠ [...] / ap-pul aq-qur ina IZI áš-ru-⸢up⸣ [...] / ak-šud ap-pul aq-qur ina ⸢IZI⸣ [áš-ru-up ...] / ak-šud di-ik-ta-šu a-⸢duk⸣ x [...]
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Tiglath-pileser III or Shalmaneser V, edited by Hayim Tadmor & Shigeo Yamada (RINAP 1, 2011). ORACC text Q003432.
Attribution
Image: Created by Hayim Tadmor, Shigeo Yamada, Jamie Novotny, and the Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period (RINAP) Project, 2011. Lemmatized by Jamie Novotny, 2010, for the NEH-funded RINAP Project at the University of Pennsylvania. The annotated edition is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license 3.0. Please cite this page as http://oracc.org/rinap/Q003432/..
Translation excerpted from Tadmor, H. & Yamada, S. 2011. The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III (744–727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726–722 BC), Kings of Assyria. RINAP 1. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap1/Q003432/.
Related tablets
Related sources
The earliest historical document in human history. Before this, we have lists, accounts, and dedications. Here, for the first time, a ruler tells us what happened — with names, places, and consequences.
The oldest surviving law code in human history. The principle that the state — not the wronged family — defines and enforces justice begins here.
Not the first law code, but the most complete and the most famous. Inscribed on a black diorite stele over two meters tall, displayed in a public place — law made visible, law made monumental.