Chapter 07 · 911 – 609 BCE

Neo-Assyrian

Empire, library, terror, scholarship.

Illustration: Scholars examining clay tablets in an Assyrian archive at Nineveh
An archive at Nineveh, around 650 BCE.

~715 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

SAA 15 049. Giving Out Land (CT 53 287)

“(Beginning destroyed) (1) Concerning [the field] about which the king, [my lord], wrote to me: "Giv[e it] to [NN]" — he to[ok] half a league in the town Za[ddi] on the [other] side of the river Ša[...], because of the town [...]. (r 3) The field which I ga[ve him], the one that [had been given] to Nabû-[...] son of Ya-hari (r 6) [...] the village of [NN] (Rest destroyed)”

Source: Fuchs, A. & Parpola, S. 2001. The Correspondence of Sargon II, Part III: Letters from Babylonia and the Eastern Provinces. SAA 15. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa15/P313702/

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~715 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

SAA 15 050. Cultivating Fields for Kar-Šamaš (CT 53 479)

“(Beginning destroyed) (3) [......] his towns (4) [......] ... (5) [... ...-ahh]e-lešir [...] the paths (6) Let them give me [th]is [..., and I will ...... d]o the king's work. (8) The enemy (9) [......] 10 towns (Break) (r 1) [......] the temple of Nergal (r 2) [......] the yield of his threshing floor (r 3) [......]s in ...ing the seed (r 4) [...] became good (r 5) [......] Kar-Šamaš (r 6) [... bec]ame good (r 7) [... they culti]vated (Rest destroyed)”

Source: Fuchs, A. & Parpola, S. 2001. The Correspondence of Sargon II, Part III: Letters from Babylonia and the Eastern Provinces. SAA 15. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa15/P313892/

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~715 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

SAA 15 051. Fragment Mentioning Naṣib-ilu (CT 53 571)

“(Beginning destroyed) (2) "his purchase [......] (3) "he t[ook] one third [......] (4) "the other half [......]." (5) Naṣib-i[lu and NN] heard this and ca[me ...] (7) from his servants [......] (8) was delayed [......] (9) "You [......] (Rest destroyed)”

Source: Fuchs, A. & Parpola, S. 2001. The Correspondence of Sargon II, Part III: Letters from Babylonia and the Eastern Provinces. SAA 15. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa15/P313983/

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~715 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

SAA 15 052. Fragment Mentioning Naṣib-ilu (CT 53 806)

“(Beginning destroyed) (1) [......] "[...] (2) [......] ground to [...] (3) [......]... against u[s ...] (4) [......] after [...] (5) [... cam]e [and reported] as f[ollows]: "The cities [...] (7) [......] upon [...] (r 1) [......] fod[der] (r 2) [......] the exempts [...] (r 3) [......] "Naṣib-[ilu ...] (r 4) [... W]hy [did] Nas[hur-Bel ...] (Rest destroyed)”

Source: Fuchs, A. & Parpola, S. 2001. The Correspondence of Sargon II, Part III: Letters from Babylonia and the Eastern Provinces. SAA 15. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa15/P314215/

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~715 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

SAA 15 053. Horses from Parsua (ABL 0165)

“(1) To the king, my lord: your servant Nabû-remanni. Good health to the king, my lord! (4) I met a messenger from Parsua (who told me): "The Zalipaeans have come forth; they have come forth with 100 ho[rs]es in their hands. Four men from among them ran away to the desert and came to Nikkur, (where) they said: 'We have brought horses from our country, but the Mannean has detained (them) inside his country.'" (6) I am now writing to the king, my lord: Let the king, my lord, send a bodyguard to listen to what the Zal[ipaeans] have to say. Perhaps they will bring [the horses] out. (12) I shall supply the [de]ficit of the king, [my] l[ord].”

Source: Fuchs, A. & Parpola, S. 2001. The Correspondence of Sargon II, Part III: Letters from Babylonia and the Eastern Provinces. SAA 15. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa15/P334111/

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~715 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

SAA 15 054. Tabalean Captives in Nikkur (ABL 0556)

“(Beginning destroyed) (2) [...... sto]od (3) [...] some 50 men came [to me] to Nikkur. (5) From [the men] at my disposal, [1]35 had died. (7) [When] the caravan of Kar-Šarrukin arrived, I sent (word), had them (= the Tabaleans) brought to me, had them occupy the houses of the deceased, and gave them oxen, sheep and women. The king's bodyguard took advantage of their oxen, sheep and wo[men], (but) did they [run a]way for lack of things? If they really had run away for [lac]k of things, they should have come to [me]. Why did they g[o] to [Mann]ea? (18) By the gods of the king, my lord: I did…”

Source: Fuchs, A. & Parpola, S. 2001. The Correspondence of Sargon II, Part III: Letters from Babylonia and the Eastern Provinces. SAA 15. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa15/P334381/

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~715 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

SAA 15 055. Report on Deportees (CT 53 161)

“(1) [To the king], my [lo]rd: [your servant Nabû]-remanni. [Good health to] the king, my lord! (4) [Concerning the ...s about whom] the king, my lord, [wrote to me: "W]hy have you not sent [...] until now?" (7) [......] ... (8) [...] said [to the gove]rnor: "Make his [...]s enter [...], and make the [depor]tees enter [...]!" (11) [......] the h[i]red men (12) [...... the depor]tees (Break) (r 1) [...... I shall] check it out (r 2) [......] If it is not intact, did my [offi]cial d[o it]? (r 4) [They squan]der [the ...], and the king, [my lord, blames] me! May the king, my lord, write [to Nabû-belu]-ka''in that they should not squander [...], and let [...] my official [sup]ervise his [hir]ed men.”

Source: Fuchs, A. & Parpola, S. 2001. The Correspondence of Sargon II, Part III: Letters from Babylonia and the Eastern Provinces. SAA 15. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa15/P313576/

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~715 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

SAA 15 056. (no title) (CT 53 537)

“(1) To [the king, my lord]: your servant [NN]. Good heal[th to the king, my lord]! (4) Concern[ing the ... about which the king, my lord], wr[ote to me ...] (6) to [......] (7) [NN ......] (8) I [......] (Rest destroyed)”

Source: Fuchs, A. & Parpola, S. 2001. The Correspondence of Sargon II, Part III: Letters from Babylonia and the Eastern Provinces. SAA 15. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa15/P313949/

Read the full tablet entry