Position in chronology
Sennacherib 043
Translation · reference
High confidence(1) Palace of Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters (of the world), favorite of the great gods, wise prince, circumspect ruler, shepherd of the people, (and) leader of a widespread population, I: (3) The goddess Bēlet-ilī, the lady of creation, looked steadfastly upon me and created my features (while I was still) in the womb of the mother who gave birth to me. Moreover, the god Ninšiku gave me wide understanding equal to (that of) the sage Adapa (and) endowed me with broad knowledge. (4b) The god Aššur, father of the gods, made…
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/Q003517/
Why it matters
Transliteration
É.GAL mdEN.ZU-ŠEŠ.MEŠ-SU LUGAL GAL LUGAL dan-nu LUGAL ŠÚ LUGAL KUR aš-šur.KI LUGAL kib-rat LÍMMU-ti mi-gir DINGIR.MEŠ GAL.MEŠ / lu-li-mu er-šu mal-ku pit-qu-du RE.É.UM ba-ḫu-la-ti mut-ta-ru-ú UN.MEŠ rap-šá-a-ti a-na-ku / dbe-let-DINGIR.MEŠ be-let nab-ni-ti i-na ŠÀ.TÙR a-ga-ri-in-ni a-lit-ti-ia ke-niš IGI.BAR-an-ni-ma ú-ṣab-ba-a / nab-ni-ti ù dnin-ši-kù id-di-na kar-šu rit-pa-šú šin-na-at ABGAL…
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Sennacherib, edited by A. Kirk Grayson & Jamie Novotny (RINAP 3, 2012–2014). ORACC text Q003517.
Attribution
Image: Created by A. Kirk Grayson, Jamie Novotny, and the Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period (RINAP) Project, 2014. Lemmatized by Jamie Novotny, 2013. The annotated edition is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license 3.0. Please cite this page as http://oracc.org/rinap/Q003517/..
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/Q003517/.
Related tablets
Related sources
The earliest historical document in human history. Before this, we have lists, accounts, and dedications. Here, for the first time, a ruler tells us what happened — with names, places, and consequences.
The oldest surviving law code in human history. The principle that the state — not the wronged family — defines and enforces justice begins here.
Not the first law code, but the most complete and the most famous. Inscribed on a black diorite stele over two meters tall, displayed in a public place — law made visible, law made monumental.