Sumerian·Book

Position in chronology

Ashurbanipal 083

~655 BCE·Neo-Assyrian·Q003782

Translation · reference

High confidence
(i' 1) [Teumm]an regularly sent insul[t(s) concerning Ummani]gaš, Ummanappa, Tammarītu, Kudurr[u, (and) Parrû, f]ugitive(s) who had grasped the feet of m[y] royal majesty. [I trusted] in the deities Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Bēl (Marduk), Nabû, Ištar of [Nineveh, (i´ 5) Iš]tar of Arbela, Ninurta, Nusku, (and) Nergal who had encour[aged me]. I did not comply with [the utte]rance(s) of his provocative speech (lit. “mouth”). I did not give him [those] fugi[tives. He] mustered his troops, prepared for bat[tle], (and) was sharpening his weapons in order to march to [Assyria. I mus]tered my battle troops,…

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/Q003782/

Why it matters

Ashurbanipal justifies refusing extradition of Elamite royal refugees to Teumman — framing the rejection as divine command — before narrating the campaign that ended at the Battle of the Ulaya River, 653 BCE.

Transliteration

[šá (UGU) mum-man-i]-gaš mum-man-ap-pa mtam-ma-ri-tú mku-dúr-⸢ru⸣ / [mpa-ru-u] ⸢mun⸣-nab-ti šá iṣ-ba-tú GÌR.II LUGAL-ti-⸢ia⸣ / [mte-um]-⸢man⸣ iš-tap-pa-ra me-re-eḫ-[tu] / [at-kil] a-na AN.ŠÁR d30 dUTU dEN dAG d15 ⸢šá⸣ [NINA.KI] / [d]⸢15⸣ šá URU.LÍMMU-DINGIR dMAŠ dnusku dU.GUR ša ú-⸢tak-kil⸣-[u-in-ni] / [qí]-bit pi-i-šú er-ḫu ul am-gúr ul a-din-šú ⸢mun⸣-[nab-ti šá-a-tu-nu] / ⸢id⸣-ka-a ERIM.ḪI.A-šú…

Scholarly note

Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q003782.

Attribution

Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P394830). 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/Q003782/.

Related tablets

Related sources