Ashurbanipal 199

~655 BCE·Neo-Assyrian·Q007607

Translation · reference

High confidence

Obverse completely missing (r 1') [I cut off the clamor of humans, (the sound of) the treading of oxen], sheep and go[ats, (and) the cr(ies) of pleasant work song(s) (and so) ruined his harvest]. (r 2') [(As for) the goddess Nanāya, who 1,530 y]ears (ago) became an[gry (and) went to live in the land Elam, a place not befitting her, then, at that time (when) she nominated] me for rulin[g over the lands, she entrusted me with the return of her lordly majesty, saying: “Ashurbani]pal [will bring me out] of the evil land El[am and make me enter Eanna (again)].” (r 5') [The word(s) of] her divine…

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/Q007607/

Why it matters

Records Ashurbanipal's claim that Nanāya herself foretold his retrieval of her cult statue from Elam after 1,530 years' exile — directly linking royal military action to divine mandate in Sargonid ideology.

Transliteration

[ri-gim a-me-lu-ti ki-bi-is GU₄.MEŠ u] ⸢ṣe-e⸣-[ni ši-si-it a-la-la DÙG.GA ap-ru-us ú-ḫal-li-qa e-bur-šú]1 / [dna-na-a ša 1 LIM 5 ME 30.ÀM] ⸢MU⸣.AN.NA.MEŠ tas-⸢bu⸣-[su tal-li-ku tu-ši-bu qé-reb KUR.e-lam-ti a-šar la si-ma-ti-šá]2 / [ù ina u₄-me-šú tab-bu-u] ⸢šu⸣-mì a-na be-⸢lut⸣ [KUR.KUR ta-a-a-rat EN-ti-šá tu-šad-gi-la pa-nu-u-a]3 / [um-ma mAN.ŠÁR-DÙ]-⸢A⸣ ul-tu qé-reb KUR.e-⸢lam⸣-[ti lem-né-ti…

Scholarly note

Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q007607.

Attribution

Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P424744). 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/Q007607/.

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