Position in chronology
SAA 17 083. Pardoning the Offences of Borsippa (ABL 1076)
About this tablet
This small, damaged clay tablet is a Neo-Assyrian letter, probably addressed to or from the Assyrian royal court, concerning the fate of the people of Borsippa — the ancient religious city near Babylon sacred to the god Nabû. The writer asks the king to review the transgressions of the Borsippeans and consider granting them royal pardon, while those under a special protected 'kidīnu' status are singled out for mercy on the condition they do not re-offend. The letter invokes a previous ruling by 'the king, your father' — a reference that gives us a rare glimpse of continuity in royal legal decisions across reigns. It is historically interesting because it shows the Assyrian crown actively managing the civic and religious population of a prestigious Babylonian city, balancing punishment with calculated clemency.
Plain-language summary by the engine — meant as a doorway into the literal translation below.
Translation · reference
Low confidencewith [the king, my lord, … as many as] the offences [of them] exist, let me examine [them …]. Whose offences are par[doned — may he show mercy], and may he place [them] with [his wicked servants], and assign [them] to the guard-duty of the king. The Borsippeans [… +] The kidīnu-person: because of his offence he has been shown compassion; as long as he lives [he will bless him], and [he will] not commit another offence. The king, your father, spoke to Rimū[tu], saying: 'The governor […] his team — dead […] [… … … … …]'
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-4-6 (2026-05-12/v4-interpretation)
Translation · AI engine
read from photowith [the king, my lord, ... as many as] the offences [of them] exist, let me examine [them ...]; he who pardons their offence — [let him show mercy] and let him place [them] with [his servants (in disfavour)] and assign (them) to the watch of the king. The Borsippeans [...] the kidīnu-person — because of his offence he has treated him thus; as long as he lives [he will bless him] and he will not commit another offence. The king, your father, [spoke] to Rimūtu saying: 'The governor [...] his team / yoke-mate is dead [...]' [...] ... [....................]
7 uncertain terms ↓
- LÚ.ki-di-nu-ú — The 'kidīnu' is a person enjoying special protected status, possibly a temple dependent or someone under divine/royal protection; the exact legal nuance remains debated in Assyriological literature (cf. Parpola, SAA 17 commentary).
- pa-[a-ḫi re-e-ma] liš-kun-ma — Restoration: 'let him show mercy / grant clemency'. The restoration 're-e-ma' (mercy) is plausible given formulaic epistolary contexts but is not preserved in the photo.
- ARAD-MEŠ-šú lim-ni — Literally 'his servants, the wicked/evil ones'; restoration of 'lim-ni' is uncertain — could also be restored differently. The passage may mean placement among condemned servants.
- mri-⸢mu⸣-[tu] — Personal name Rimūtu, a known Neo-Assyrian name ('the one who has granted mercy / shown favour'); the second element is broken and restored.
- LÚ.GAR—UMUŠ — Logographic writing for a governor or official title (šākin ṭēmi, 'governor'); the exact title and the signs following are broken.
- ši-in-di-šú — 'His team' or 'his yoke-fellow / team-mate'; from šindu, referring to a chariot team or paired official; the meaning in this administrative context is uncertain.
- lu-sa-an-niq — G-stem precative of sanāqu, 'to examine / check / verify'; here 'let me examine/verify [the offences]'.
Reasoning ↓
Photo examined directly. The tablet is a small, roughly triangular clay fragment photographed from multiple angles (obverse, reverse, left edge, right edge, and upper/lower surfaces). The obverse (top-centre image) shows approximately 8–10 lines of Neo-Assyrian cuneiform; individual wedges are visible but at this resolution many signs cannot be read with certainty — the left margin is partially intact while the right edge is broken away, consistent with the heavy lacunae in the transliteration. The second and third views (middle rows) show the reverse and lower surface: the reverse carries perhaps 5–6 more lines, also with the right side broken; the bottom view shows a largely eroded surface with only faint traces. The museum label 'No. 64' is visible on the left edge. The general sign density and tablet format (lenticular/elongated) are consistent with a Neo-Assyrian letter. I can confirm the presence of multiple lines with cuneiform sign clusters on the obverse and some signs on the reverse, but individual sign verification against the transliteration is not possible at this photo resolution — especially in the heavily broken right-hand portions. The transliteration itself (SAA 17 083) is a composite text drawing on several manuscripts. Key interpretive uncertainties include the meaning of 'kidīnu' status, the restoration of 'lim-ni' (evil/wicked), and the referent of 'Rimūtu'.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · prompt 2026-05-11/v3-conventions · May 11, 2026 · 3444 in / 1063 out tokens
Why it matters
Transliteration
it-⸢ti⸣ [x x x x x x x x] / LUGAL be-lí-a ⸢x⸣ 01 ⸢x⸣+[x x ma-la] / i-ba-áš-šú-ú ḫi-[ṭu-šú-nu] / lu-sa-an-niq [x x x x x] / šá ḫi-ṭu-šú-nu pa-[a-ḫi re-e-ma] / liš-kun-ma it-⸢ti⸣ [ARAD-MEŠ-šú lim-ni] / ù a-na EN.NUN šá ⸢LUGAL⸣ [lip-qid] / LÚ.BÁR.SIPA.KI-MEŠ ⸢x⸣+[x x x] / LÚ.ki-di-nu-ú áš-šá ḫi-ṭu-[šú] / ir-te-mu-šú a-di bal-⸢ṭu⸣ [i-kar-rab-šú] / u ḫi-ṭu šá-nam-⸢ma⸣ [ul i-ḫaṭ-ṭu] / LUGAL a-bu-ka a-na mri-⸢mu⸣-[tu] / iq-ta-bi um-ma LÚ.GAR—UMUŠ ⸢x⸣+[x x] / ši-in-di-šú mi-i-⸢tu⸣ [x x x] / ⸢x⸣+[x x] ⸢x⸣+[x x x x x x x x]
Scholarly note
Babylonian-language letter to Sargon II or Sennacherib, edited by Manfried Dietrich (SAA 17, 2003). ORACC text P240131.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P240131). source
Translation excerpted from engine:claude-sonnet-4-6 (2026-05-12/v4-interpretation).
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