Position in chronology
SAA 04 268. Will the Army of Assurbanipal Defeat the Manneans? (AGS 151) [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 the troops of the Manneans, together with the armed forces that are] with them, go [against the men, horses and army] of Assurbanipal, king of Assyria, (4) [which ......? After they have go]ne and advanced, (5) will they let the released (troops) loose (to take plunder) [......] (6) [...] those who are with him (7) [... m]en and army [......]? (8) If they, having planned, [..., will the weapons, men, ho]rses and army [of Assurbanipal, king of Assyria, in the ensuing battle prevail over] (Break) (r 1)…
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/P238992/
Why it matters
Transliteration
[dUTU EN GAL-ú šá a-šal-lu-ka an-na GI.NA] a-pal-an-ni / [LÚ.ERIM-MEŠ KUR.man-na-a.a a-di e-mu-ú-qu mál] ⸢it⸣-ti-šú-un / [a-na UGU LÚ.ERIM-MEŠ ANŠE.KUR.RA-MEŠ e-mu-ú-qu] mAN.ŠÁR—DÙ—DUMU.UŠ LUGAL KUR—aš-šur.KI / [šá x x x x il-lu-ku-ú GIM it-tal]-⸢ku⸣-ú-ma i-te-et-qu-ú-ni / [x x x x x x x x x x x ru]-um-mu-ú-tu ú-ra-am-mu-ú / [x x x x x x x x x x x x] mál it-ti-šú / [x x x x x x x x x x…
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 P238992.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P238992). 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/P238992/.
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