All tablets.

SAA 10 138. Clouds (ABL 0423) [from astrologers]

(1) To the king, my lord: your servant Iss[ar-nad]in-apli, the foreman of the collegium of ten scribes of Arbela. Good health to the king, my lord! May Nabû and Marduk bless the king, my lord! (11) We kept watch on the 29th day; [the place of ob]servation [was cloudy], we did not see the moon. (r 3) Month of Adar (XII), 1st day, eponym year of Sagab (651)

~670 BCE·Neo-AssyrianSAA 10

SAA 10 141. No Moon (ABL 0671) [from astrologers]

(1) To the king, [my lo]rd: your servant Issar-[nadin-apli], the foreman of the collegium of ten (scribes) of Arbela. Good health to the king, my lord! May Nabû, Marduk, and Ištar of Arbela bless the king, my lord! (11) We kept watch on the 29th day; we did not see the moon. (r 3) Month of Tammuz (IV), 2nd day, eponym year of Belšunu, governor of Hindanu (648)

Astronomy & Mathematics·Daily Life

SAA 10 145. 30th Day Turned ‘Long’ (CT 53 045) [from astrologers]

(Beginning lost) (1) [May Nabû and Marduk bles]s [the king], my lo[rd]! (3) They watched the moon; the clouds were dense, and the moon was not seen. The 30th day became 'long.'

SAA 10 146. New Moon Observed Despite Clouds (CT 53 234) [from astrologers]

(Beginning lost) (1) [May Nabû and Marduk bles]s [the king]! (2) We kept wa[tch on the 29th day]; there were clouds, and we did not see the moon. T[od]ay, on the 30th, there were c[lou]ds again; when they di[spersed], we saw [the mo]on. [It] was [(not) like the] moon of the 29[th day]. Three days [...]. (r 1) Per[haps ...] ... [...] (Remainder lost)

SAA 10 147. Eclipse Observed Despite Clouds (ABL 1392) [from astrologers]

(Beginning lost) (1) Concerning the watch for the eclipse about which the king, our lord, wrote — we kept the watch; the clouds were dense. On the 14th day, during the morning watch, the clouds dispersed, and we were able to see. The eclipse took place. (Rest destroyed)

SAA 10 148. Partial Solar Eclipse at Sunrise (ABL 0470) [from astrologers]

(1) May [Nabû and Marduk] bless the k[ing]! (3) A certain Akkullanu has written: "The sun made an eclipse of two fingers at the sunrise. There is no apotropaic ritual against it, it is not like a lunar eclipse. If you say, I'll write down the relevant interpretation and send it to you."

SAA 10 149. Description of a Lunar Eclipse (ABL 1444) [from astrologers]

(Beginning lost) (1) [May] N[abû and Marduk bless] the king, [my lord]! (3) A lunar eclipse took place on the 14th of Sivan (III), [during] the morning watch. It started in the south (of the moon) and cleared up in the south. Its right side was eclipsed. (r 1) It was eclipsed in the area of the constellation Scorpius. The shoulder of the constellation Panther was culminating. An eclipse of two fingers (magnitude) took place.

SAA 10 151. Clouds; No Crescent Seen (CT 53 915) [from astrologers]

(Beginning destroyed) (1) [There were] clouds. We did not [see] the moon here, probably because of the cl[ouds]. The king, my lord, should send messeng[ers] to the Inner City and Arbela, find out about the m[atter], and quickly [inform] the king, my lord. (r 3) The report of Calah [......] (Rest destroyed)

SAA 10 152. Rising of Aries (CT 53 945) [from astrologers]

(Beginning lost) (1) [Concerning ... about which the king wrote]: "What (month) do you h[ave wh]en it became vis[ible]?" — [it appeared] in the month Adar (XII). And as to what was s[aid to the king]: "[It is visible] in the constellation Ar[ies]" — Aries will app[ear] in the east [either] tomorrow or the day af[ter tomorrow]. It is not Mercury. (Mercury) itself is visible [as evening star]. (Remainder lost)

SAA 10 159. Eclipse Update (ABL 0765) [from astrologers]

(1) [To the king], my lord: your servant Bel-naṣir. (2) [In Tishri (VII)] there was no watch for the moon. (3) [On] the 28th of [Tishri (VII)] the sun made an eclipse; in Marchesvan (VIII) the moon [let] the eclipse [pass] by. (5) Now then, in Nisan (I), (6) [... pr]evious [...] (7) [... pr]evious [...] (Break) (r 1) [... on the x]th [...] (r 2) [...] I shall not write (r 3) [...] If (r 4) [... ga]thered (r 5) The king should dispel [unfavourable] thoughts from his heart.

