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 15 073. Criminal Actions (ABL 1224)

“(Beginning destroyed) (2) a piglet [......] (3) in the Hiritu river [......] (4) threw [......] (5) I kept asking, and he said: "[......] (6) "I will tell you [......] (7) informers t[o ......] (8) Issar-na'di sai[d: "......] (9) "Let [......] me (10) "[lest] I shall die [......] (Break) (r 2) [...] transport [......] (r 3) in Singi[butu ......] (r 4) Nabû-ahu-uṣur (and) his brother we[nt to the house of] Aššur-remanni; they killed the man [and ...ed] the wife; indeed, they are inciting the people [......] and selling [...]. (r 9) I s[ent (word) ...] (r 10) there be [......] (r 11) "fez-make[rs ......] (r 12) fez-makers [......] (r 13) has sold [...]. N[N] (r 14) maker of [......] (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/P334805/

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

SAA 15 074. A Man Sells his Daughter to Karalla (CT 53 027)

“(Beginning destroyed) (2) [...... T]his [man] had so[ld his] daug[hters for money i]n Karalla. (Later) he put [...] salt in a bag and put his seal in it, went off, and sent it to his daughter(s), saying: "Run away and come to me!" (7) An Itu'ean whom I had appointed as a ... in the fort, and who returned this salt, said it to a bodyguard, and the bodyguard wrote (about it) to the king, my lord. (r 1) As to what the king, my lord, wr[o]te to me, no Karalleans remained (here so) I (could) not ask them, nor are there corn rations, wine, ... (or) kudimmu (salt) that they would be giving them. (r…”

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/P313442/

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

SAA 15 075. Fragment Concerning Karalla and Ellipi (CT 53 835)

“(Beginning destroyed) (r 1) "[... y]ou(r) [......] in Karall[a ...]. You (pl.) do not pay attention to [what] we write to you, (so) now they have a l[ot] to say." (r 6) I wen[t to] Dur-Be[l-ila'i and] e[ntered] into the presence of Nabû-re'u'a. He said: "The Ellipeans jointly [...] the ki[ng ...]. Why have you [...ed] the town [... and] gone down [to ...? ...] this [......]." (r 13) I said: "I [......] Mar-[......] (Break) (e. 1) [He said: "... y]ou return [...], let them deposit reed [... in Urz]uhina. ...[...] (e. 3) "[......] have ru[n away ...]."”

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/P314244/

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

SAA 15 076. Pitching Camp in Sumurzu (CT 53 205)

“(Beginning destroyed) (1) [......]paneans (2) [......], saying (3) [......] they killed (4) [......] the governors (5) [......] the king, our lord (6) [...... not y]et (7) [......] he is in Bit-Barrû (8) [......] he is (Break) (13) [...... wit]h you (r 1) [..... w]ith them (r 2) [the ...s of the c]ity said to us: (r 3) "Pitch [camp i]n Sumurzu! [...]" (r 5) [W]e wrote [......] (r 6) [... N]iqi-Tubliš (r 7) [......] together (r 8) [......] we shall pitch camp (r 9) [......] and we (r 10) [... the dis]trict of Bit-Barrû (r 11) [... ...]-Marduk (r 12) [......] Kibabaše (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/P313620/

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

SAA 15 077. Nergal-eṭir is a Nabatean (CT 53 686)

“(Beginning destroyed) (2) [...... t]o them [...] (3) [...]anni said to me: (4) "This Nergal-eṭir [...] is a Nabatean. [... pro]moted him to [...]. Afterwards [the ...s] came (and) repeatedly (8) [......] with [...]”

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/P314097/

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

SAA 15 078. We Must Go and Raise our Tribute (CT 53 220)

“(Beginning destroyed) (1) "We shall do [...]. (2) "Let [him] do it; we will go and raise our tribute. If our tribute were not at hand tomorrow, would he not argue with you, saying: '[I shall ...] to the Palace.'" (r 7) 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/P313635/

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

SAA 15 079. Fragment Concerning Horses (CT 53 661)

“(1) [...] the king [...] (2) [...] other [...] (r 1) [... h]orses [...] (r 2) [... amon]g them hors[es ...] (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/P314073/

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

SAA 15 080. Buying Horses (CT 53 195)

“(Beginning destroyed) (1) the jeweller[y ...] (2) became ill [...] (3) I have appealed [...]; let the k[ing, my lor]d, do as he deems best. (5) Should all the hor[ses] that I buy ... under me? [...] (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/P313610/

Read the full tablet entry