Position in chronology
Sennacherib 012
Translation · reference
High confidence(1) [Sennacherib], great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, [king of the four quarters (of the world), lea]der of a widespread population, [the one who fashioned image(s) of the deities Aššur, Anu, Sîn], Šamaš, Adad, Nergal, Ištar of Bīt-Kidmuri, [Bēlet-ilī, and the great gods], the one who carries out to perfection the rites of Ešarra (5) [and Emašmaš, who knows well how to revere the go]ds of heaven and the gods of Assyria, [the builder of] Assyria, the one who brings [his] cult centers to completion, [the one who uproots enemies (and) destroys] their [set]tlements,…
Source: Grayson, A.K. & Novotny, J. 2012–2014. The Royal Inscriptions of Sennacherib, King of Assyria (704–681 BC). RINAP 3. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap3/Q003486/
Why it matters
Sennacherib's titulary here pairs his military dominion with personal stewardship of the major Assyrian cults, revealing how the king legitimised conquest through direct service to Aššur, Šamaš, and the pantheon.
Transliteration
[md30-PAP.MEŠ-SU] ⸢LUGAL⸣ GAL LUGAL dan-nu MAN ŠÚ MAN KUR aš-šur.KI1 / [LUGAL kib-rat LÍMMU-tim mut]-tar-ru-ú UN.MEŠ DAGAL.MEŠ / [e-piš ṣa-lam AN.ŠÁR da-nim d30] ⸢d⸣UTU dIŠKUR dU.GUR d15 ša É-kid-mur-ri / [DINGIR.MAḪ ù DINGIR.MEŠ GAL.MEŠ] mu-šak-lil pa-ra-aṣ é-šár-ra / [ù é-maš-maš šá pa-làḫ] ⸢DINGIR⸣.MEŠ šá AN-e ù DINGIR.MEŠ KUR aš-šur.⸢KI⸣ / [ra-biš mu-du-u e-piš KUR] aš-šur.KI mu-šak-lil…
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Sennacherib, edited by A. Kirk Grayson & Jamie Novotny (RINAP 3, 2012–2014). ORACC text Q003486.
Attribution
Image: BM 127888 (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P422663). source
Translation excerpted from Grayson, A.K. & Novotny, J. 2012–2014. The Royal Inscriptions of Sennacherib, King of Assyria (704–681 BC). RINAP 3. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap3/Q003486/.
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