Category Archives: Babylon

Third Year of Neriglissar (ABC 6)

from A.K. Grayson, Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles (1975) and Jean-Jacques Glassner, Mesopotamian Chronicles (Atlanta, 2004).

An Anatolian fort, on an Assyrian relief from Nimrod (Louvre)

The Chronicle Concerning Year Three of Neriglissar (ABC 6) is one of the historiographical texts from ancient Babylonia. It deals with king Neriglissar (= Nergal-šarra-usur) and his war in the far west in 557/556 BCE. Unlike other chronicles, this text is very rich in detail.

This chronicle, like Chronicles 2, 4, 9, and 15, is inscribed on a tablet, BM 25124 (98-2-16, 178), which has the shape of a Neo-Babylonian business tablet. It measures 58 mm wide and 46 mm long. There are only minor lacunae in the tablet.

Translation

1 The third year (557/556): on the Nth day of the month […], Appuašu, the king of Pirindu,

2 mustered a large army and set out^[3] to plunder and sack

3 Syria. Neriglissar

4 mustered his army and marched to Hume [Cilicia] to oppose him.

5 Before his arrival Appuašu placed^[7]

6 the army and cavalry which he had organized

7 in a mountain valley ambush.

8 When Neriglissar reached them he inflicted a defeat upon them

9 and conquered the large army. The army and numerous horses

10 he captured. He pursued^[12] Appuašu

11 for a distance of fifteen double-hours and marched through difficult mountains, where men must walk in single file,

12 as far as Ura, the royal city.

13 He captured him, seized Ura, and sacked it.

14 [Erasure]

15-17 When he had marched for a distance of six double hours through rough mountains and difficult passes, from Ura to Kirši -his forefather’s royal city-

18 he captured Kirši, the mighty city, his royal metropolis.

19 He burnt its wall, its palace, and its people.

20 Pitusu, a land in the midst of the ocean,

21 and six thousand combat troops who were stationed in it

22 he captured by means of boats. He destroyed their city

23 and captured their people. In that same year from the pass

24 of Sallune to the border

25 of Lydia he started fires. Appuašu

26 fled, so he did not capture him. In the month of Addaru the king of Akkad

27 went home.

Contract for Marriage, Thirteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar II, 591 B.C.

This contract is dated at Babylon, in the thirteenth year of the Biblical Nebuchadnezzar, and is an example of marriage by purchase—a form of marriage which had practically fallen into disuse at this time.

Dagil-ili, son of Zambubu, spoke to Khamma,

daughter of Nergal-iddin, son of Babutu, saying:

“Give me Latubashinni your daughter; let her be my wife.”

Khamma heard, and gave him Latubashinni, her daughter, as a wife;

and Dagil-ili, of his own free-will,

gave Ana-eli-Bel-amur, a slave,

which he had bought for half a mana of money,

and half a mana therewith to Khamma

instead of Latubashinni, her daughter.

On the day that Dagil-ili another wife shall take,

Dagil-ili shall give one mana of money unto Latubashinni,

and she shall return to her place—her former one.

(Done) at the dwelling of Shum-iddin,

son of Ishi-etir, son of Sin-damaqu.

————————————————————————————————–

Contract for the Sale of a Slave, Eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar II, 597 B.C.

This tablet affords a good example of the sale of a slave. In this case the persons who sell guarantee that the slave will neither become insubordinate, nor prove to be subject to any governmental claims, nor prove to have been emancipated by adoption. The word rendered “emancipation” means literally “adoption,” but adoption by a freeman was an early form of emancipation. This sale is from the reign of the Nebuchadnezzar of Biblical fame, dating from 597 B.C.

SHAMASH-UBALLIT and Ubartum,

children of Zakir, the son of Pashi-ummani,

of their free-will have delivered Nanakirat

and her unsveaned son, their slave,

for nineteen shekels of money,

for the price agreed, unto Kaçir and Nadin-Marduk,

sons of Iqisha-aplu, son of Nur-Sin.

Shamash-uballit and Ubartum guarantee against insubordination,

the claim of the royal service, and emancipation.

Witnesses: Na’id-Marduk, son of Nabu-nacir,

son of Dabibi; Bel-shum-ishkun, son of Marduk-zir-epish, son of Irani;

Nabu-ushallim, son of Bel-akhi-iddin, son of Bel-apal-uçur.

In the dwelling of Damqa, their mother.

And the scribe, Nur-Ea, son of Ina-Isaggil-ziri, son of Nur-Sin.

Babylon, twenty-first of Kisilimu,

eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon.

Contract for a Partnership, Thirty-sixth year of Nebuchadnezzar II, 568 B.C.

Nabu-akhi-iddin was an investor—a member of the great Egibi family. He contributed four manas of capital to this enterprise, while Bel-shunu, who was to carry on the business, contributed one half mana and seven shekels, whatever property he might have, and his time. His expenses in the conduct of the business up to four shekels may be paid from the common funds.

Two manas of money belonging to Nabu-akhi-iddin,

son of Shula, son of Egibi,

and one half mana seven shekels of money

belonging to Bel-shunu, son of Bel-akhi-iddin,

Son of Sin-emuq, they have put into a copartnership with one another.

Whatever remains to Bel-shunu in town or country over and above,

becomes their common property.

Whatever Bel-shunu spends for expenses in excess of four shekels of money

shall be considered extravagant.

(The contract is witnessed by three men and a scribe,

and is dated at) Babylon, first of Ab, in the thirty-sixth year of Nebuchadnezzar.

Contract for a Partnership, Fortieth year of Nebuchadnezzar II, 564 B.C.

From this document we learn that Iddin-Marduk and Nabu-ukin formed a copartnership in the month Tebet, of Nebuchadnezzar’s fortieth year. A year from that date each of the partners drew out twenty shekels. In the month Ulul of the next year a number of small amounts were delivered to Iddin-Marduk for various specific purposes, and a larger amount, perhaps in payment of an obligation of the firm, was paid to two other men.

Memorandum of the shares of Iddin-Marduk and Nabu-ukin,

from the month Tebet, of the fortieth year of Nebuchadnezzar,

King of Babylon, unto the month Markheswan, of the forty-second year.

One third mana of money Iddin-Marduk drew on his account

in the month Tebet, of the forty-first year.

One third mana of money Nabu-ukin drew on his account

in the month Tebet, of the forty-first year.

Fifteen shekels of Nabu-ukin’s money, coined in shekel pieces,

from ______ was given to Iddin-Marduk

for the house of Limniya on the fifteenth of Ulul, of the forty-second year;

a fourth shekel of coined money,

which was for a nutu-skin, given into the same hands.

One half shekel of money was given for palipi naskhapu;

one third of a shekel of money was given into the same hands for beef;

two giri of money was given for meat;

one shekel of money was given for Lisi-nuri;

two shekels of money, which was for Karia, was given into the same hands.

City of _____, Markheswan ______.

One mana fifty shekels are counted into the possession

of Lishiru and Bunini-epish.

Contract for Loan of Money, Sixth year of Nebuchadnezzar II, 598 B.C.

The rate of interest in this case was thirteen and one-third per cent.

One mana of money, a sum belonging to Dan-Marduk,

son of Apla, son of the Dagger-wearer,

(is loaned) unto Kudurru, son of Iqisha-apla, son of Egibi.

Yearly the amount of the mana shall increase its sum by eight shekels of money.

Whatever he has in city or country,

as much as it may be, is pledged to Dan-Marduk.

(The date is) Babylon, Adar fourth, in Nebuchadnezzar’s sixth year.

————————————————————————————————–

(Nebuchadnezzar II) Dedicatory Inscription on the Ishtar Gate, Babylon

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue…mixed-breed demigods in teal)

TRANSLATION
(Adapted from Marzahn 1995:29-30)

Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, the faithful prince appointed by the will of Marduk,

(Nebuchadnezzar II, mixed-breed giant appointed to kingship by Marduk, patron god of Babylon)

the highest of princely princes, beloved of Nabu (Marduk’s 3rd son), of prudent counsel,

who has learned to embrace wisdom, who fathomed their divine being and reveres their majesty,

(Marduk’s son Nabu in museum, now shamefully destroyed by uneducated Radical Islam!)

the untiring governor, who always takes to heart the care of the cult of Esagila and Ezida

(Babylon drawing; Borsippa ruins)

and is constantly concerned with the well-being of Babylon and Borsippa,

(E-sagila drawing; E-zida ruins)

the wise, the humble, the caretaker of Esagila (Marduk’s residence) and Ezida (Nabu’s residence),

the firstborn son of Nabopolassar, the King of Babylon.

Both gate entrances of Imgur-Ellil and Nemetti-Ellil —

following the filling of the street from Babylon—had become increasingly lower.

Therefore, I pulled down these gates and laid their foundations at the water-table with asphalt and bricks

(Nebuchadnezzar’s “Ishtar Gate” of lapis-lazuli, a blue-hued gem-stone)

and had them made of bricks with blue stone on which wonderful bulls and dragons were depicted.

I covered their roofs by laying majestic cedars length-wise over them.

I hung doors of cedar adorned with bronze at all the gate openings.