SAA 10 168. Eclipse Predicting the Fall of the Westland (ABL 0137) [from astrologers]

(1) To the king of the lands, my lord: your servant Zakir. May Nabû and Marduk bless the king of the lands, my lord! May Bel and Nabû keep you alive for long days of happiness and physical well-being, and may they deliver your enemy into your hands! (6) The moon made an eclipse on the 15th of Tebet (X), in the middle watch. It began in the east and shifted to the west — a decidedly evil portent concerning the king of the Westland and his country. (11) Its evil is definite; its evil will befall the king of the Westland and his country. If there is an enemy of the king, my lord, in the West,…

SAA 10 170. Predicting an Eclipse of the Sun (ABL 0477) [from astrologers]

(1) Concerning the solar eclipse about which the king wrote to me: "Will it or will it not take place? Send a definite word!" (6) An eclipse of the sun, like one of the moon, never escapes me; should it not be clear to me and should I have failed (to observe it), I would not find out about it. (r 5) Now since it is the month to watch the sun and the king is in the open country, for that reason I wrote to the king: "The king should pay attention, whether it occurs or not."

SAA 10 172. Mars Approaching Libra; Mercury in Capricorn (ABL 1113) [from astrologers]

(beginning destroyed) (1) "Mars has become visible; why have you not written?" — (4) Mars was sighted in the month of Ab (V); now it has approached within 2.5 spans (= 3°30') of Libra. As soon as it has come close to it, I shall write its interpretation to the king, my lord. (r 5) What was sighted now is Mercury in Capricorn; (the sighting) of Mars [...] (Rest destroyed)

SAA 08 012. New Moon on 30th Day [lunar]

(1) If the moon beco[mes visible] in Tebet (X) on the 30th day: the Ahlamû will dev[our] Subartu; a foreigner will rule the Westland. (5) From the Chief Scri[be].

SAA 08 022. (no title) [unclassifiable]

(1) [If the moon and sun] are in balance: [the land] will become stable; [reli]able [speech] will be placed in the mouth of people; [the king of the land] will make the throne last long. (5) [If the Field star] comes close [to] the front of the moon and stands (there): [......], variant: there will be an attack of the enemy. (7) [......] brother [...] (Break) (r 1) [...] watch [...] (r 2) [The]ir [apotropaic ritual] should be performed. Let them give orders [...], let him perform [the ritual]. (r 4) [From the Ch]ief scribe.

SAA 08 029. Regulus Bright (RMA 198) [planetary]

(1) [If Re]gulus carries radiance: [the king of Akkad] will exercise complete dominion. (3) — [......] and stands with Regulus. (5) [From] Issar-šumu-ereš.

SAA 08 072. Moon in Pleiades [lunar]

(1) If the Pleiades come close to the front of the moon and stand there: the great gods will ... for the better understanding of the land. (4) Sin interceded for the king with the gods; the king is safe. (7) If the Field star comes close to the front of the moon and stan[ds] there: in that [year] ... [...], variant: [there will be] an attack of [the enemy]. (r 2) The Pleiades are (equivalent to) [Mars]; this night the moon approa[ched ...]. (r 5) From Nabû-ahhe-eriba.

