Position in chronology
SAA 04 074. Has Urtaka Written Sincerely about Peace to Esarhaddon? (AGS 076) [military and political]
Translation · reference
High confidence(1) Šamaš, great lord, [give me a firm positive an]swer to what I am asking you! (2) If Urtaku, king of Elam has se[nt this proposal for making peace] to Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, (4) [has he honestly sent] true, sincere words of re[conciliation to Esarhaddon, king of Assyria]? (5) Be present in this ram, [place (in it) a firm positive answer, favorable designs], favorable, [propitious] omens [by the oracular command of your great divinity, and may I see (them)]. (Break) (r 1) Šumâ, [Nabû-ušallim, ...]. (r 2) Month Iyyar (II), 6th day, [eponym year of NN].
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/P238257/
Why it matters
Transliteration
dUTU EN GAL-ú šá a-šal-lu-⸢ka⸣ an-⸢na⸣ [GI.NA a-pal-an-ni] / GIM mur-ta-gi LUGAL KUR.NIM.MA.KI ⸢dib⸣-[ba šá x x x x x x x] / ana mAN.ŠÁR—ŠEŠ—SUM-na LUGAL KUR—AN.ŠÁR ⸢iš⸣-[pu-ra i-na kit-ti (ŠÀ-bi)-šú] / dib-ba GI.NA-MEŠ SILIM-MEŠ šá ⸢su⸣-[lum-mé-e ana mAN.ŠÁR—ŠEŠ—SUM-na (LUGAL KUR—AN.ŠÁR) iš-pu-ra] / ina ŠÀ UDU.NÍTA an-ni-i GUB-[za-am-ma an-na GI.NA GIŠ.ḪUR-MEŠ SILIM-MEŠ] / ⸢UZU-MEŠ ta-mit…
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 P238257.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P238257). 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/P238257/.
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