I placed wild bulls and ferocious dragons in the gateways and thus adorned them with luxurious splendor

so that people might gaze on them in wonder I let the temple of Esiskursiskur

(the highest festival house of Markduk, the Lord of the Gods—

a place of joy and celebration for the major and minor gods)

(ancient precinct of Babylon; mud-brick-built ziggurats inside mud-brick-built cities of Mesopotamia)

be built firm like a mountain in the precinct of Babylon of asphalt and fired bricks.

(far stronger bricks than our best bricks today, lasting thousands of years, not hundreds of years!)

(Nebuchadnezzar II’s inscription of this text on the gate of Babylon, known as “Gate of Ishtar“)

DESCRIPTION
Language:	Akkadian
Medium:	glazed brick
Size:	c. 15 meters high c. 10 meters wide
Length:	60 lines of writing
Genre:	Dedication Inscription
Dedicator:	Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylonia (reigned 605—562 BCE)
Approximate Date:	600 BCE
Place of Discovery:	Babylon (near modern Baghdad, Iraq)
Date of Excavation:	1899—1914
Current Location:

Inscription of Nebuchadnezzar II

Text Source:

Library collection: “World’s Greatest Literature”
Published work: “Babylonian and Assyrian Literature”
Translator: Rev. J. M. Rodwell, M.A.
Publisher: P. F. Collier & Son, New York
Copyright: Colonial Press, 1901

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue)

The reign of Nebuchadnezzar extended from B.C. 604 to 561. In B.C. 598 he laid siege to Jerusalem (2 Kings xxiv.) and made Jehoiachin prisoner, and in 588 again captured the city, and carried Zedekiah, who had rebelled against him, captive to Babylon (2 Kings xxv.). Josephus gives an account of his expeditions against Tyre and Egypt, which are also mentioned with many details in Ezek. xxvii.-xxix.

The name Nebuchadnezzar, or more accurately Nebuchadrezzar (Jer. xxi. 2, 7, etc.), is derived from the Jewish Scriptures. But in the inscriptions it reads Nebo-kudurri-ussur, i.e., “may Nebo protect the crown”; a name analogous to that of his father Nebo(Nabu)-habal-ussur. (“Nebo protect the son”) and to that of Belshazzar, i.e., “Bel protect the prince.” The inscriptions of which a translation follows was found at Babylon by Sir Harford Jones Bridges, and now forms part of the India House Collection. It is engraved on a short column of black basalt, and is divided into ten columns, containing 619 lines.

It may be worth while to remark that in the name given to the prophet Daniel, Belteshazzar, i.e., Balat-su-ussur (“preserve thou his life”), and in Abednego (“servant of Nebo“), we have two of the component parts of the name of Nebuchadnezzar himself.

Column 1

[1.1] Nebuchadnezzar

[1.2] King of Babylon,

[1.3] glorious Prince,

[1.4] worshipper of Marduk,

[1.5] adorer of the lofty one,

[1.6] glorifier of Nabu,

[1.7] the exalted, the possessor of intelligence,

[1.8] who the processions of their divinitie

[1.9] hath increased;

[1.10] a worshipper of their Lordships,

[1.11] firm, not to be destroyed;

[1.12] who for the embellishment

[1.13] of Bit-Saggatu and Bit-Zida
[1.14] appointed days hath set apart, and
[1.15] the shrines of Babylon
[1.16] and of Borsippa
[1.17] hath steadily increased;
[1.18] exalted Chief, Lord of peace,
[1.19] embellisher of Bit-Saggatu and Bit-Zida,
[1.20] the valiant son
[1.21] of Nabopolassar
[1.22] King of Babylon am I.

[1.23] When he, the Lord god my maker made me,
[1.24] the god Merodach (Marduk), he deposited
[1.25] my seed in my mother’s (womb):
[1.26] then being conceived
[1.27] I was made.
[1.28] Under the inspection of Assur (Osiris) my judge
[1.29] the processions of the god I enlarged,
[1.30] (namely) of Merodach great Lord, the god my maker.
[1.31] His skilful works
[1.32] highly have I glorified;
[1.33] and of Nebo (Nabu) his eldest son (3rd son)
[1.34] exalter of My Royalty
[1.35] the processions (in honor of) his exalted deity
[1.36] I firmly established.
[1.37] With all my heart firmly
[1.38] (in) worship of their deities I uprose
[1.39] in reverence for Nebo their Lord.

[1.40] Whereas Merodach, great Lord,
[1.41] the head of My ancient Royalty,

[1.42] hath empowered me over multitudes of men,

[1.43] and (whereas) Nebo bestower of thrones in heaven and earth,

[1.44] for the sustentation of men,

[1.45] a scepter of righteousness

[1.46] hath caused my hand to hold;

[1.47] now I, that sacred way

[1.48] for the resting-place of their divinities,

[1.49] for a memorial of all their names,

[1.50] as a worshipper of Nebo (Nabu), Yav (Adad) and Istar (Inanna),

[1.51] for Merodach (Marduk) my Lord I strengthened.

[1.52] Its threshold I firmly laid, and

[1.53] my devotion of heart he accepted, and

[1.54] him did I proclaim

[1.55] . . . Lord of all beings, and

[1.56] as Prince of the lofty house, and

[1.57] thou, (O Nebuchadnezzar) hast proclaimed the name of him

[1.58] who has been beneficent unto thee.

[1.59] His name, (O god,) thou wilt preserve,

[1.60] the path of righteousness thou hast prescribed to him.

[1.61] I, a Prince, and thy worshipper

[1.62] am the work of thy hand;

[1.63] thou hast created me, and

[1.64] the empire over multitudes of men

[1.65] thou hast assigned me,

[1.66] according to thy favor, O Lord,

[1.67] which thou hast accorded

[1.68] to them all.

[1.69] May thy lofty Lordship be exalted!

[1.70] in the worship of thy divinity

[1.71] may it subsist! in my heart

[1.72] may it continue, and my life which to thee is devoted

(Continued on Column 2)

Column 2

[2.1] mayest thou bless!

[2.2] He, the Chief, the honorable,

[2.3] the Prince of the gods, the great Merodach,

[2.4] my gracious Lord, heard

[2.5] and received my prayer;

[2.6] he favored it, and by his exalted power,

[2.7] reverence for his deity

[2.8] placed he in my heart:

[2.9] to bear his tabernacle

[2.10] he hath made my heart firm,

[2.11] with reverence for thy power,

[2.12] for exalted service,

[2.13] greatly and eternally.

[2.14] The foundation of his temple it was

[2.15] which from the upper waters

[2.16] to the lower waters

[2.17] in a remote way,

[2.18] in a spot exposed to winds,

[2.19] in a place whose pavements had been broken,

[2.20] low, dried up,

[2.21] a rugged way,

[2.22] a difficult path,

[2.23] I extended.

[2.24] The disobedient I stirred up,

[2.25] and I collected the poor and

[2.26] gave full directions (for the work) and

[2.27] in numbers I supported them.

[2.28] Wares and ornaments

[2.29] for the women I brought forth,

[2.30] silver, molten gold, precious stones,

[2.31] metal, umritgana and cedar woods,

[2.32] (however their names be written)

[2.33] a splendid abundance,

[2.34] the produce of mountains,

[2.35] sea clay,

[2.36] beautiful things in abundance,

[2.37] riches and sources of joy,

[2.38] for my city Babylon,

[2.39] into his presence have I brought

[2.40] for Bit-Saggatu

[2.41] the temple of his power,

[2.42] ornaments for Dakan (Dagan)

[2.43] Bit-Kua, the shrine

[2.44] of Merodach, Lord of the house of the gods,

[2.45] I have made conspicuous with fine linen

[2.46] and its seats

[2.47] with splendid gold,

[2.48] as for royalty and deity,

[2.49] with lapis lazuli and alabaster blocks

[2.50] I carefully covered them over;

[2.51] a gate of passage, the gate Beautiful,

[2.52] and the gate of Bit-Zida and Bit-Saggatu

[2.53] I caused to be made brilliant as the sun.

[2.54] A fulness of the treasures of countries I accumulated;

[2.55] around the city it was placed as an ornament,

[2.56] when at the festival of Lilmuku at the beginning of the year,

[2.57] on the eighth day (and) eleventh day,

[2.58] the divine Prince, Deity of heaven and earth, the Lord god,

[2.59] they raised within it.

[2.60] (The statue) of the god El (Nannar / Sin), the beauty of the sphere,

[2.61] reverently they bring;

[2.62] treasure have they displayed before it,

[2.63] a monument to lasting days,

[2.64] a monument of my life.

[2.65] They also placed within it

(Continued on Column 3)

Column 3

[3.1] his altar, an altar of Royalty;

[3.2] an altar of Lordship,

[3.3] (for) the Chief of the gods, the Prince Merodach,

[3.4] whose fashion the former Prince

[3.5] had fashioned in silver,

[3.6] with bright gold accurately weighed out

[3.7] I overlaid.

[3.8] Beautiful things for the temple Bit-Saggatu

[3.9] seen at its very summit,

[3.10] the shrine of Merodach, with statues and marbles

[3.11] I embellished

[3.12] as the stars of heaven.

[3.13] The fanes of Babylon

[3.14] I built, I adorned.

