Sumerian·Book

Position in chronology

SAA 13 003. Do Your Work (ABL 0607)

~665 BCE·Neo-Assyrian·P334420

Translation · reference

High confidence
(Beginning destroyed) (3) [...] No[w] do the [wo]rk. The [...] of Aššur [will act as]intercessor. (6) And concerning Bel-le'i about whom you wrote: "Bel-le'i [will do] the work." I will personally examine his report. (r 1) The metalworker of the Assyrians is saying: "They are not denouncing the horse trainer. You mustn't seize (him)." They are exami[ning] the [...]-owner's horses. (r 6) Now you, [...], do your [wo]rk, and [make your] name [good befo]re me. (Rest destroyed)

Source: Cole, S.W. & Machinist, P. 1998. Letters from Priests to the Kings Esarhaddon and Assurbanipal. SAA 13. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa13/P334420/

Why it matters

Transliteration

[x x x] x x [x x] / [x x x] mì*-ši-[x x] / [x x]-⸢ta⸣ ú-ma*-[a] / [dul]-lu ep-šá ⸢x x⸣ / ⸢šá*⸣ d*⸢aš-šur* a*⸣-bu*-tú-ma [x x] / u ina UGU mEN—DA šá ⸢taš⸣-[pur-a-ni] / mEN—ZU dul-lum-ma [ep-pa-áš] / ana-ku dib*-bi-šú a-bi*-⸢ár⸣ / te-bi-ru šá aš-šur-a.a* [o] / ma-a šá LÚv.GIŠ.GIGIR kar-⸢ṣi⸣-[šú] / la in-nak-ku-lu ⸢ma⸣-[a] / la ta-ṣa-tab-bat EN [x] / ANŠE.KUR-ME-šú em-mu-[ru] / ú-ma-a at-ta ⸢x⸣+[x x x] / ⸢dul⸣-la-ka DÙ MU-⸢ka⸣ / [ina] ⸢IGI⸣-ía [dam-mì-iq]

Scholarly note

Letter from a temple priest or ritual official to Esarhaddon or Ashurbanipal, edited by Steven Cole & Peter Machinist (SAA 13, 1998). ORACC text P334420.

Attribution

Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P334420). source
Translation excerpted from Cole, S.W. & Machinist, P. 1998. Letters from Priests to the Kings Esarhaddon and Assurbanipal. SAA 13. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa13/P334420/.

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