Position in chronology
Ashurbanipal 090
Written in modern English
Troops stationed on Iautaʾ's border were sent against him and broke his forces. They cut down with the sword every Arab who had risen against Ashurbanipal, then set fire to the pavilions and tents where those people lived, burning them as an offering to the fire-god Gīra. They carried off uncountable oxen, sheep, goats, donkeys, camels, and people, filling the country from one end to the other. The text then records that camels were distributed like sheep and goats, but the passage breaks off there.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — scholar edition
RINAP 5(i 1') I sent [troops of mine who were stationed on the border of his land against him (Iautaʾ)] (and) they brought about their defeat. They struck down with the [sword] the pe[ople of the land of the Arabs], as many as had risen up against me, (and) set fire to pavilion(s and) tents, their abodes, (and thus) consigned (them) to the god Gīra. (i 6') They carri<ed> off without number oxen, sheep and goats, donkeys, camels, (and) people. They filled (with them) the whole extent of his land, in its entirety, (i 10´) [to] all of its [bord]er(s). [I apportioned camels] like sheep and goats (and)…
Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period, volume 5 — scholar edition (ORACC).
Why it matters
Records Ashurbanipal's punitive campaign against the Arab chief Iautaʾ — looting, burning of encampments, and mass seizure of camels and livestock — giving one of the fullest Assyrian accounts of desert warfare beyond the settled frontier.
Transliteration
ú-ma-ʾe-⸢e-ra⸣ [ṣe-ru-uš-šu]1 / BAD₅.BAD₅-šú-nu iš-ku-nu ⸢UN⸣.[MEŠ KUR.a-ri-bi] / ma-la it-bu-u-ni ú-ra-si-bu ina ⸢GIŠ⸣.[TUKUL.MEŠ] / É EDIN kul-ta-ri mu-šá-bi-šú-⸢nu⸣ / IZI ú-šá-ḫi-zu ip-⸢qí-du⸣ a-na d⸢GIBIL₆⸣ / GU₄.MEŠ ṣe-e-ni ANŠE.MEŠ ANŠE.GAM.⸢MAL⸣.MEŠ / a-me-lu-tu iš-lu-<lu>-u-ni ina la mì-ni / se-ḫe-ep KUR-šú ka-la-mu / ⸢a-na si-ḫir⸣-ti-šá um-da-⸢al⸣-lu-u / [a-na] ⸢paṭ⸣ gim-re-e-šá /…
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q003789.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P452157). 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/Q003789/.
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