[3.15] Of the house, the foundation of the heaven and earth,

[3.16] I reared the summit

[3.17] with blocks of noble lapis lazuli:

[3.18] to the construction of Bit-Saggatu

[3.19] my heart uplifted me;

[3.20] in abundance I wrought

[3.21] the best of my pine trees

[3.22] which from Lebanon

[3.23] together with tall Babil-wood I brought,

[3.24] for the portico of the temple of Merodach:

[3.25] the shrine of his Lordship

[3.26] I made good, and interior walls

[3.27] with pine and tall cedar woods:

[3.28] the portico of the temple of Merodach,

[3.29] with brilliant gold I caused to cover,

[3.30] the lower thresholds, the cedar awnings,

[3.31] with gold and precious stones

[3.32] I embellished:

[3.33] in the erection of Bit-Saggatu

[3.34] I proceeded: I supplicated

[3.35] the King of gods, the Lord of Lords:

[3.36] in Borsippa, the city of his loftiness,

[3.37, 38] I raised Bit-Zida: a durable house

[3.39] in the midst thereof I caused to be made.

[3.40] With silver, gold, precious stones,

[3.41] bronze, ummakana and pine woods,

[3.42] those thresholds I completed:

[3.43] the pine wood portico

[3.44] of the shrine of Nebo

[3.45] with gold I caused to cover,

[3.46] the pine wood portico of the gate of the temple of Merodach

[3.47] I caused to overlay with bright silver.

[3.48] The bulls and columns of the gate of the shrine

[3.49] the thresholds, the sigari of ri-wood, conduits

[3.50] of Babnaku wood and their statues

[3.51] with cedar wood awnings

[3.52] of lofty building,

[3.53] and silver, I adorned.

[3.54] The avenues of the shrine

[3.55] and the approach to the house,

[3.56] of conspicuous brick

[3.57] sanctuaries in its midst

[3.58] with perforated silver work.

[3.59] Bulls, columns, doorways,

[3.60, 61] in marble beautifully I built;

[3.62, 63] I erected a shrine and with rows

[3.64] of wreathed work I filled it:

[3.65] the fanes of Barsippa

[3.66] I made and embellished:

[3.67] the temple of the seven spheres

[3.68] . . .

[3.69] with bricks of noble lapis lazuli

[3.70] I reared its summit:

[3.71] the tabernacle of Nahr-kanul

[3.72] the chariot of his greatness

(Continued on Column 4)

Column 4

[4.1] the tabernacle, the shrine Lilmuku,

[4.2] the festival of Babylon,

[4.3, 4] his pageant of dignity

[4.5] within it, I caused to decorate

[4.6] with beryls and stones.

[4.7] A temple for sacrifices, the lofty citadel

[4.8] of Bel (Enlil) and Merodach (Marduk), god of gods,

[4.9] a threshold of joy and supremacy

[4.10] among angels and spirits,

[4.11] with the stores of Babylon,

[4.12] with cement and brick,

[4.13] like a mountain I erected.

[4.14] A great temple of Ninharissi (Ninhursag)

[4.15] in the center of Babylon

[4.16] to the great goddess the mother who created me,

[4.17] in Babylon I made.

[4.18] To Nebo (Nabu) of lofty intelligence

[4.19] who hath bestowed (on me) the scepter of justice,

[4.20] to preside over all peoples,

[4.21] a temple of rule over men, and a site for this his temple

[4.22, 23] in Babylon, of cement and brick

[4.24] the fashion I fashioned.

[4.25, 26] To the Moon-god (Nannar / Sin), the strengthener of my hands

[4.27] a large house of alabaster as his temple

[4.28] in Babylon I made.

[4.29] To the sun, the judge supreme

[4.30] who perfects good in my body,

[4.31] a house for that guide of men, even his house,

[4.32, 33] in Babylon, of cement and brick,

[4.34] skilfully did I make.

[4.35] To the god Yav (Adad), establisher of fertility

[4.36] in my land, Bit-Numkan as his temple

[4.37] in Babylon I built.

[4.38] To the goddess Gula (Bau), the regulator

[4.39] and benefactress of my life,

[4.40] Bit-Samit, and Bit-haris the lofty,

[4.41, 42] as fanes in Babylon, in cement and brick

[4.43] strongly did I build.

[4.44] To the divine Lady of Bit Anna,

[4.45] my gracious mistress,

[4.46] Bit-Kiku in front of her house

[4.47] so as to strengthen the wall of Babylon

[4.48] I skilfully constructed.

[4.49, 50] To Ninip (Ninurta) the breaker of the sword of my foes

[4.51] a temple in Borsippa I made;

[4.52]and to the Lady Gula

[4.53] the beautifier of my person

[4.54] Bit-Gula, Bit-Tila, Bit-Ziba-Tila,

[4.55] her three temples

[4.56] in Borsippa I erected:

[4.57] to the god Yav (Adad) who confers

[4.58] the fertilizing rain upon my land,

[4.59, 60] his house (also) in Borsippa I strongly built:

[4.61] to the Moon-god who upholds

[4.62] the fulness of my prosperity

[4.63] Bit-ti-Anna as his temple,

[4.64] on the mound near Bit-Ziba

[4.65] I beautifully constructed:

[4.66, 67] Imgur-Bel and Nimetti-Belkit

[4.68] the great walls of Babylon,

[4.69] . . . I built,

[4.70] which Nabopolassar

[4.71] King, King of Babylon, the father who begat me,

[4.72] had commenced but not completed their beauty

(Continued on Column 5)

Column 5

[5.1] Its fosse he dug

[5.2] and of two high embankments

[5.3] in cement and brick

[5.4] he finished the mass:

[5.5, 6] an embankment for pathways he made,

[5.7, 8] Buttresses of brick beyond the Euphrates

[5.9, 10] he constructed, but did not complete:

[5.11, 12] the rest from . . .

[5.13] the best of their lands I accumulated:

[5.14] a place for sacrifice, as ornament,

[5.15, 16] as far as Aibur-sabu near Babylon

[5.17] opposite the principal gate

[5.18] with brick and durmina-turda stone

[5.19] as a shrine of the great Lord, the god Merodach

[5.20] I built as a house for processions.

[5.21, 22] I his eldest son, the chosen of his heart,

[5.23, 24] Imgur-Bel and Nimetti-Bel

[5.25, 26] the great walls of Babylon, completed:

[5.27] buttresses for the embankment of its fosse,

[5.28] and two long embankments

[5.29] with cement and brick I built, and

[5.30] with the embankment my father had made

[5.31, 32] I joined them; and to the city for protection

[5.33, 34] I brought near an embankment of enclosure

[5.35] beyond the river, westward.

[5.36] The wall of Babylon

[5.37, 38] I carried round Aibur-sabu

[5.39] in the vicinity of Babylon:

[5.40] for a shrine of the great Lord Merodach

[5.41, 42] the whole enclosure I filled (with buildings)

[5.43] with brick made of kamina-turda stone

[5.44] and brick of stone cut out of mountains.

[5.45, 46] Aibur-sabu from the High gate,

[5.47, 48] as far as Istar-Sakipat I made,

[5.49, 50] for a shrine for his divinity I made good,

[5.51] and with what my father had made

[5.52, 53] I joined, and built it;

[5.54, 55, 56] and the access to Istar-Sakipat I made,

[5.57, 58] which is Imgur-Bel and Nimetti-Bel,

[5.59] the great gates, the whole temple of the gods

[5.60, 61] in completeness near to Babylon

[5.62] I brought down;

[5.63, 64] the materials of those great gates

[5.65] I put together and

(Continued on Column 6)

Column 6

[6.1] their foundations opposite to the waters

[6.2, 3] in cement and brick I founded,

[6.4] and of strong stone of zamat-hati,

[6.5] bulls and images,

[6.6] the building of its interior

[6.7] skilfully I constructed:

[6.8, 9, 10] tall cedars for their porticos I arranged,

[6.11] ikki wood, cedar wood,

[6.12] with coverings of copper,

[6.13] on domes and arches:

[6.14, 15] work in bronze I overlaid substantially on its gates,

[6.16, 17] bulls of strong bronze and molten images

[6.18] for their thresholds, strongly.

[6.19] Those large gates

[6.20] for the admiration of multitudes of men

[6.21] with wreathed work I filled:

[6.22] the abode of Imzu-Bel

[6.23] the invincible castle of Babylon,

[6.24] which no previous King had effected,

[6.25] 4,000 cubits complete,

[6.26] the walls of Babylon

[6.27] whose banner is invincible,

[6.28] as a high fortress by the ford of the rising sun,

[6.29] I carried round Babylon.

[6.30] Its fosse I dug and its mass

[6.31] with cement and brick

[6.32, 33] I reared up and a tall tower at its side

[6.34] like a mountain I built.

[6.35, 36] The great gates whose walls I constructed

[6.37] with ikki and pine woods and coverings of copper

[6.38] I overlaid them,

[6.39] to keep off enemies from the front

[6.40] of the wall of unconquered Babylon.

[6.41, 42] Great waters like the might of the sea

[6.43] I brought near in abundance

[6.44] and their passing by

[6.45] was like the passing by of the great billows

[6.46] of the Western ocean:

[6.47, 48] passages through them were none,

[6.49, 50] but heaps of earth I heaped up,

[6.51] and embankments of brickwork

[6.52] I caused to be constructed.

[6.53, 54] The fortresses I skilfully strengthened

[6.55] and the city of Babylon

[6.56] I fitted to be a treasure-city.

