Chapter 00 · 2000 – 1700 BCE
Old Assyrian
Aššur the merchant city — the great trade with Anatolia.
~1900 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Erišum I 07
“(1) Erišum (I), vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, son of Ilu-šūma, vice-regent of the god Aššur. (7) For (the god) Aššur, his lord, for his life, and the life of his city, he built the temple area of (the god) Aššur.”
Source: Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo), Munich Open-access Cuneiform Corpus Initiative (MOCCI), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; in association with the RINAP Project, University of Pennsylvania. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/Q005627/
Read the full tablet entry~1900 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Erišum I 08
“(1) Erišum (I), vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, son of Ilu-šūma, vice-regent of (the god) Aššur. (7) It was Erišum (I), vice-regent of the god Aššur, who built [(...)] for [his] life.”
Source: Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo), Munich Open-access Cuneiform Corpus Initiative (MOCCI), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; in association with the RINAP Project, University of Pennsylvania. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/Q005628/
Read the full tablet entry~1900 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Erišum I 09
“(1) Erišum (I), vice-regent of the god A[ššur], son of Ilu-[šūma], vice-regent of the god Aššur. (7) For his life, he built all of the temple area for the god Aššur, his lord.”
Source: Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo), Munich Open-access Cuneiform Corpus Initiative (MOCCI), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; in association with the RINAP Project, University of Pennsylvania. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/Q005629/
Read the full tablet entry~1900 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Erišum I 10
Erišum I consecrates the Aššur temple 'Wild Bull' by mixing ghee and honey into the mortar — one of the earliest Assyrian royal building inscriptions, and evidence that the ritual deposit of clay cones as dynastic markers was already standard practice c. 1900 BCE.
In plain English
Erišum, governor of the god Aššur and son of Ilu-šūma, who held the same office, records a pious building act: he prayed to Aššur, his lord, and had ghee and honey worked into every wall of the new temple, personally laying down a course of brick. He gave the building a name — 'Wild Bull'. After a gap in the text, he speaks to the future: someday a prince like himself will have to rebuild this temple when it grows worn and old. When that happens, Erišum asks, let him not tamper with the foundation peg — let him put it back exactly where it belongs.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(Obverse) [Eri]šum, vice-regent of the god [A]ššur, [son of Ilu-šū]ma, [vice-regent of the god A]ššur, [...] ... [...] ... He prayed to the god Aššur, his lord, and into every wall he had ghee and honey mixed, and I laid down a single course (of brick). The [temple] — 'Wild Bull' is its name. (Break) [...] ... [...] In the fut[ure], whatever prince, one like [me], who rebuilds [the temple] — if the tem[ple] becomes dilapi[dated] and gro[ws old], may he not disturb the (foundation) peg; [may he return] the peg to [its (proper) place].”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~1900 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Erišum I 11
“(i 1') (No translation possible) (ii 1') I cleared houses [from] the Sheep [Gate] to the People’s Gate. I fashioned two beer vats for the god Aššur, my lord. [I placed two] bronze duck figures, [each (weighing)] one talent, [at their] ba[se(s)]. (iii 1') (No translation possible) (iii 1'') (No translation possible)”
Source: Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo), Munich Open-access Cuneiform Corpus Initiative (MOCCI), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; in association with the RINAP Project, University of Pennsylvania. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/Q005631/
Read the full tablet entry~1900 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Erišum I 12
“(1) [Eri]šu[m (I), vice]-regent [of the god] Aššur, son of Ilu-šūma, built a temple for (the god) Aššur, his lord. (7) (No translation possible)”
Source: Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo), Munich Open-access Cuneiform Corpus Initiative (MOCCI), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; in association with the RINAP Project, University of Pennsylvania. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/Q005632/
Read the full tablet entry~1900 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Erišum I 13
“(1) Eriš[um (I)], vice-regent of the god Aššur, built the temple of the god Aššur. Moreover, he fashioned the two beer vats.”
Source: Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo), Munich Open-access Cuneiform Corpus Initiative (MOCCI), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; in association with the RINAP Project, University of Pennsylvania. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/Q005633/
Read the full tablet entry~1900 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Erišum I 14
“(1) Erišum (I), vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, son of Ilu-šūma, vice-regent of (the god) Aššur; Ilu-šūma (was) the son of Šalim-aḫum, vice-regent of (the god) Aššur; (and) Šalim-aḫum (was) the son of Puzur-Aššur (I), vice-regent of (the god) Aššur. (14) Erišum, vice-regent of (the god) Aššur: With the god Adad standing by me and for the god Adad, my lord, for my life, and the life of my city, I built the temple and its temple area. Moreover, I installed (its) doors. (27) (As for) the one who would remove th(is) tablet, may the gods Aššur, Adad, [and] Bēl, my god, destroy his [seed].”
Source: Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo), Munich Open-access Cuneiform Corpus Initiative (MOCCI), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; in association with the RINAP Project, University of Pennsylvania. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/Q005634/
Read the full tablet entry