SAA 08 113. Mercury Sighted in Scorpius (Kislev) (Nv.4) [planetary]

(1) If the moon becomes visible on the 1st day: reliable speech; the land will become hap[py]. (3) If the day reaches its normal length: a reign of long days. (5) If the moon at its appearance we[ars] a crown: the king will reach the highest rank. (7) Mercury became visible in the east. (8) If Scorpius is black: therein will be reconciliation and peace in the land. (r 1) [If a planet] becomes visible within a month: rain and flood. (r 2) [If a] fog rolls [in Kislev (IX): severity of] cold spells. (r 4) [Cold spells (mean)] cold. (r 5) [If] there is continually fog [in the land: the dynasty of…

SAA 08 125. Mars Near Saturn (RMA 229B) [planetary]

(1) [If a strange star] comes close to a planet: [......] cattle of the land will perish. (3) [If a strange star] comes close to it: the cattle of the land will perish; [......] will prosper. (Break) (r 1) [......] ... [...] Saturn; i.e. [Mar]s comes close to Saturn. (r 4) [From] Bulluṭu.

SAA 08 133. New Moon on 1st Day (Choix 21) [lunar]

(1) We kept watch on the 30th day; we saw the moon. May Nabû and Marduk bless the king my lord. (r 1) From Nabû'a of Assur.

SAA 08 162. Auspicious Days in Iyyar (LAS 332) [calendrical]

(1) The 10th day: at court, favorable. (2) The 12th day: in the street, favorable. (3) The 15th day: perfect seed. (4) The 16th day: joy of heart. (5) The 18th day: convert the cleaned (barley). (6) The 20th day: let him kill a snake: he will reach the first rank. (7) The 22nd day: at court, favorable; (good for) undertaking of an enterprise. (8) The 24th day: joy of heart. (r 1) The 26th day: (good) news. (r 2) The 27th day: completely favorable. (r 3) The 28th day: let him kill a snake. (r 4) The 30th day: a good omen. (r 5) From Adad-šumu-uṣur.

Religion & Myth·Astronomy & Mathematics

SAA 08 163. Ritual before Venus and Sirius (RMA 256) [planetary]

(1) As to the ritual about which the king my lord spoke, we shall perform it this night of the 22nd day before Venus and Sirius, (and) the chanters will also perform (their ritual). (r 1) If Adad thunders in the middle of Taurus: the king will conquer a country not belonging to him.

SAA 08 171. New Moon on 30th Day (RMA 081B) [lunar]

(1) [If the moon is seen in Elul (VI) on the 30th day: dispersal] of Su[bartu]. (3) [If the moon] is seen on the 30th [day]: [there will b]e frost; variant: rumor of the enemy. (5) From Bamaya.

SAA 08 194. Full Moon on 13th Day (RMA 123A) [lunar]

(1) [If on the 1]3th day the moon [and sun] are seen together: (unreliable speech; there will be bad ways in the land); [the step of the enemy will be in the land]; the enemy will [plunder] in the land. (Rest destroyed)

SAA 08 286. (no title) (RMA 277S) [unclassifiable]

(1) [If ...'s rising] is dark: the king [......] will be affec[ted ......] ... the king of [......]. (Break) (r 1) [......] ... [......]. (r 2) [......] the sun ... [......] ...... [......]. (r 4) [From Nergal]-eṭir.

SAA 08 383. Mars and Saturn in Lunar Halo (RMA 107) [planetary]

(1) If the moon is surrounded by a halo, and [two stars stand in the halo with the moon]: a reign of [long] days. (3) If the sun [stands] in the halo [of the moon: there will be truth in the land], the son [will speak the truth with his father; universal] peace. (6) — The moon was surrounded by a halo [and Saturn stood in it]. (7) If the moon is surrounded by a halo, and [Mars stands in it]: loss of cattle; in [all lands] cultiva[ted fields] and dates will not prosper; the Westland will diminish. (r 1) If the moon (is surrounded) by a halo, and the Yoke star stands in it: the king will die,…

SAA 08 433. Fog in Tebet (Cat. Suppl. pl.4) [weather]

(1) If a fog rolls in Tebet (X): eclipse of all lands. (3) — A fog rolls. (4) If the south wind blows: the sesame [har]vest will become abundant. (r 1) From Nabû-iqbi.