[6.57] The handsome pile

[6.58, 59] the fort of Borsippa I made anew:

[6.60, 61] its fosse I dug out and in cement and brick

[6.62] I reared up its mass

[6.63] Nebuchadnezzar

(Continued on Column 7)

Column 7

[7.1] King of Babylon

[7.2] whom Merodach, the Sun, the great Lord,

[7.3] for the holy places of his city

[7.4] Babylon hath called, am I:

[7.5] and Bit-Saggatu and Bit-Zida

[7.6] like the radiance of the Sun I restored:

[7.7] the fanes of the great gods

[7.8] I completely brightened.

[7.9] At former dates from the days of old

[7.10] to the days . . .

[7.11] of Nabopolassar King of Babylon

[7.12] the exalted father who begat me,

[7.13] many a Prince who preceded me

[7.14, 15] whose names El (Nannar / Sin) had proclaimed for royalty

[7.16] for the city, my city, the festivals of these gods

[7.17] in the perfected places

[7.18] a princely temple, a large temple did they make

[7.19] and erected it as their dwelling-places.

[7.20, 21] Their spoils in the midst they accumulated,

[7.22] they heaped up, and their treasures

[7.23] for the festival Lilmuku

[7.24] of the good Lord, Merodach god of gods

[7.25] they transferred into the midst of Babylon;

[7.26, 27] when at length Merodach who made me for royalty

[7.28] and the god Nebo (Nabu) his mighty son,

[7.29] committed his people to me

[7.30] as precious lives.

[7.31] Highly have I exalted their cities;

[7.32] (but) above Babylon and Borsippa

[7.33] I have not added a city

[7.34] in the realm of Babylonia

[7.35] as a city of my lofty foundation.

[7.36] A great temple, a house of admiration for men,

[7.37, 38] a vast construction, a lofty pile,

[7.39, 40] a palace of My Royalty for the land of Babylon,

[7.41] in the midst of the city of Baby1on

[7.42, 43] from Imgur Bel to Libit-higal

[7.44] the ford of the Sun-rise,

[7.45] from the bank of the Euphrates

[7.46] as far as Aibur-sabu

[7.47] which Nabopolassar

[7.48] King of Babylon the father who begat me

[7.49, 50] made in brick and raised up in its midst,

[7.51] but whose foundation was damaged

[7.52] by waters and floods

[7.53, 54] at Bit-Imli near Babylon,

[7.55, 56] and the gates of that palace were thrown down,

[7.57, 58] of this the structure with brickwork I repaired

[7.59] with its foundation and boundary wall,

[7.60] and a depth of waters I collected:

[7.61, 62] then opposite the waters I laid its foundation

[7.63] and with cement and brick

(Continued on Column 8)

Column 8

[8.1, 2] I skilfully surrounded it;

[8.3, 4] tall cedars for its porticos I fitted;

[8.5, 6] ikki and cedar woods with layers of copper,

[8.7] on domes and arches

[8.8, 9] and with bronze work, I strongly overlaid its gates

[8.10] with silver, gold, precious stones,

[8.11, 12] whatsoever they call them, in heaps;

[8.13] I valiantly collected spoils;

[8.14] as an adornment of the house were they arranged,

[8.15] and were collected within it;

[8.16, 17] trophies, abundance, royal treasures,

[8.18] I accumulated and gathered together.

[8.19] As to the moving of My Royalty

[8.20] to any other city,

[8.21] there has not arisen a desire:

[8.22] among any other people

[8.23] no royal palace have I built:

[8.24] the merchandise and treasures of my kingdom

[8.25, 26, 27] I did not deposit within the provinces of Babylon:

[8.28] a pile for my residence

[8.29, 30] to grace My Royalty was not found:

[8.31] Therefore with reverence for Merodach my Lord,

[8.32, 33] the exterior and interior in Babylon

[8.34] as his treasure city

[8.35, 36] and for the elevation of the abode of My Royalty

[8.37] his shrine I neglected not:

[8.38] its weak parts which were not completed,

[8.39] its compartments that were not remembered,

[8.40] as a securely compacted edifice

[8.41, 42] I dedicated and set up as a preparation for war

[8.43, 44] by Imgur-Bel, the fortress of invincible Babylon,

[8.45] 400 cubits in its completeness,

[8.46] a wall of Nimitti-Bel

[8.47] an outwork of Babylon

[8.48, 49] for defense. Two lofty embankments,

[8.50] in cement and brick,

[8.51] a fortress like a mountain I made,

[8.52] and in their sub-structure

[8.53] I built a brickwork;

[8.54] then on its summit a large edifice

[8.55] for the residence of My Royalty

[8.56, 57] with cement and brick I skilfully built

[8.58] and brought it down by the side of the temple:

[8.59] and in the exact middle, on the second day

[8.60] its foundation in a solid depth

[8.61, 62] I made good and its summit I carried round;

[8.63] and on the 15th day its beauty

(Continued on Column 9)

Column 9

[9.1] I skilfully completed

[9.2] and exalted as an abode of Royalty.

[9.3, 4] Tall pines, the produce of lofty mountains,

[9.5] thick asuhu wood

[9.6, 7] and surman wood in choice pillars

[9.8] for its covered porticos I arranged.

[9.9] ikki and musritkanna woods

[9.10] cedar and surman woods

[9.11] I brought forth, and in heaps,

[9.12] with a surface of silver and gold

[9.13] and with coverings of copper,

[9.14, 15] on domes and arches, and with works of metal

[9.16] its gates I strongly overlaid

[9.17] and completely with zamat-stone

[9.18] I finished off its top.

[9.19, 20] A strong wall in cement and brick

[9.21] like a mountain I carried round

[9.22, 23] a wall, a brick fortress, a great fortress

[9.24] with long blocks of stone

[9.25, 26] gatherings from great lands I made

[9.27, 28] and like hills I upraised its head.

[9.29, 30] That house for admiration I caused to build

[9.31] and for a banner to hosts of men:

[9.32] with carved work I fitted it;

[9.33] the strong power of reverence for

[9.34] the presence of Royalty

[9.35] environs its walls;

(Ashur & a king)

[9.36, 37] the least thing not upright enters it not,

[9.38] that evil may not make head.

[9.39] The walls of the fortress of Babylon

[9.40, 41] its defense in war I raised

[9.42] and the circuit of the city of Babylon.

[9.43, 44] I have strengthened skilfully.

[9.45] To Merodach my Lord

[9.46] my hand I lifted:

[9.47] 0 Merodach the Lord, Chief of the gods,

[9.48, 49] a surpassing Prince thou hast made me,

[9.50] and empire over multitudes of men,

[9.51, 52] hast intrusted to me as precious lives;

[9.53] thy power have I extended on high,

[9.54, 55] over Babylon thy city, before all mankind.

[9.56] No city of the land have I exalted

[9.57, 58] as was exalted the reverence of thy deity:

[9.59] I caused it to rest: and may thy power

[9.60, 61] bring its treasures abundantly to my land.

[9.62] I, whether as King and embellisher,

[9.63] am the rejoicer of thy heart

[9.64] or whether as High Priest appointed,

[9.65] embellishing all thy fortresses,

(Continued on Column 10)

Column 10

[10.1, 2] For thy glory, O exalted Merodach

[10.3] a house have I made.

[10.4] May its greatness advance!

[10.5] May its fulness increase!

[10.6, 7] in its midst abundance may it acquire!

[10.8] May its memorials be augmented!

[10.9] May it receive within itself

[10.10] the abundant tribute

[10.11, 12] of the Kings of nations and of all peoples!

[10.13, 14] From the West to the East by the rising sun

[10.15] may I have no foemen!

[10.16] May they not be multiplied

[10.17, 18] within, in the midst thereof, forever,

[10.19] Over the black-headed (earthlings, the gods may not be black-headed) may he rule!

End of Translation

Nebuchadnezzar to the Babylonians

Unknown web source

Translation:

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue….giant mixed-breeds in teal)

[To the citizenry of Babylon], of protected status, leaders learned

And wise, [ ], men of business and commerce, great and small,

[thus says Nebuchadnezzar, v] iceroy of Enlil, native of Babylon,

The king, your lord, [ ] on a stele: [ ] you should know [that

The great lord Marduk, who] was angry at all the holy places for a

long time, took [pity] on Babylon. He gave me in his majesty the

[sublime] command, [in?] the awe-inspiring sanctuary [Esagila] he

ordered me to take the road of march to [the land of] Elam.

I gave reverent heed [to the command of the great lord] Marduk,

assembled the army of Enlil, Shamash, and Marduk, and set forth

towards [the land of] Elam. On I went, traversing distant [ways],

waterless roads, night and d[ay. At the] Ulaya River, the enemy,

the vile Elamite, [blocked] the water places in the gr[oves ] the

troops [ ] traversed. I could give no water, nor could I relieve their fatigue.

He advanced, hurtling his arrows, weapons [brandished] in

battle. Through the might of Enlil, [Shamash, and Marduk, which]

has no [equ]al, I overwhelmed(?) the king of Elam, defeating him

…His army scattered, his forces dispersed, [ ] deathly still, he(?)

ravaged his (own) land, abandoned his strongholds, and disappeared.

I hastened on [ ] I beheld the [great lord] Marduk, lofty warrior

of the gods, and the gods of the land [of Babylonia whom?] he

commanded to convene with him. I raised [ ] … and set up a

wailing, I brought the great lord [Marduk] in procession and set

out on the road to his homeland.

