Position in chronology
Esarhaddon 010
Translation · reference
High confidence(1) Esarhaddon, king of the world, king of Assyria, governor of Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad, [w]ho knows how to greatly revere the gods and goddesses, the one who (re)constructed the temple of the god Aššur (and) (re)built Esagil (and) Babylon; son of Sennacherib, king of the world (and) king of Assyria; descendant of Sargon (II), king of the world, king of Assyria, governor of Babylon, (and) king of Sumer and Akkad — (6) [...] from former days in the courtyard of Emašmaš [...] its area was too small; moreover, the temple of the god Šamaš [...] ... [...] (1') ... [...] ... [...] may a…
Source: Leichty, E. 2011. The Royal Inscriptions of Esarhaddon, King of Assyria (680–669 BC). RINAP 4. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap4/Q003239/
Why it matters
Claims Esarhaddon's simultaneous restoration of Aššur's temple and Babylon's Esagil — the ideological balancing act by which an Assyrian king sought legitimacy in both the north and south after Sennacherib's destruction of Babylon.
Transliteration
mAN.ŠÁR-ŠEŠ-SUM.NA LUGAL ŠÚ MAN KUR aš-šur.⸢KI GÌR⸣.NÍTA KÁ.DINGIR.RA.KI LUGAL KUR EME.GI₇ u URI.KI / ⸢ša⸣ pa-laḫ DINGIR.MEŠ u diš-ta-⸢ri⸣ ra-biš mu-du-ú / ba-nu-ú É AN.ŠÁR e-⸢piš⸣ é-sag-íl KÁ.DINGIR.RA.KI / DUMU md30-PAP.MEŠ-SU LUGAL ŠÚ LUGAL KUR aš-⸢šur⸣.KI DUMU mLUGAL-GI.NA ⸢LUGAL ŠÚ⸣ LUGAL KUR aš-šur.KI / ⸢GÌR.NÍTA KÁ.DINGIR.RA.KI LUGAL⸣ KUR EME.GI₇ ù URI.KI / [...] ⸢ul⸣-tu u₄-me pa-ni i-na…
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Esarhaddon, edited by Erle Leichty (RINAP 4, 2011). ORACC text Q003239.
Attribution
Image: BM 122619 (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P393952). source
Translation excerpted from Leichty, E. 2011. The Royal Inscriptions of Esarhaddon, King of Assyria (680–669 BC). RINAP 4. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap4/Q003239/.
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