SAA 08 451. Morning Last of Venus; Orion in Lunar Halo (RMA 203) [planetary]

(1) If Venus disappears in the east in Nisan (I) from the 1st to the 30th day: there will be wailings. (4) If the moon is surrounded by a halo and Orion stands in it: the king of Subartu will exercise world rule; his land will thrive. (r 1) — Or[ion] stood [in the ha]lo of the moon; ... [......] ... (r 3) From Ahhe[šâ of] Uruk.

SAA 08 483. Two Stars in Lunar Halo (Nv.3) [planetary]

(1) If the moon is surrounded by a halo, and two stars stand in the halo with the moon: a reign of long days. (4) From Nabû-ahhe-iddin.

SAA 08 540. (no title) (RMA 211E) [unclassifiable]

(1) If Venus in month [......] sets early... [...... there will be pea]ce in [the land ......]. (Rest destroyed)

Religion & Myth·Astronomy & Mathematics

SAA 08 553. (no title) (RMA 262A) [unclassifiable]

(Beginning destroyed) (1) [...] rain ... [......] sky against [......] long [days] and happi[ness ...]. (4) [If in Kislev (IX)] Adad thunders: cities [will be destroyed ......] plenty for the people, the land [...]. (6) From [...].

~670 BCE·Neo-AssyrianSAA 9

SAA 09 004. Fragment of a Collection of Encouragement Oracles

(Beginning destroyed) (2) [Esarhaddo]n, king of Assyria, [......] (3) I will [catch ... and wease]ls, (and) (4) I will [cast them before] your feet. (5) [As for yo]u, fe[ar] not! [......] (6) I will v[anquish] the later [......] (7) You shall ... yo[ur ......] (8) [...] I will p[ut ......] (9) [...] massive in [...] (Rest destroyed)

Religion & Myth·Astronomy & Mathematics

SAA 10 062. Quoting the Astronomical Handbook Mul Apin (CT 53 115+) [from astrologers]

(1) To the king, our lord: your servants Balasî and Nabû-ahhe-eriba. Good health to the king, our lord! May Nabû and Marduk bl[ess the king], our lord! (7) [Concerning] the sta[r ... about which the king, our lord, wrote] to us, it is indeed a sta[r which] does not [...] and appear with them. [The] writing-board of Mul Apin says as follows: (15) "On [the 1]st of Nisan (I), Aries appea[rs]; [on] the 20th of Nisan (I), Auriga appears."

SAA 10 075. The Moon Makes an Eclipse (ABL 0407) [from astrologers]

(1) To the king, my lord: your servant Nabû-ahhe-eriba. Good health to the king, my lord! (Since) this is a gloomy day, I did not send the (introductory) blessing. (8) The eclipse swept from the east(ern quadrant) and settled over the entire west(ern quadrant of the moon). (12) The planets Jupiter and Venus were present during the eclipse, until it cleared. With the king, my lord, (all) is well; it is evil for the Westland. Tomorrow I shall send the king, my lord, a (full) report on (this) eclipse of the moon.

SAA 10 112. Predicting the Fall of Mannea; Intrigues Against the King (CT 54 022) [from astrologers]

(1) [To the king of the la]nds, my lord: your servant Bel-ušezib. May [Bel, Na]bû and Šamaš bless the king, my lord! (3) I saw the crescent of the moon but the sun was rising; he may have cleansed it, but it was not to be seen. (4) Whether it was a crescent, or whether it appeared on the 15th, or whether it will appear on the 16th day, it is an evil portent, and it concerns the Manneans. Wherever an enemy attacks a country, the country will carry this evil portent. (8) Now the army of the king, my lord, having attacked the Manneans, has captured forts, plundered towns and pillaged the open…

SAA 10 121. New Moon on 1st Day (CT 54 523) [from astrologers]

(1) [To the king of the lands], my lord: your servant Bel-ušezib. May [Bel, Nabû and Šam]aš bless the king, my lord! (3) [If the moon becomes visible on the 1st day]: reliable [speech], the land will become happy. (4) [If the day reaches its normal length: a rei]gn of long days. (5) [If the moon at its appearance wears a crown: the king] will reach the highest rank. (6) [If ......]... (Break) (r 3) [......] The king, my lord, [can be] gl[ad indeed]. (r 4) All [gods] to the king my lord (r 5) [......] old age (r 6) [......] days [have o]rdained (r 7) [......] ...... (r 8) [......]... old age (r…