(Rest fragmentary. The king commands the restoration of Marduk and his treasures to Esagila.)

A fragmentary manuscript from the Late period preserves a letter, evidently addressed by Nebuchadnezzar to the Babylonians, telling them of his victory in Elam and recovery of Marduk’s statue.

Early Years of Nebuchadnezzar (ABC 5)

Cuneiform tablet mentioning the capture of Jerusalem in 597 (text; British Museum)

The Chronicle Concerning the Early Years of Nebuchadnezzar II (“Jerusalem Chronicle”; ABC 5) is one of the historiographical texts from ancient Babylonia. It deals with several subjects, but the reference to the capture of Jerusalem in 597 BCE has received most attention. No less important is the description of Nebuchadnezzar‘s campaigns against the Egyptian king Necho II, who had tried to conquer Syria (‘Hatti’).

The translation was adapted from A.K. Grayson, Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles (1975) and Jean-Jacques Glassner, Mesopotamian Chronicles (Atlanta, 2004).

Translation

Obverse

1. “In the twenty-first year [605/604;note 1] the king of Akkad[Nabopolassar] stayed in his own land, Nebuchadnezzar his eldest son, the crown-prince,

2. mustered the Babylonian army and took command of his troops; he marched to Karchemiš which is on the bank of the Euphrates,

3. and crossed the river to go against the Egyptian army which lay in Karchemiš.

4. They fought with each other and the Egyptian army withdrew before him.

5. He accomplished their defeat and beat them to non-existence. As for the rest of the Egyptian army

6. which had escaped from the defeat so quickly that no weapon had reached them, in the district of Hamath

7. the Babylonian troops overtook and defeated them so that not a single man escaped to his own country.

8. At that time Nebuchadnezzar conquered the whole area of Hamath.

9. For twenty-one years Nabopolassar had been king of Babylon,

10. when on 8 Abu[15 August 605] he went to his destiny; in the month of Ululu Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylon

11. and on 1 Ululu [7 September] he sat on the royal throne in Babylon.

12. In the accession year Nebuchadnezzar went back again to the Hatti-land and until the month of Šabatu

13. marched unopposed through the Hatti-land; in the month of Šabatu he took the heavy tribute of the Hatti-territory to Babylon.

14. In the month of Nisannu he took the hands of Bêl (Marduk) and the son of Bêl (Nabu) and celebrated the Akitu festival.

15. In the first year of Nebuchadnezzar [604/603]in the month of Simanu he mustered his army

16. and went to the Hatti-territory, he marched about unopposed in the Hatti-territory until the month of Kislîmu.

17. All the kings of the Hatti-land came before him and he received their heavy tribute.

18. He marched to the city of Aškelon and captured it in the month of Kislîmu.

19. He captured its king and plundered it and carried off spoil from it.

20. He turned the city into a mound and heaps of ruins and then in the month of Šabatu he marched back to Babylon.

21. In the second year [603/602] in the month of Ajaru the king of Akkad gathered together a powerful army and marched to the land of Hatti.

22. …] he threw down, great siege-towers he […

23. …] from the month of Ajaru until the mon[th of …] he marched about unopposed in the land of Hatti.

About four lines missing

Reverse

Several lines missing

1′. In the third year [602/601] the king of Akkad left and

2′. in the month of […] on the thirteenth day, [the king’s brother] Nabû-šuma-lišir […]

3′. The king of Akkad mustered his troops and marched to the Hatti-land.

4′. and brought back much spoils from the Hatti-land into Akkad.

5′. In the fourth year [601/600] the king of Akkad mustered his army and marched to the Hatti-land. In the Hatti-land they marched unopposed.

6′. In the month of Kislîmu he took the lead of his army and marched to Egypt. The king of Egypt heard it and mustered his army.

7′. In open battle they smote the breast of each other and inflicted great havoc on each other. The king of Akkad turned back with his troops and returned to Babylon.

8′. In the fifth year [600/599] the king of Akkad stayed in his own land and gathered together his chariots and horses in great numbers.

9′. In the sixth year [599/598] in the month of Kislîmu the king of Akkad mustered his army and marched to the Hatti-land. From the Hatti-land he sent out his companies,

10′. and scouring the desert they took much plunder from the Arabs, their possessions, animals and gods. In the month of Addaru the king returned to his own land.

11′. In the seventh year [598/597], the month of Kislîmu, the king of Akkad mustered his troops, marched to the Hatti-land,

12′. and besieged the city of Judah and on the second day of the month of Addaru he seized the city and captured the king [Jehoiachin; note 2].

13′. He appointed there a king of his own choice [Zedekiah], received its heavy tribute and sent to Babylon.

14′. In the eight year [597/596], the month of Tebetu the king of Akkad marched to the Hatti-land as far as Karchemiš […

15′. …] in the month of Šabatu the king returned to his own land.

16′. In the ninth year [596/595], the month of […] the king of Akkad and his troops marched along the bank of the Tigris […]

17′. the king of Elam […]

18′. the king of Akkad […]

19′. which is on the bank of the Tigris he pitched his camp. While there was still a distance of one day’s march between them,

20′. the king of Elam was afraid and, panic falling on him, he returned to his own land.

21′. In the tenth year [595/594] the king of Akkad was in his own land; from the month of Kislîmu to the month of Tebetu there was rebellion in Akkad.

22′. With arms he slew many of his own army. His own hand captured his enemy.

23′. In the month of […] he marched to the Hatti-land, where kings and […]-officials

24. came before him and he received their heavy tribute and then returned to Babylon.

25. In the eleventh year [594/593] in the month of Kislîmu, the king of Akkad mustered his troops and marched to the Hatti-land.

Note 1:
The story starts during the wars after the sack of Nineveh in 612 and the fall of the Assyrian empire. The Egyptian king Necho II tried to conquer Assyria’s western provinces, which is sometimes called Hatti in this chronicle. Nabopolassar and Nebuchadnezzar claimed this part for themselves.

Note 2:
Cf. 2 Kings 24.8-17 (tr. American Bible Society):

“Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled only three months from Jerusalem. […] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia sent troops to attack Jerusalem soon after Jehoiachin became king. During the attack, Nebuchadnezzar himself arrived at the city. Jehoiachin immediately surrendered, together with his mother and his servants, as well as his army officers and officials. Then Nebuchadnezzar had Jehoiachin arrested. These things took place in the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule in Babylonia.

The Lord had warned that someday the treasures would be taken from the royal palace and from the temple, including the gold objects that Solomon had made for the temple. And that’s exactly what Nebuchadnezzar ordered his soldiers to do. He also led away as prisoners the Jerusalem officials, the military leaders, and the skilled workers, ten thousand in all. Only the very poorest people were left in Judah.

Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon, along with his mother, his wives, his officials, and the most important leaders of Judah. He also led away 7,000 soldiers, 1,000 skilled workers, and anyone who would be useful in battle. Then Nebuchadnezzar appointed Jehoiachin’s uncle Mattaniah king of Judah and changed his name to Zedekiah.”

The date in this Biblical story (the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar) is contradicted by this chronicle and the Biblical book of Jeremiah, which both state that it was the seventh year:

Here is a list of the number of the people of Judah that Nebuchadnezzar took to Babylonia as prisoners: in his seventh year as king, he took 3,023 people; in his eighteenth year as king, he took 832 from Jerusalem; in his twenty-third year as king, his officer Nebuzaradan took 745 people. So, Nebuchadnezzar took a total of 4,600 people from Judah to Babylonia.

[Jeremiah 52.28-30
tr. American Bible Society]

The discrepancy has not been explained.

Contract for Loan of Money, Fourteenth year of Nabopolassar, 611 B.C.

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue)

This is a mortgage on real estate in security for a loan. The interest was at the rate of eleven and one-third per cent.

ONE mana of money, a sum belonging to Iqisha-Marduk,

son of Kalab-Sin, (is loaned) unto Nabu-etir,

son of _____, son of _____.

Yearly the amount of the mana shall increase its sum by seven shekels of money.

His field near the gate of Bel (Marduk) is Iqisha-Marduk’s pledge.

(This document bears the name of four witnesses, and is dated) at Babylon,

Tammuz twenty-seventh, in the fourteenth year of Nabopolassar,

(the father of Nebuchadnezzar).

Early Years of Nabopolassar (ABC 2)

The translation on this webpage was adapted from A.K. Grayson,

Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles

(1975) and Jean-Jacques Glassner,

Mesopotamian Chronicles

(Atlanta, 2004)

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue … mixed-breed demigods in teal)

The Chronicle Concerning the Early Years of Nabopolassar (ABC 2) is one of the historiographical texts from ancient Babylonia. It deals with Nabopolassar‘s capture of Babylon, his accession as king and his war against the Assyrians. This chronicle belongs to one large text that continued with the Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (ABC 3) and the Late Years of Nabopolassar (ABC 4).

Translation

1 In the month of […] Nabopolassar, having sent troops to Babylon, at night

2 entered the city and they did battle within the city all day.

3 They inflicted a defeat on Assyria. The garrison of Sin-šarra-iškun fled to Assyria.

4 The city was entrusted to […]. On the twelfth day of the month Ulûlu the army of Assyria

5 went down to Akkad, entered Šasanaku, set fire to the temple

6 and plunderded it. And in the month Tašrîtu the gods of Kiš (Kish) went to Babylon.

