Sumerian·Book

Position in chronology

Sennacherib 142

~695 BCE·Neo-Assyrian·Q003947

Translation · reference

High confidence
(1') [Būdi-il of] the land Bīt-Ammon, [Kammūsu-nadbi of the land Moab, Aya-rāmu of the land Edom, all of the king]s of the land Amurru, [they brought extensive gifts, four] times (the normal amount), [as their substantial audience gift] before me [and kissed my feet]. (4') [Moreover], (as for) Ṣidqâ, the king of the city Ashkel[on who had not bowed down to my yoke, I forcibly removed the gods of] his father’s house, himself, his wife, [his] sons, [his daughters, his brothers, (and other) offspring of his father’s house and took him to Assyria]. (6') [I set Šarru]-lū-dāri, son of Rūkibtu,…

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/Q003947/

Why it matters

Sennacherib's own account of his 701 BCE western campaign names the kings of Ammon, Moab, and Edom as tribute-payers and records the deportation of Ṣidqâ of Ashkelon — events contemporaneous with the biblical siege tradition in 2 Kings 18–19.

Transliteration

[mbu-du-DINGIR] KUR.⸢É⸣-am-ma-⸢na-a⸣-[a mkam-mu-su-na-ad-bi KUR.ma-ʾa-ba-a-a mda-a-ram-mu KUR.ú-du-um-ma-a-a] / [LUGAL].⸢MEŠ⸣ KUR MAR.TU.KI [ka-li-šú-nu IGI.SÁ-e šad-lu-ti ta-mar-ta-šú-nu ka-bit-tu] / [a-di 4]-šú a-na maḫ-ri-ia [iš-šu-nim-ma iš-ši-qu GÌR.II-ia] / [ù] mṣi-id-qa-a LUGAL URU.is-qa-⸢al⸣-[lu-na ša la ik-nu-šú a-na ni-ri-ia] / [DINGIR.MEŠ] É AD-šú šá-a-šu DAM-su DUMU.⸢MEŠ⸣-[šú…

Scholarly note

Royal inscription of Sennacherib, edited by A. Kirk Grayson & Jamie Novotny (RINAP 3, 2012–2014). ORACC text Q003947.

Attribution

Image: BM 134496 + BM 134600 (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P423227). 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/Q003947/.

Related tablets

Related sources