SAA 10 140. No Crescent Seen (HAV 256f) [from astrologers]

(1) To the king, my lord: your servant Issar-nadin-apli, the foreman of (the collegium of) ten (scribes) of Arbela. Good health to the king, my lord! May Nabû, Marduk, and Ištar of Arbela bless the king, my lord! (10) We kept watch on the 29th; we did not see the moon. (r 4) Month of Marchesvan (VIII), 1st day, eponym year of Ahi-ila'i (649)

~665 BCE·Neo-AssyrianSAA 13

SAA 13 202. Fragment Mentioning Harran (CT 53 653)

(Beginning destroyed) (2) to [......] (3) the gods o[f ......] (4) ... [......] (5) of/which [......] (Break) (e. 1) [...... to] 30 ye[ars ......] (e. 2) [...... to] the king, my lord I [......] (e. 3) [......] ... for the table [......] (e. 4) [......] ... the citizens of Harran [......] (e. 5) [......] ... [......]

~655 BCE·Neo-AssyrianOur engine

Ashurbanipal 001

Documents Ashurbanipal's forced resettlement of conquered populations into Egypt and the Levantine town of Qirbit — a concrete case of Assyrian demographic engineering as an instrument of imperial control.

Ashurbanipal 002

Lists nine deities who legitimise Ashurbanipal's rule, each sponsoring a different royal quality — a snapshot of the theological machinery the Neo-Assyrian court used to underwrite imperial authority.

Ashurbanipal 003

Claims divine sanction for Ashurbanipal's literacy — the gods granted him 'a broad mind' to master the scribal arts — embedding scholarly kingship ideology at the heart of Assyrian royal self-presentation.

Ashurbanipal 004

Claims divine sanction not just for Ashurbanipal's military power but for his scribal learning — one of the clearest royal assertions that literacy itself was a gift of the gods and a mark of legitimate kingship.

Religion & Myth·Writing & Literature

Ashurbanipal 005

Claims divine sanction for Ashurbanipal's legendary scribal literacy — a rare royal boast that a king personally mastered cuneiform learning, framing intellectual mastery as a god-given mark of legitimate rule.

Ashurbanipal 006

Claims Ashurbanipal completed Esarhaddon's unfinished temples — including Eḫursaggalkurkurra at Aššur — framing construction piety as dynastic continuity and divine sanction for his kingship.

Ashurbanipal 007

Records Ashurbanipal's restoration of Marduk's chariot and shrine roof, linking Assyrian royal piety toward Babylon's chief god to the ideological balancing act of ruling both Assyria and Babylonia simultaneously.

Ashurbanipal 008

Documents Ashurbanipal's restoration of Sîn and Nusku to their temples and his refurbishment of sanctuaries across Assyria and Akkad, anchoring the king's legitimacy in cultic patronage rather than military conquest.

Ashurbanipal 009

Attests the Sargonid practice of legitimating a crown prince through divine pre-election — Sîn's nomination in the womb — positioning Ashurbanipal's rule as cosmically ordained before Esarhaddon's formal designation.

Ashurbanipal 010

Ashurbanipal's titulature — king of Assyria, Babylon, Sumer, and Akkad simultaneously — encapsulates the ideological claim that one ruler could hold the entire Mesopotamian world-order, north and south, under a single divine mandate.

Ashurbanipal 011

Declares Ashurbanipal's kingship divinely foreordained from the womb by Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Adad, and Ištar — anchoring Sargonid legitimacy theology in a chain of gods stretching from conception to coronation.

Ashurbanipal 012

Records Ashurbanipal's lavish furnishing of Ezida at Borsippa — an ebony bed for Marduk, silver wild-bull guardians, and 83 talents of zaḫalû-metal — documenting Assyrian royal patronage of the great Babylonian sanctuaries.