7 The Nthe day, the army of Assyria went to Nippur and Nabopolassar retreated before them.

8 The army of Assyria and the Nippureans followed him to Uruk,

9 they did battle against Nabopolassar in Uruk, and retreated before Nabopolassar.

10 In the month Ajaru the army of Assyria went down to Akkad. On the twelfth day of the month Tašrîtu

11 when the army of Assyria^[12] had marched against Babylon and the Babylonians

12 had come out of Babylon; on that day^[11] they did battle against the army of Assyria,

13 inflicted a major defeat upon the army of Assyria, and plundered them.

14 For one year there was no king in the land. On the twenty-sixth day of the month Arahsamna [23 November 626] Nabopolassar

15 ascended the throne in Babylon. The accession year of Nabolossar (626/625): in the month Addaru [24 February/23 March]

16-17 Nabopolassar returned to Susa the gods of Susa whom the Assyrians had carried off and settled in Uruk.

——————————————

18 The first year of Nabopolassar (625/624): On the seventeenth of the month Nisannu panic overcame the city.

19 Šamaš (Shamash / Utu) and the gods of Šapazzu went to Babylon.

20 On the twenty-first day of the month Ajaru [14 May 625] the army of Assyria entered Raqmat and carried off the booty.

21 On the twentieth day of the month […] the gods of Sippar went to Babylon.

22 On the ninth day of the month Âbu [30 July 625] Nabopolassar and his army marched to Raqmat.

23 He did battle against Raqmat but did not capture the city. Instead, the army of Assyria arrived so

24 he retreated before them and withdrew.

——————————————

25 The second year of Nabopolassar (624/623): at the beginning of the month Ulûlu [9 August 624] the army of Assyria

26 went down to Akkad and camped by the Banitu canal.

27 They did battle against Nabopolassar but achieved nothing

28 […] and withdrew.

——————————————

29 The third year (623/622): On the eight day of the month […] Der rebelled against Assyria. On the fifteenth day of the month Tašrîtu [11 October]

30 [the Assyrian general] Itti-ili joined battle with Nippur. Afterward the king of Assyria went down to Akkad

31 with his troops and took possession of Der; he took out its treasures and had them sent to Nippur.

32 He pursued Itti-ili, ravaged Uruk^?, and set up a garrison at Nippur.

33 He went up from beyond the Euphrates and set out

34 toward Assyria. He ravaged […]nu and set out for Nineveh.

35 […] who had come to do battle against him

36 [..wh]en they saw him they bowed down before him.

37 […]

38 The rebel king […]

39 one hundred days […]

40 […] when […]

41 […] rebel […]

Šamaš-šuma-ukin (ABC 1)

Tiglath-Pileser III on a relief in the British Museum

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue …mixed-breed demigods in teal…)

The Chronicle on the Reigns from Nabû-Nasir to Šamaš-šuma-ukin (ABC 1) is one of the historiographical texts about ancient Assyria and Babylonia. It deals with the resistance of an increasingly stronger Babylon, supported by Elam, against Assyria, beginning with the reign of the Babylonian king Nabû-Nasir (747-734) and culminating in the accessions of Aššurbanipal in Assyria and Šamaš-šuma-ukin in Babylonia in 668.

The text is preserved on two copies that are now in the British Museum; one of these copies was written in 499 BCE, the twenty-second year of king Darius I the Great. (It is the only Neo-Babylonian chronicle that is preserved on more than one copy.) The best of these measures 193 mm long and 158 mm wide, which is extremely large; this made it possible to create two columns (cf. ABC 7, the Nabonidus Chronicle, which may have been written by the same scribe). It is from Babylon. The other fragments are from Sippar and may belong to one and the same broken, large tablet. A parallel text that contains variant information can be found here.

Column I

Column II

Column III

Column IV

Translation of Column I

1 “The third year of Nabû-nasir (745/744), king of Babylon:

2 Tiglath-Pileser [III] ascended the throne in Assyria.

3 In that same year the king of Assyria went down to Akkad

4 plundered Rabbilu and Hamranu

5 and abducted the gods of Šapazza.

——————————————

6 In the time of Nabû-nasir Borsippa

7 committed hostile acts against Babylon but the battle which Nabû-Nasir

8 waged against Borsippa is not written.[1]

——————————————

9 The fifth year of Nabû-nasir (743/742): Humban-Nikaš

10 ascended to the throne in Elam.

——————————————

11 The fourteenth year (734/733): Nabû-nasir fell ill and went to his destiny in his palace.

12 For fourteen years Nabû-nasir ruled Babylon.

13 Nabû-nadin-zeri, his son, ascended the throne in Babylon.

——————————————

14 The second year (732/731): Nabû-nadin-zeri was killed in a rebellion.

15 For two years Nabû-nadin-zeri ruled Babylon.

16 Nabû-šuma-ukin, a district officer and leader of the rebellion, ascended the throne.

17 For one month and two days, Nabû-šuma-ukin ruled Babylon.

18 Nabû-mukin-zeri, the Amukanite, removed him from the throne and seized the throne for himself.

——————————————

19 The third year of Nabû-mukin-zeri (729/728): Tiglath-pileser,

20 having come down to Akkad,

21 ravaged Bit-Amukanu and captured Nabû-mukin-zeri.

22 For three years Nabû-mukin-zeri ruled Babylon.

23 Tiglath-pileser ascended the throne in Babylon.

——————————————

24 The second year (727/726): Tiglath-pileser went to his destiny in the month Tebêtu.

25 For <eighteen>[2] years Tiglath-pileser ruled Akkad.

26 and Assyria. For two of these years he ruled in Akkad.

27 On the twenty-fifth of the month Tebêtu, Šalmaneser in Assyria

28 and Akkad ascended the throne. He ravaged Samaria [the capital of Israel].

——————————————

29 The fifth year (722/721): Šalmaneser went to his destiny in the month Tebêtu.

30 For five years Šalmaneser ruled Akkad and Assyria.

31 On the twelfth day of the month Tebêtu, Sargon ascended the throne in Assyria.

32 In the month Nisannu, Marduk-apla-iddina [3] ascended the throne in Babylon.

——————————————

33 The second year of Marduk-apla-iddina (720/719): Humban-Nikaš, king of Elam,

34 did battle against Sargon, king of Assyria, in the district of Der,

35 effected Assyria’s retreat, and inflicted a major defeat upon it.

36 Marduk-apla-iddina and his army, who to the aid of

37 the king of Elam had gone, did not reach the battle in time so Marduk-apla-iddina withdrew.[4]

——————————————

38 The fifth year of Marduk-apla-iddina (717/716): Humban-Nikaš, king of Elam, went to his destiny.

39 For twenty-six years Humban-nikaš ruled Elam.

40 Šutur-Nahhunte, his sister’s son, ascended the throne in Elam.

41 From the accession year of Marduk-apla-iddina until the tenth year

42 Assyria was belligerent towards Marduk-apla-iddina.

——————————————

43 The tenth year (712/711): Marduk-apla-iddina

44 wrecked and plundered

45 Bit-[…]ri.

Note 1:
This means that thee author of the chronicle was unable to find a description that he could include.

Note 2:
The scribe left a some room unused because he was unable to find the number of regnal years. ‘Eighteen’ is a reconstruction.

Note 3:
The Biblical Merodach-Baladan. In fact, his accession took place in the next year.

Note 4:
In other sources, both the Assyrian king and his Babylonian colleague claim victory.

Translation of Column II

1 The twelfth year of Marduk-apla-iddina (710/709): Sargon went down to Akkad and

2 did battle against Marduk-apla-iddina.

3 Marduk-apla-iddina retreated before him and fled to Elam.[1]

4 For twelve years Marduk-apla-iddina ruled Babylon.

5 Sargon ascended the throne in Babylon.

——————————————

6-11 [2] The first year of Sennacherib (704/703) […] Marduk-apla-iddina […] [too broken]

12 The second year of Sennacherib (703/702), he went down to Akkad. Before Kiš, he joined battle with Marduk-apla-iddina. Before him, Marduk-apla-iddina retreated and fled to Guzummanu. In Babylon, Sennacherib entered the palace of Marduk-apla-iddina and the royal treasury […] he plundered, but

19 Sennacherib did not disperse the Babylonians.

20 He pursued Marduk-apla-iddina

21 […] the territory […] but Marduk-apla-iddina remained undiscoverable. Sennacherib plundered his land and

22 Larak and Sarrabanu he took.

23 When he withdrew, Sennacherib put Bêl-ibni on the throne in Babylon.

——————————————

24 The first year of Bêl-ibni (702/701): Sennacherib

25 ravaged Hirimma and Hararatum.

——————————————

26 The third year of Bêl-ibni (700/699): Sennacherib, to Akkad

27 he went down and plundered Akkad.

28 He led away to Assyria Bêl-ibni and his officers.

29 For three years Bêl-ibni ruled Babylon.

30 Sennacherib, Aššur-nadin-šumi, his son,

31 he put on the throne in Babylon.

