Position in chronology
Ashurbanipal 074
Translation · reference
High confidence(i 1) (No translation possible) (ii 1) (No translation possible) (ii 1') [...] ... [saying]: “Grasp [the feet of Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria], and [conquer] your enemies [through the mention of his name.” On the (very) day] he saw [this dream, (ii 5´) he sent his mounted messenger to inqui]re about my well-being. [(As for) this dream that he had se]en, [he sent (a message about it) by the hands of a messenger of his and he r]eported (it) to me. (ii 8') [From the day that he grasped the feet of] my [royal majes]ty, he conquered [the Cimmerians, who were disturbing] the people of his land,…
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/Q003773/
Why it matters
Records a Lydian king's dream-oracle in which a deity commands him to grasp Ashurbanipal's feet, linking Assyrian royal power to Gyges of Lydia's campaigns against the Cimmerians — one of the few cuneiform texts to name a Lydian ruler.
Transliteration
[...] x x / [...] x x / x x x [...] / x x x [...] / x x x [...] / [...] x x (x) / [um-ma GÌR.II mAN.ŠÁR-DÙ-A MAN KUR AN.ŠÁR].⸢KI?⸣ ṣa-bat-ma / [ina zi-kir MU-šú ku-šu-ud] ⸢LÚ?.KÚR?.MEŠ?⸣-ka / [u₄-mu MÁŠ.GI₆ an-ni-tú] ⸢e-mu⸣-ru / [LÚ.rak-bu-šú iš-pu-ra a-na šá-ʾa]-al šul-mì-ia / [MÁŠ.GI₆ an-ni-tú šá e]-⸢mu⸣-ru / [ina ŠU.II LÚ.A KIN-šú iš-pur-am-ma ú]-⸢šá⸣-an-na-a ia-a-ti / [ul-tú ŠÀ u₄-me šá…
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q003773.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P395549). 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/Q003773/.
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