Position in chronology
Ashurbanipal 013
Translation · reference
High confidence(i 1) I, Ashurbanipal, great king, [strong king], king of the world, king of Assyria, king of [the four quarters (of the world)], creation of the hands of (the god) Aššur (and) the goddess Mullissu; one who was chose[n by the gods Sîn, Šamaš, (and) Adad]; beloved of the god Marduk (and) the goddess Z[arpanītu]; (i 5) favorite of the god Nabû (and) [the goddess Ta]šmēt[u]; pious prince, [ca]pable govern[or], true shepherd, leade[r of a] widespre[ad population], one who prays piously [without ceas]ing; who (i 10) extols for [everlas]ting days the praise(s) of the gods Aššur, Mull[issu, Bēl…
Source: 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/Q003712/
Why it matters
Preserves Ashurbanipal's own account of his divine mandate, naming seven patron deities across Assyrian and Babylonian pantheons — evidence of deliberate theological synthesis at the height of Sargonid imperial ideology.
Transliteration
a-na-ku mAN.ŠÁR-DÙ-IBILA LUGAL GAL [LUGAL dan-nu] / LUGAL ŠÚ LUGAL KUR AN.ŠÁR.KI LUGAL [kib-rat LÍMMU-tim] / bi-nu-ut ŠU.II AN.ŠÁR dNIN.LÍL ni-⸢bit⸣ [d30 dUTU dIŠKUR]1 / na-ram dAMAR.UTU d⸢zar⸣-[pa-ni-tum] / mi-gir dAG [d]⸢taš⸣-me-⸢tum⸣ / NUN na-aʾ-du GÌR.⸢NÍTA⸣ [it]-pe-⸢šu⸣ / LÚ.SIPA ki-i-nu mut-tar-ru-[u UN.MEŠ] ⸢DAGAL.MEŠ⸣ / mut-⸢nen⸣-nu-ú [la mu-up?]-⸢par?-ku-u?⸣ / ša ta-nit-ti AN.ŠÁR…
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q003712.
Attribution
Image: VAT 17108 (Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin, Germany) — from Bābili (mod. Babylon) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P347208). 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/Q003712/.
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