——————————————

32 The first year of Aššur-nadin-šumni (699/698): Šutur-Nahhunte, king of Elam,

33 was seized by his brother, Hallušu-Inšušinak and Hallušu-Inšušinak shot the door in his face.[3]

34 For eighteen years Šutur-Nahhunte ruled Elam.

35 Hallušu-Inšušinak ascended the throne in Elam.

——————————————

36 The sixth year of Aššur-nadin-šumni (694/693): Sennacherib

37 went down to Elam and Nagitum, Hilmu,

38 Pillatum, and Huppapanu, he ravaged and

39 plundered. Afterwards, Hallušu-Inšušinak, king of Elam,

40 marched to Akkad and entered Sippar at the end of the month Tašrîtu.

41 He slaughtered its inhabitants. Šamaš (Shamash / Utu) did not go out of Ebabbar (his residence in Sippar).

42 Aššur-nadin-šumni was taken prisoner and transported to Elam.

43 For six years, Aššur-nadin-šumni ruled Babylon.

44 The king of Elam put^[45] Nergal-ušezib in Babylon

45 on the throne. He effected an Assyrian retreat.

——————————————

46 The first year of Nergal-ušezib (693/692): On the sixteenth day of the month Du’ûzu

47 Nergal-ušezib captured Nippur, plundered and sacked it.

48 On the first day of the month Tašrîtu the army of Assyria entered Uruk and

Note 1:
He was to return later.

Note 2:
For the reconstruction of lines 6-18, see John Brinkman, “The Babylonian Chronicle revisited” in T. Abusch, J. Huehnergard, P. Steinkeller (eds.): Lingering over words. Studies in ancient Near Eastern literature in honor of William L. Moran (1990 Atlanta).

Note 3:
Probably, this odd statement means that he was taken prisoner.

Translation of Column III

1 plundered the gods and inhabitants of Uruk.

2 After the Elamites had come and carried off^[3] the gods

3 and inhabitants of Uruk Nergal-ušezib^[2] in the district of Nippur on the seventh day of the month Tašrîtu

4 did battle against the army of Assyria. He was taken prisoner in the battlefield and

5 transported to Assyria. For one year -precisely: six months- Nergal-ušezib

6 ruled Babylon. On the twenty-sixth day of the month Tašrîtu

7 the subjects of Hallušu-Inšušinak, king of Elam, rebelled against him. The door in his face[1]

8 they shut and they killed him. For six years Hallušu-Inšušinak ruled Elam.

9 Kudur-Nahhunte ascended the throne in Elam. Afterwards Sennacherib

10 went down to Elam. From Raši to

11 Bit-Burnaki, he ravaged and plundered it.

12 Mušezib-Marduk ascended the throne in Babylon.

——————————————

13 The first year of Mušezib-Marduk (692/691): On the seventeenth day of the month Âbu,

14 Kudur-Nahhunte, king of Elam, was taken prisoner in a rebellion and killed. For ten months

15 Kudur-Nahhunte ruled Elam. Humban-nimena in Elam

16 ascended the throne. In an unknown year Humban-nimena

17 mustered the troops of Elam and Akkad^[16] and battle against Assyria in Halule

18 he did. He effected an Assyrian retreat.

——————————————

19 The fourth year of Mušezib-Marduk (689/688): On the fifteenth day of the month Nisannu

20 Humban-nimena, king of Elam, was stricken by paralysis and

21 his mouth was so affected that he could not speak.

22 On the first day of the month Kislîmu the city of Babylon was captured. Mušezib-Marduk

23 was taken prisoner and transported to Assyria.

24 For four years, Mušezib-Marduk ruled Babylon.[2]

25 On the seventh day of the month Addaru Humban-nimena, king of Elam, died.

26 For four years, Humban-nimena, ruled Elam.

27 Humban-haltaš ascended the throne in Elam.

——————————————

28 The eighth year of there not being a king in Babylon (681/680):[3] on the third day of the month Du’ûzu,

29 the gods of Uruk went from Elam to Uruk.

30 On the twenty-third day of the month Tašrîtu, at the noon hour, Humban-Haltaš, king of Elam, at

31 became paralyzed and died at sunset. For eight years Humban-Haltaš

32 ruled Elam.

33 Humban-Haltaš the second, his son, ascended the throne.

34 On the twentieth day of the month Tebêtu, Sennacherib, king of Assyria,

35 was killed by his son in a rebellion. For twenty-four years Sennacherib

36 ruled Assyria. After the twentieth day of the month Tebêtu

37 the rebellion continued in Assyria until the second day of the month Addaru.

38 On the eighteenth day of the month Addaru Esarhaddon, his son, ascended the throne in Assyria.

——————————————

39 The first year of Esarhaddon (680/679): when^[40] Nabû-zer-kitti-lišir, governor of the Sealand,

40 had gone upstream, he encamped against Ur, but did not capture the city.

41 Instead he fled from the Assyrian officers and went back into Elam.

42 In Elam the king of Elam took him prisoner and put him to the sword.

43 In an unknown month the governor […] in Nippur.

44 In the month Ulûlu, Ištaran (Ninurta) and the gods of Der

45 went^[45] from […] to Der […].

46 went to Dur-Šarrukin […]. [4]

47 In the month Adarru […].

——————————————

48 In the second year(679/678): the major-domo [conscripted troops in Akkad…]

49 In that same year Arza was captured and sacked. The people were plundered, the king and his son were taken prisoner.

50 There was a slaughter in Buššua and there was a slaughter of the Cimmerians in Šubuhn.] [5]

——————————————

Note 1:
This remarkable statement probably means that he was taken prisoner.

Note 2:
Babylon was sacked by Sennacherib, an event that is not recorded in this chronicle.

Note 3:
In fact, Sennacherib ruled over the country, but he was not recognized, because he had sacked Babylon.

Note 4:
The capital of Assyria.

Note 5:
Restoration based on ABC 14.

Translation of Column IV

1 The third year [of Esarhaddon] (678/677): […]-ahhe-šullim, the governor of Nippur, and

2 Šamaš-ibni, the Dakkurean, were transported to Assyria and executed in Assyria.

——————————————

3 The fourth year (677/676): Sidon was captured and sacked.

4 In that same year: the major-domo conscripted troops in Akkad.

——————————————

5 The fifth year (676/675): On the second day of the month Tašrîtu the army of Assyria

6 captured Baza^[5]. In the month Tašrîtu the head of [Abdi-Milkutti] the king of Sidon

7 was cut off and conveyed to Assyria. In the month Addaru the head of [Sanduarri] the king

8 of Kundu and Sissu was cut off and conveyed to Assyria.

——————————————

9 The sixth year (675/674): The king of Elam entered Sippar and a massacre took place. Šamaš (Shamash / Utu)

10 did not come out of Ebabbar. The Assyrian marched to Milidu. On the seventh day of the month Ulûlu

11 Humban-haltaš, king of Elam, without becoming ill, died in his palace.

12 For five years, Humban-haltaš ruled Elam.

13 Urtak, his brother, ascended the throne in Elam.

14 In an unknown month Šuma-iddina, the governor of Nippur,

15 and Kudurru, the Dakurrean, were transported to Assyria.

——————————————

16 The seventh year (674/673): On the fifth day of the month Addaru the army of Assyria was defeated in Egypt.

17 In the month Addaru, Ištar (Inanna) of Akkad and the gods of Akkad

18 left Elam and entered Akkad on the tenth day of the month Addaru.

——————————————

19 The eighth year of Esarhaddon (673/672): On the TEXT BROKEN[1] day of the month Tebêtu

20 Šubria was captured and sacked.

21 In the month Kislîmu its booty entered Uruk.

22 On the fifth day of the month Addaru the king’s wife died.

——————————————

23 The tenth year (671/670): In the month Nisannu the army of Assyria marched to Egypt TEXT BROKEN [1]

24 On the third, sixteenth and eighteenth days of the month Du’uzu

25 -three times- there was a massacre in Egypt. It was sacked and its gods were abducted.

26 On the twenty-second day Memphis, the royal city, was captured and

27 abandoned by its king [Taharqo]. The king’s son and brother were taken prisoner.

28 The city was sacked, its inhabitants plundered, and its booty carried off.

——————————————

29 The eleventh year (670/669): In Assyria the king put his numerous officers to the sword.

——————————————

30 The twelfth year (669/668): The king of Assyria marched to Egypt but

31 became ill on the way and went to his destiny on the tenth day of the month Arahsamna.

32 For twelve years Esarhaddon ruled Assyria.

33 Šamaš-šuma-ukin and Aššurbanipal, his two sons, ascended the throne in Babylon and Assyria respectively.

——————————————

34 The accession year of Šamaš-šuma-ukin (668/667): In the month Ajaru

35 Bêl and the gods of Akkad went out^[36] from Aššur

36 and on the fourteenth/twenty-fourth of the month Ajaru they entered Babylon.

37 In that same year Kirbitu was taken and its king captured.

38 On the twentieth day of the month Tebêtu, Bêl-etir, judge of Babylon, was taken prisoner and executed.

——————————————

39 The first edition, written according to the pattern tablet, checked and collated.[2]

40 Tablet of Ana-Bêl-eriš, son of Liblutu,

41 descendant of Ur-Nanna. Written by Ea-nadin, son of

42 Ana-Bêl-eriš, descendant of Ur-Nanna. Babylon,

43 the N+6th [day of the month …], the twenty-second year of Darius, king of Babylon and all lands.

