Position in chronology
Sennacherib 116
Translation · reference
High confidence(1) Palace of Sennach[erib, king of Assyria]: Booty of [...]. Whoever [erases] my inscribed name [(or) places (it)] in the service [of a god (or another) person, may] (the god) Aššur [make] his name (and) [his seed disappear].
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/Q003921/
Why it matters
Transliteration
KUR md30-⸢PAP⸣.[MEŠ-SU MAN KUR AŠ] / KUR-ti x [...] / šá MU šaṭ-⸢ru⸣ [i-pa-ši-ṭu] / ana dul-li [šá DINGIR LÚ-ti DÙ-šú] / AN.ŠÁR MU-šú [NUMUN-šú lu-ḫal-liq]
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Sennacherib, edited by A. Kirk Grayson & Jamie Novotny (RINAP 3, 2012–2014). ORACC text Q003921.
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/Q003921/..
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/Q003921/.
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The earliest historical document in human history.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.