Position in chronology
SAA 04 092. Fragment Referring to Cyprus (AGS 064) [military and political]
Translation · reference
High confidence(1) [Šamaš, great lord], give me a [firm positive answer to what I am asking you]! (2) [Will NN ...... along with the crew] of the boat with him, [who] grasped [the feet of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, whom Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, concluded a t]reaty with (and) entrusted [with ......], (6) [....... R]isiti-Baal, the grandson of Karehi (7) [.......] Zeru-iddina from Cyprus (Break) (r 1) 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). (r 4) [May (this…
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/P336059/
Why it matters
Transliteration
[dUTU EN GAL-ú šá a-šal-lu-ka an-na GI.NA] a-pal-an-ni / [x x x x x x x x a-di LÚ.ERIM-MEŠ] šá ŠÀ-bi GIŠ.MÁ mál it-ti-šú / [šá GÌR.2? mdaš-šur—ŠEŠ—SUM-na LUGAL KUR—aš-šur.KI] ⸢iṣ⸣-ṣi-ba-tu-ú-ni / [x x x x x x x x x a]-de-e is-si-šú / [iš-ku-nu-ni x x x x x]-⸢ni⸣-in-ni i-qi-pu-ú-ni / [x x x x x x x x x m]⸢ri⸣-si-ti—ba-al DUMU—DUMU-šú šá mkar-e-ḫi / [x x x x x x x x] mNUMUN—⸢MU TAv ŠÀ-bi…
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 P336059.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P336059). 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/P336059/.
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