Chapter 00 · 1400 – 1077 BCE
Middle Assyrian
Aššur's first imperial expansion.
~1300 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Aššur-reša-iši I 04
“(1) [Aššur]-rēša-iši (I), appointee [of the god Enlil, vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, (the one) whose dominion the gods Anu, Enlil, and Ea] — the great gods — [designated] for [the proper administration of Assyria (and whose priesthood they blessed), strong king], king of the world, king of Assyria; son of Mut[akkil-Nusku, vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, son of Aššur-dān (I), (who was) also vice-regent of (the god) Aššur]. (4) [At that time], (as for) the šaḫūru-house of the hinter house [... which …, a king who came before] me had built, in an earthquake, during the time [of Aššur-dān (I),…”
Source: Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo), Munich Open-access Cuneiform Corpus Initiative (MOCCI), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; in association with the RINAP Project, University of Pennsylvania. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/Q005902/
Read the full tablet entry~1300 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Aššur-reša-iši I 05
Palace label of Aššur-rēša-iši I, attesting his full titulary — 'designate of Anu, king of the world' — and his three-generation Assyrian royal lineage at a formative moment of Middle Assyrian state-building.
“(1) Palace of Aššur-rēša-i[ši (I)], designate of the god Anu, conqueror of the insubmissive, subduer of all of the fierce (enemies), strong king, king of the world, king of [Assyria], son of Mutakkil-[Nusku], king of [Assyria], son of Aššur-dān (I), [(who was) also king of Assyria]. (10) Belonging to the palace [...] of Nin[eveh ...].”
Source: Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo), Munich Open-access Cuneiform Corpus Initiative (MOCCI), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; in association with the RINAP Project, University of Pennsylvania. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/Q005903/
Read the full tablet entry~1300 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Aššur-reša-iši I 06
Attests Aššur-rēša-iši I's royal titulary — 'designate of Anu, king of the world' — fixing the ideological vocabulary through which Middle Assyrian kings claimed cosmic authority a generation before Tiglath-pileser I's conquests.
“(1) [Palace of Aššur-rēša]-iši (I), [designate of the god] Anu, [the one who puts the] insubordinate to flight, [the one who lays] low [all of the] rebellious, [strong king, king of the world, king of] Assyria, [son of Mutakkil]-Nusku, [king of] Assyria,”
Source: Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo), Munich Open-access Cuneiform Corpus Initiative (MOCCI), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; in association with the RINAP Project, University of Pennsylvania. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/Q005904/
Read the full tablet entry~1300 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Aššur-reša-iši I 07
“(1) Aššur-rēša-iši (I), vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, son of Mutakkil-Nusku, vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, son of Aššur-dān (I), (who was) also vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, builder of the temple of the gods Adad and Anu.”
Source: Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo), Munich Open-access Cuneiform Corpus Initiative (MOCCI), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; in association with the RINAP Project, University of Pennsylvania. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/Q005905/
Read the full tablet entry~1300 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Aššur-reša-iši I 08
“(1) Aššur-rēša-iši (I), vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, builder of the temple of the gods Adad and Anu..”
Source: Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo), Munich Open-access Cuneiform Corpus Initiative (MOCCI), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; in association with the RINAP Project, University of Pennsylvania. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/Q005906/
Read the full tablet entry~1300 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Aššur-reša-iši I 09
“(1) Aššur-rēša-iši (I), vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, son of Mutakkil-Nusku, vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, son of Aššur-dān (I), (who was) also vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, builder of the temple of the Assyrian Ištar.”
Source: Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo), Munich Open-access Cuneiform Corpus Initiative (MOCCI), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; in association with the RINAP Project, University of Pennsylvania. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/Q005907/
Read the full tablet entry~1300 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Aššur-reša-iši I 10
“(1) Palace of Aššur-rēša-i[ši (I)], strong king, king of the world, king of [Assyria]. (3) Belonging to the palace of the city …”
Source: Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo), Munich Open-access Cuneiform Corpus Initiative (MOCCI), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; in association with the RINAP Project, University of Pennsylvania. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/riao/Q005908/
Read the full tablet entry~1300 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Aššur-reša-iši I 1001
In plain English
Only fragments survive, but the shape is clear. The text opens with the king's titles: king of the universe, king of Assyria, beloved of the god Aššur, favored by Enlil, a valiant warrior who subdues the mountain lands and strikes down the enemies of Aššur. He identifies himself as vice-regent of Aššur and son of Mutakkil-Nusku. The inscription then turns to the actual occasion: work on the wall and great gate of a city — the city's name is lost — and something about their foundations. The final line is reduced to illegible traces.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(1) [... king] of the universe, king [of Assyria ...] (2) [...] beloved of Aššur, the god [...] (3) [... object of the fav]orable [glance (lit. 'lifting of the eyes')] of the god Enlil, valiant young man, who subd[ues ...] (4) [...] the mountain regions, who brings low the foe[s of Aššur ...] (5) [...] the mighty ... (line too broken to construe) [...] (6) [... vice-re]gent(?) of Aššur, son of Mutakkil-Nusku [...] (7) [...] the wall (and) the gate of the city [...] (8) [...] their foundations [...] (9) [...] (traces only) [...]”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry