Position in chronology
Sennacherib 013
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 E[šarra and Emašmaš, who knows well how to revere the gods of heaven] (5) and the gods of Assyria, the builder of Assyria, [...] ... [...] (1') ... [...]
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/Q003487/
Why it matters
Names Sennacherib as sculptor of cult statues for Aššur, Anu, Sîn, Šamaš, and five other deities, placing royal image-making at the centre of Assyrian piety and legitimacy ca. 695 BCE.
Transliteration
[m]dEN.ZU-PAP.MEŠ-SU ⸢MAN⸣ [GAL MAN dan-nu MAN ŠÚ MAN KUR aš-šur.KI]1 / MAN kib-rat LÍMMU-tim ⸢mut⸣-[tar-ru-ú UN.MEŠ DAGAL.MEŠ] / e-piš ṣa-lam AN.ŠÁR da-nim d30 d⸢UTU d⸣[IŠKUR dU.GUR d15 šá É-kid-mu-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 [...] / (traces) [...] / (traces) [...]2
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Sennacherib, edited by A. Kirk Grayson & Jamie Novotny (RINAP 3, 2012–2014). ORACC text Q003487.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P393943). 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/Q003487/.
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