Note 1:
This means that the scribe had no access to a correct copy.

Note 2:
This is the colophon of the text.

Nabû-šuma-iškun I Text (Version A)

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue …mixed-breed demigods in teal...)

The following, very fragmentary text from Uruk, is a chronographic document dealing with the history of Babylonia in the eighth century BCE, and especially the demise of king Nabû-šuma-iškun, who died in 748, after he had broken all written and unwritten laws of his civilization. The text was already damaged in Antiquity: the scribe notes several breaks in the original he was copying.

Translation

Column i

Marduk-apla-usur […] the Chaldaean.

[…] the Tigris […]

[…] a messenger […] he killed and […].

[…]

Forced labor and corvée were imposed and […] slave.

and bread, the food offering for the fifth day that he had seized, he used up and […].

the boat Idhedu […] for the Esagila (Marduk’s ziggurat / temple / residence in Babylon).

Column ii

(…)
On a propitious day, from Babylon, Nabû-šuma-iškun turned his attention toward his country but

(Marduk & son Nabu, patron gods of Babylon & Borsippa)

on the order of the BREAK lords Nabû and (father) Marduk, he went into the […] inside the house and

no longer went into battle nor started into the field.

(Nabu’s spouse Nanaya seated, Babylonian King Meli-shipak II & ill daughter before her, with symbols of gods above)

In the third year, again, he brought the statue of Nanaya (Nabu’s spouse), the goddess of the Ezida (residence of Nabu & Nanaya in Borsippa), the beloved of Nabû, into the Bit mummi but

kept Nabû in Babylon and had the ceremonies of the evening before and those of the day if the eššešu-festival celebrated in only one day.

(life-size alien god Nabu; Nabu & mixed-breed king)

He covered the fine garment of Nabû with the fine garment of Bêl (Marduk) of the month Šabatu.

Dressed as the latter, he proposed Bêl’s marriage to Tašmetu (Nabu’s spouse).

Unshaven, he mutilated the fingers of his apprentice scribe, and, wearing fine gold, he entered into Bêl’s cella of offering […].

(Nabu’s Ezida & Tower of Babel in his patron city of Borsippa)

A leek, a thing forbidden in the Ezida, he brought to the temple of Nabû and gave to eat to the one “entering the temple” (i.e., the priest).

(life-size giant god Enki; Enki’s ziggurat / residence in Eridu)

Ea (Enki), the lord of wisdom, whose dwelling place was founded with pure heaven and earth,

he made him get up from the dwelling place, which befitted his great divinity, and made him sit in the exalted gateway of Bêl.

(Babylon; Bel / Marduk, patron god of Babylon, sky-disc)

He removed Madanu, “Bêl of Babylon” (Marduk), his favorite god, from his seat and made him leave.

Without the authority of […] this city, he did as he pleased,

of […]ri, son of […], who

He […] BREAK […]

[…] she who sits on the throne […] seven lions.

[…] he unleashed and […] allowed to roam freely.

He had her grasp […] he had her leashed.

(Inanna, goddess of love, & eager goddess of war)

He had […] of Ištar (Inanna) […] disconnected.

[…] to the granary of the verdant countryside he offered […] a dust storm […].

He presented […] Belet-duri […].

[…] Nabû, detained several nights in Babylon and […] seated among […] without destinies.

[..] Babylon […] which he destroyed by fire.

(Marduk, warrior son to Enki, & patron god of Babylonia)

[…] the great lord Marduk […] he went to Marduk in place of the king and

[…] he spoke […] was placed.

[…] kept in order […].

[…] the kneeling lord […] he made sing.

Column iii

[…] Nin […]

When the proud lord, the freedom of Babylon, Borsippa, and Cutha

and the sworn agreements of Enlil-ina-mati, the son of KU[…] BREAK, the governor of Larak, in their time had established

(Marduk & rival younger brother Nergal)

and when he had offered sacrifices at Babylon, Borsippa, and Cutha before Bêl, Nabû, and Nergal.

Year after year, he made unbearable their burden of slaughter, robbery, murder, corvée, and forced labor.

(Ninurta & others with nuclear missiles attack Marduk & sons)

In only one day, he burned alive sixteen Cutheans at Zababa’s (Ninurta) gate in the heart of Babylon.

He delivered inhabitants of Babylon to Hatti and Elam as a token of respect.

He made the inhabitants of Babylon with woman, children, and servants go out and settled them into the countryside.

He heaped up the houses of Babylon’s inhabitants BREAK BREAK into piles of rubble, and he turned them into royal property.

The main street, the avenue of Šarur, his lord’s beloved, who passes through the streets of his city in the month of Ululu,

its passage he blocked off and turned into royal property, making him pass into a cul-de-sac.

He seized Mudammiq-Adad, son of Adad-šuma-ereš, his court opponent, without having committed either a crime or a rebellion, and

his people, as many as there were, he carried off to the Chaldaeans and the Aramaeans, as a sign of respect.

His towns, his fields, his houses, his gardens, and everything that belonged to him, as many as there were, he appropriated for himself.

The man Iltagal-il of the town Dur-ša-Karbi, which is on the bank of the Euphrates, came to his presence and swore agreements and oaths, but

he committed insult and unspeakable slander, that are forbidden of princes, against him and counted his town as booty.

(Marduk’s E-sagila, ziggurat / temple / residence in Babylon, & many temples / houses for other gods)

In the sixth year, he turned his attention toward the Esagila, the palace of the Enlil (Earth Colony Commander) of the gods (i.e., Marduk), with a view to restoring it, but

the possessions of the Esagila, as much as was there, what earlier kings had brought there,

he took out, gathered them into his own palace, and made them his own:

silver, gold, choice and priceless stones, and everything that befits a deity, as much as was there.

According to his good pleasure, he made offerings of them to the gods of the Sealand, of the Chaldeans, and of the Aramaeans.

He would adorn the women of his palace with them, and would give them to Hatti and Elam as signs of respect.

At the beginning of the seventh year, he marched on the Bit-Dakkuri for evil.

Afterward, Nabû-šuma-iškun, the Dakkurean, in violation of the sworn agreements and the oath taken by the great gods,

ordered out horses, troops, and chariots and sent them to go on campaign with him.

He distributed bread, beer of the first quality, and flour to all his camp.

(Babylonian king before Utu; Marduk)

In the month of Addaru, the twentieth day, the days of games in honor of Šamaš (Shamash / Utu) and Marduk, he felt no fear with regard to the sworn agreements and oaths.

The people, as many as were lying like cattle in a meadow, made merry and celebrated.

Column iv

(…)
[…]

[…] Bêl (Enlil in some texts, Marduk in some texts) […]

(Utu, twin Inanna, father Nannar, & Utu’s damaged brother Papsukal, Nannar’s children)

[…] Sin (Nannar / Suen) […] he made get up.

[…] in the room […].

[…]

[…] Babylon […] he […] them.

[…] Babylon.

[…] he […] and […] they knelt.

[…] they made go up […]. “I want to send […]”.

[…] the great lord Marduk […] looked angrily at […] Ezida and

[…] they made […] attack him and he plundered its […].

[…] his survivors […] confined and

[…] the fugitives […] he returned and

[…] Akkad […] he burned.

[…] Borsippa, […], Dilbat, and Cutha.

[…] toward those who are in the vanguard, […] he stole their goods.

[…] he marched to Larak and […] the governor of Larak.

[…] sworn agreements and oaths before the great gods, seven times, […] entered into with him.

[…] those people, without having committed any crime […] he seized and

[…] he took them away and […] made them live on the steppe.

[…] toward the Bitter Waters […] them.

[…] he reached […] and Nabû who, before […] kept hold of Babylon.

(E-kur, Enlil’s residence in Nippur)

[…] he caused to be done […] Ekur not […] he made him do but

Marduk, the great lord, and Nabû, the exalted crown-prince (Marduk’s 3rd son), commanded his scattering […].

[…]

[…] BREAK […]

——————————————

Upper edge

[Remains of a colophon]

Mesopotamian Gods & Kings

Mesopotamian Artifacts & Texts

Category Archives: Babylon

Third Year of Neriglissar (ABC 6)

Translation

Contract for Marriage, Thirteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar II, 591 B.C.

Contract for the Sale of a Slave, Eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar II, 597 B.C.

Contract for a Partnership, Thirty-sixth year of Nebuchadnezzar II, 568 B.C.

Contract for a Partnership, Fortieth year of Nebuchadnezzar II, 564 B.C.

Contract for Loan of Money, Sixth year of Nebuchadnezzar II, 598 B.C.

(Nebuchadnezzar II) Dedicatory Inscription on the Ishtar Gate, Babylon

Inscription of Nebuchadnezzar II

Nebuchadnezzar to the Babylonians

I gave reverent heed [to the command of the great lord] Marduk,

He advanced, hurtling his arrows, weapons [brandished] in

Early Years of Nebuchadnezzar (ABC 5)

Translation

Contract for Loan of Money, Fourteenth year of Nabopolassar, 611 B.C.

Early Years of Nabopolassar (ABC 2)

Šamaš-šuma-ukin (ABC 1)

Translation of Column I

Translation of Column II

Translation of Column III

Translation of Column IV

Nabû-šuma-iškun I Text (Version A)

Translation

Column i

Column ii

Column iii

Column iv

Upper edge