Position in chronology
SAA 04 041. Will Mamitiaršu of Media and Kaštaritu of Karkašši become Allies? (AGS 002) [military and political]
Translation · reference
High confidence(1) [Šamaš, gre]at [lord], give [me] a firm positive answer to what I am asking you! (2) [Kašt]aritu, city lord of Karkaššî, who wrote to Mamiti[aršu, a city lord] of the Medes, as follows: "Let us act together [and break away] from [Assyria]" — (4) Will [Mami]tiaršu listen to him? Will he comply? Will he be pleased? Will he become hostile to Esarhaddon, king of [Assyria] this year? Does your great divinity [know it]? (7) Is the [hosti]lity of Mamitiar[šu], a city lord of the Medes, [against Esarhaddon, ki]ng of Assyria, [decreed and confirmed] in a favo[rable case ......] (Break) (r 1) [Let…
Source: Starr, I. 1990. Queries to the Sungod: Divination and Politics in Sargonid Assyria. SAA 4. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa04/P240441/
Why it matters
Transliteration
[dUTU EN] ⸢GAL⸣-ú šá a-šal-lu-ka an-nam GI.NA a-pal-[an-ni] / [mka-áš]-⸢ta⸣-ri-ti EN—URU šá URU.kar—kaš-ši-i šá a-na mma-mi-ti-[ar-šú] / [EN—URU] ⸢šá⸣ LÚ.ma-da-a.a iš-pu-ru um-ma it-ti a-ḫa-meš niš-šá-kin it-ti KUR—[aš-šur.KI ni-ik-kìr] / [mma-mi]-ti-ar-šú i-šem-me-šú-ú ŠE.GA-šú-ú pa-ni-šú i-ban-[nu-u] / [i]-⸢na⸣ MU.AN.NA an-ni-ti it-[ti] mdaš-šur—ŠEŠ—SUM-na LUGAL [KUR—aš-šur.KI] /…
Scholarly note
Extispicy query addressed to Šamaš, the sungod and patron of divination, edited by Ivan Starr (SAA 4, 1990). The king asks the deity to render a yes/no verdict on a political or military question. ORACC text P240441.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P240441). source
Translation excerpted from Starr, I. 1990. Queries to the Sungod: Divination and Politics in Sargonid Assyria. SAA 4. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa04/P240441/.
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