Position in chronology
Ashurbanipal 010
Written in modern English
Ashurbanipal identifies himself as great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters, son of Esarhaddon, and descendant of Sennacherib — a full chain of royal titles and lineage. The great gods, meeting in assembly, assigned him a favorable destiny, elevated his name, and made his lordship greater than that of any other king who sits on a royal throne. He then records that he completed Ehursaggalkurkurra, the temple of the god Aššur, and clad its — the text breaks off here before describing what was covered or adorned.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — scholar edition
RINAP 5(i 1) I, Ashurbanipal, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters (of the world), offspring of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, governor of Babylon, king of the land of Sumer and Akkad, descendant of Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria — (i 9) The great gods in their assembly determined a favorable destiny as my lot (and) they glorified the mention of my name (and) made my lordship greater than (those of all other) kings who sit on (royal) daises. (i 14) I completed Eḫursaggalkurkurra, the temple of (the god) Aššur, my lord, (and) I clad its…
Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period, volume 5 — scholar edition (ORACC).
Why it matters
Ashurbanipal's titulature — king of Assyria, Babylon, Sumer, and Akkad simultaneously — encapsulates the ideological claim that one ruler could hold the entire Mesopotamian world-order, north and south, under a single divine mandate.
Transliteration
a-na-ku mAN.ŠÁR-DÙ-A LUGAL GAL-u1 / LUGAL dan-nu LUGAL ŠÚ LUGAL KUR AN.ŠÁR.⸢KI⸣ / LUGAL kib-rat LÍMMU-tim / È lìb-bi mAN.ŠÁR-PAP-AŠ MAN KUR AN.ŠÁR.KI / GÌR.NÍTA KÁ.DINGIR.RA.KI / LUGAL KUR EME.GI₇ ù URI.KI / ŠÀ.BAL.BAL md30-PAP.MEŠ-SU / LUGAL ŠÚ LUGAL KUR AN.ŠÁR.KI / DINGIR.MEŠ GAL.MEŠ ina UKKIN-šú-nu2 / ši-mat SIG₅-tim i-ši-mu šim-ti / e-li LUGAL.MEŠ a-šib pa-rak-ki / zi-kir MU-ia ú-šar-ri-ḫu /…
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q003709.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P394013). source
Translation excerpted from Novotny, J. & Jeffers, J. 2018–. The Royal Inscriptions of Ashurbanipal (668–631 BC), Aššur-etel-ilāni (630–627 BC) and Sîn-šarra-iškun (626–612 BC), Kings of Assyria. RINAP 5. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap5/Q003709/.
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.