Ashurbanipal 221

~655 BCE·Neo-Assyrian·Q007629

Translation · reference

High confidence

Completely missing (ii 1) [...] ... I appealed to ... [...] ... [... to the gods Šamaš] (and) Adad, the diviners of heaven and netherworld, I prayed to the god[(s) ... (and) pray]ed reverently to the gods Nabû and Marduk, (saying) “Proclaim one of my sons as [my] repla[cement ...” (ii 5) ...] ... his name, (and thus) they accepted my prayers (and) listened to [my supplications. ...] “The Fruit” (the god Sîn) made known to him ... [...] ... [...] (iii 1') [...]s [...]s of Assyria [...] ... of the great gods. Blank Completely missing

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/Q007629/

Why it matters

Preserves Ashurbanipal's petition to Šamaš, Adad, Nabû, and Marduk to designate his successor by divine oracle — direct evidence that late Sargonid succession was framed as a matter of celestial appointment, not dynastic right alone.

Transliteration

[...] / [...] (traces) am-⸢ḫur AN⸣ x x [...] x x [x (x)] / [... dUTU] dIŠKUR ba-re-e šá-ma-me u qaq-qa-ri ú-⸢sap⸣-pi d[x x (x)] / [... uš-te]-⸢mì⸣-iq pal-ḫiš dMUATI u dMES ib-ba-a ina DUMU.MEŠ-ia te-⸢nu⸣-[ú-a x x (x)] / [...] x DA A ni-bit-su il-qu-ú un-ni-ni-ía iš-mu-u [...] / [...] x ⸢UM?⸣ GURUN ú-ta-⸢da⸣-šú x x [...] / [...] (traces) [...] / [...].⸢MEŠ⸣ / [...] x.⸢MEŠ KUR⸣ aš-šur.KI / [...]-de-e-mu DINGIR.MEŠ GAL.MEŠ

Scholarly note

Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q007629.

Attribution

Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P396342). 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/Q007629/.

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