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.

~735 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

Tiglath-pileser III 21

“Continued from text no. 20 (1') ... [...] without ... [... I utterly demolished ...] of sixteen dis[tricts of the land Bīt-Ḫumrî (Israel). I carried off (to Assyria) ...] capti[ves from ...], (5´) 226 [captives from ..., ...] captives [from ...], 400 [(and ...) captives from ...], 656 cap[tives from the city Sa..., ...] (altogether) 13,520 [people, ...], (10´) with their belongings. [I ... the cities Arumâ (and) Marum, (...) which are] sit[uated in] rugged mountains. (12') Mitinti of the land Ash[kelon neglected the loyalty oath (sworn by) the great gods (... and)] rev[olted] against me. He…”

Source: Tadmor, H. & Yamada, S. 2011. The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III (744–727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726–722 BC), Kings of Assyria. RINAP 1. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap1/Q003434/

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~735 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

Tiglath-pileser III 22

“Parallel to text no. 21 (1') [...] ... [...] ... [...] I en[veloped] him [like] a (dense) fog [... I] ut[terly demolished ... of sixteen] districts of the land Bīt-Ḫum[rî (Israel). I carried off (to Assyria) ... captives from the city ...]barâ, 625 captives from the city ...a[..., ... (5´) ... captives from the city] Ḫinatuna, 650 captives from the city Ku[..., ... captives from the city Ya]ṭbite, 656 captives from the city Sa...[..., ..., with their belongings. I ...] the cities Arumâ (and) Marum [...]. (8'b) [Mitinti of the land] Ashkelon [neglected] the loyalty oat[h (sworn by) the great…”

Source: Tadmor, H. & Yamada, S. 2011. The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III (744–727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726–722 BC), Kings of Assyria. RINAP 1. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap1/Q003435/

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~735 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

Tiglath-pileser III 23

“After gap, continued from text nos. 21 and 22 (1) [...] which [are] without num[ber ...] ... the city Atu[...] the (tribe) Qabiʾi [...] ... [... (5) ... the fortress] of Labbanat [... Arameans] on the banks of [... River(s), ...] the (tribe) Bū[du ...] Continued in text no. 24”

Source: Tadmor, H. & Yamada, S. 2011. The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III (744–727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726–722 BC), Kings of Assyria. RINAP 1. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap1/Q003436/

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~735 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

Tiglath-pileser III 24

“Continued from text no. 23 (1) I crossed [o]n rafts. [I ...] all of the Arameans [... I carried off ..., ...] thousand and 9,000 people, [...] thousand and 500 oxen, [...]. I destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire [...]. The terrifying radiance of (the god) Aššur, my lord, overwhelmed the chief[tains of the Chaldeans ...] and [they ...]. (5) They (the chieftains) came [before me] and kissed my feet. (5b) [...] the temple personnel of Esagil, Ezida, (and) E[meslam ... brought] before me the (sacrificial) remnants of the gods Bēl (Marduk), Nabû, (and) Nergal [...] After gap, continued in text no. 25”

Source: Tadmor, H. & Yamada, S. 2011. The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III (744–727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726–722 BC), Kings of Assyria. RINAP 1. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap1/Q003437/

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~735 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

Tiglath-pileser III 25

“After gap, continued from text no. 24 (1') [I built in Kalḫu a cedar palace ...] for my [lord]ly residence [and a bīt-ḫilāni, a replica of a palace of the land Ḫatti (Syria-Palestine), for] my pleasure. I made [the dimensions of its site ... large cubits] in length (and) sixty large cubits in width larger [than] the former palaces of [my] ancestors by (re)claiming (land) from the Tigris River (by filling it in). [...] End of the Annals missing”

Source: Tadmor, H. & Yamada, S. 2011. The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III (744–727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726–722 BC), Kings of Assyria. RINAP 1. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap1/Q003438/

Read the full tablet entry

~735 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

Tiglath-pileser III 26

“Duplicate of text no. 14:3–8 (1) [... he (a eunuch of mine) plun]dered (those cities) and [brought] (that booty) to the land Ḫatti (Syria-Palestine), [before me]. I settled [600 captives of the city Amlāte of the (tribe) Damūnu (and) 5,400 captives of] the city Bīt-Dērāya in the cities Kunalua, [..., Ḫuzarra, Taʾe, Tarmanazi, Kulmadara, Ḫatatirra, (and) Irgillu, cities] of the land Unqi. (4) [I settled ... captive highlanders (lit. “Gutians”) of the land Bīt-Sangibūti, 1,200 people of the (tribe) Illila, (and) 6,208] people of the (tribes) Nakkaba (and) Būda (5) [in the cities ..., Ṣimirra,…”

Source: Tadmor, H. & Yamada, S. 2011. The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III (744–727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726–722 BC), Kings of Assyria. RINAP 1. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap1/Q003439/

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~735 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

Tiglath-pileser III 27

“Duplicate of text no. 14:8–text no. 15:3 (1) [I settled] (captives) in the province of the city Tuʾi[mmu]. I settled [555 captive highlanders (lit. “Gutians”) of the city Bīt-Sangibū]ti in the city Tīl-karme. I considered [them] as inhabitants of Assyria, (and) [imposed upon them corvée labor like that of the Assyrians]. (2b) [The payment] of Kuštašpi of the city Kummuḫu, Raḫiānu (Rezin) of the land Damascu[s, Menahem of the city Samaria, Hiram of the city Tyre, Sibit]ti-Biʾil of the city Byblos, Uriaikki of the land Qu[e, Pisīris of the city Carchemish, Ēnī-il of the city Hamath, Pa]nammû of…”

Source: Tadmor, H. & Yamada, S. 2011. The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III (744–727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726–722 BC), Kings of Assyria. RINAP 1. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap1/Q003440/

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~735 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses

Tiglath-pileser III 28

“Duplicate of text no. 15:3–10 (1) all kinds of precious things from the royal treasure, live sheep whose wool is dyed red-purple, flying birds of the sky whose wings are dyed blue-purple, horses, mules, oxen, and sheep and goats, camels, she-camels, together with their young, I recei[ved] (from them). (3) In my ninth palû, (the god) Aššur, my lord, encouraged me and I marched against the lands Bīt-Kapsi, Bīt-Sangi, Bīt-Urzakki, Media (lit. “land of the Medes”), Bīt-Zualzaš, Bīt-Matti, (and) Tupliyaš. I captured, plund[ered], destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire the cities Bīt-Ištar,…”

Source: Tadmor, H. & Yamada, S. 2011. The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III (744–727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726–722 BC), Kings of Assyria. RINAP 1. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap1/Q003441/

Read the full tablet entry