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.

~850 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

Shalmaneser III 115

“(1) [Palace of Shalman]eser (III), king of the world, king of Assyria, son of Ashurnasirpal (II), [king of the world, king of Assyria, son of Tukultī]-Ninurta (II), (who was) also king of the world (and) king of Assyria: [...] stone ...”

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/Q004720/

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~850 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

Shalmaneser III 116

“(1) Palace of Shal[maneser (III), ...], son of Ashurnasirpal (II), great king, [...], son of Tukultī-Ninurta (II), great king, [...]: temple of the goddess Ištar of N[ineveh (...)].”

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/Q004721/

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~850 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

Shalmaneser III 2001

“(1) [For the god] Nergal, the all-powerful (and) exalted one, the splendidly preeminent one, [..., the one who possesses] strength, the perfect one who is replete with [...], the one who dwells in the city Tarbiṣu, the great lord, [my] lord: (4) [(I,) Bēl]-lūballiṭ, the field marshal (and) [chief] herald, [dedicated (this) for] my life so that [my] days might be long [(...)].”

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/Q004735/

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~850 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

Shalmaneser III 2002

“(1) Monument of Bēlu-lū-balliṭ, the field marshal, the great herald, the administrator of temples, the chief of the extensive troops, (and) the governor of the cities Tabite, Ḫarrān, Ḫuzīrīna, (and) Dūru, the lands Qipāni (and) (I)zalla, (and) the city Balīḫu.”

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/Q004736/

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~850 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

Shalmaneser III 2003

“(1) (The god) Aššur, the great lord, (and) the god Adad, the great lord: die of Aya-ḫālu, (5) the chief treasurer of Shalmaneser (III) — king of Assyria — the governor of (10) the city Kipšūnu, the lands Qumanî, Meḫrāni, Uqi, (and) Erimi; chief of customs: (16) In his eponymy (and the period allotted by) his die, may the harvest of Assyria prosper well. (20) May he throw his die before the gods Aššur (and) Adad.”

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/Q004737/

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~820 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

Šamši-Adad V 01

“(i 1) To the god Ninurta, the strong lord, the majestic (and) exalted one, the noble one, the warrior of the gods, the one who holds the bond of heaven and netherworld, the commander of all, (i 5) the noble one among the Igīgū gods, the hero, the splendid one whose strength cannot be matched, the foremost one among the Anunnakū gods, the brave one of the gods, the magnificent one whose might is unrivalled, the god Utulu, (i 10) the exalted lord, the rider of the Deluge, the one who like the god Šamaš — the light of the gods — watches (all four) quarters (of the world), the hero of the gods…”

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/Q004738/

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~820 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

Šamši-Adad V 02

“(iii 1') [...] strong [...]. Upon my return march, [(the people of) ...], his royal city, together with [N] (5´) cities in their environs, abandoned [their cities] in the [face of] the awesomeness of the ferocious weapons of (the god) Aššur and my mighty warfare, which, like [...], know no mercy. They entered [...] (10´) their fortified city. I pursued them. I massacred 650 of them (and) (15´) took away from them 30 of their cavalry, 1 chariot, as well as their possessions, property, oxen, (and) sheep. I destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire their cities. (iii 17') On my fifth…”

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/Q004739/

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~820 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

Šamši-Adad V 04

“(1') [(By the command of my great divinity it came about that): ... In order to] save his (Marduk-balāssu-iqbi) (own) life, [he entered the city Nēmetti-šarri (and) you pursued him]. You slaughtered his (people) (and) [took from him his] chariots, [cavalry, (and) battle equipment]. You [pressed] the battle right inside his city (and) [carried out a massacre at its city gate. You cut down his orchards, (and then) destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire 2]56 cities in [its] environs. (6') With regard to what you wrote to me, as follows: “[I marched] to the city Dēr. [The city Dēr, the…”

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/Q004741/

Read the full tablet entry