Shalmaneser I 09

• šá-ak-ni dAB / ŠID aš-šur — šākin Nabû and iššiakku Aššur are two distinct titles here; ŠID is the logogram for iššiakku, conventionally 'steward' or 'vice-regent of Aššur'. Some editions render šākin as 'appointee' or 'governor'; the distinction between the two lines is that the first titles him as šākin of Nabû and the second as iššiakku of Aššur.
• KÁ.GAL-šá-li-bur-šal-ḫi — Gate name: šali-bur-šalḫi is typically parsed as a verbal sentence name, perhaps 'may he not abandon the fold/pen' (šalḫu = fold/enclosure). The spelling and exact etymology remain contested. Cannot fully verify from the photo.
• SUḪUR É ṣa-al-me — SUḪUR (Akkadian: išdu, 'base/foundation') + É ṣalmē = 'base/plinth of the cella-statues'. Some editors render as 'cult-image shrine' or 'statue-house'. The precise architectural function is debated.
• gaba-dib-bi-šu — Logographic compound: gaba = 'breast/chest', dib = 'to catch/hold'; standard architectural term for parapet, battlement, or crenellation. Also sometimes rendered 'cornice'. Transliteration matches RIMA 1 readings.
• na-re-ia — narû = commemorative stele or stone inscription. Here the king sets up his narû as a record of the work. Standard term in Assyrian royal building inscriptions.
• šu-mi šaṭ-ra… — Standard closing curse/blessing formula: 'my written name' — the text continues (likely: 'let him not efface; may Aššur and [gods] bless him') but is broken or not photographed. The ellipsis in the transliteration signals lacuna.

Photo examination (Layer 1): The obverse (upper image, BM 1922-8-12-66 / 115691) shows a well-preserved, lightly fired clay tablet with clear horizontal rulings and neat Old Assyrian/Middle Assyrian wedge impressions. Approximately 18–20 lines are visible on the obverse; the surface shows minor erosion in the upper-left corner and a faint crack mid-field but no major lacunae. The reverse (lower image) is largely uninscribed in its lower half, with 3–4 lines of faint signs at the very bottom edge, consistent with a brief colophon. Layer 1 confirms signs in lines 1–3 matching the royal name m-dšal-ma-nu-SAG, the divine name d-AB (Nabû), the title ŠID (šākin/iššiakku), and DINGIR-Aššur. The gate name KÁ.GAL compound in line 5 is visible but crowded; cannot fully verify the internal spelling of šalibur-šalḫi from the photo alone. The building-account formulae (e-na-aḫ-ma, an-ḫu-sa, ak-še-er, uš-še-šu … gaba-dib-bi) are confirmed in broad outline by visible sign clusters. This is a standard Shalmaneser I building inscription (RIMA 1, A.0.77.9); the transliteration aligns with the published ORACC text Q005797. The title ŠID for iššiakku ('steward/vice-regent') follows convention for Middle Assyrian royal inscriptions. Confidence is medium rather than high because the gate name's internal orthography is partially obscured and the final line (šumi šaṭra…) is on the damaged lower edge.