All tablets.

Religion & Myth·Daily Life

SAA 10 263. Burying Apotropaic Figures (ABL 0022) [from exorcists]

(1) To the king, my lord: your servant Marduk-šakin-šumi. Good health to the king, my lord! May [Nabû] and Marduk bless the king, my lord! (5) Concerning the prophylactic figurines about which the king, my lord, wrote to me, "Where will they be buried?" — it is said in the (ritual) tablet as follows: "You bury them at the outer gate." Now, with the king's permission, [......] (11) (Break) (r 2) Also tomorrow, after the king has gone out, they should bury them in front of the main room and the bedrooms, in places to be additionally specified by the king. Daytime or nighttime makes no difference…

~670 BCE·Neo-AssyrianSAA 10

SAA 10 274. Performing the Maqlu Ritual; Statue of Gilgameš (ABL 0056) [from exorcists]

(1) To [the king], my l[ord]: your servant Nabû-nadin-šumi. Good health to the king, my lord! May Nabû and Marduk greatly bless the king, my lord! (7) At night the king will perform Maqlû, in the early morning the king will perform the balance of the ritual. (r 2) Furthermore: the (periodic) rites of the month Ab (V) [which] will be performed on [the 28t]h day involve the presence of a figurine of Gilgameš. (r 7) Should I perform (these rites) for the queen mother? What is it that the king says?

Religion & Myth·Daily Life

Religion & Myth·Daily Life

SAA 10 296. Prophylactic Rituals (ABL 0977+) [from exorcists]

(1) [To] the king, my lord: your servant Nabû-naṣir. May Nabû and Marduk very greatly bless the king, my lord! (5) Aššur-mukin-paleya is doing very, very well; Aššur-šarrani-[muballis]su is doing very, very well. The king, my lord, [can be glad]. (10) [Concerning] the rites about which the ki[ng, my lord], wrote to us, in Kislev (IX) we performed "To keep ma[laria], plague and pestilence away from a man's home"; [in Teb]et (X) we performed "To keep disease and malaria away from a man's home," and numerous counterspells; in Shebat (XI) we performed 'hand-lifting' prayers, an apotropaic ritual…

Religion & Myth·Daily Life

SAA 10 298. Rituals for Obtaining Good Dreams (ABL 0450) [from exorcists]

(1) [To the king, my lord: your servant Nabû-naṣir. May [Nabû and Marduk greatly] bless [the king, my lord]! (5) Aššur-mukin-[pa]lu'a is very well; the king, my lord, can be happy. (8) We have begun to perform the rites of the month Elul (VI): "On the 16th you set a table made of tamarisk wood before Sin. At the head of the bed you place a censer of juniper for (the dream god) Zaqiqu. You wash his hands and feet with siderites and cassia. You bind lumps of salt, cassia, juniper, and lumps (taken) from the outer door to the hem of his garment." (r 2) By the gods of the king, my lord, the baby h…

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)

Daily Life·Religion & Myth

SAA 13 049. (no title)

(Beginning destroyed) (2) in [......] (3) N[ow ...] (r 1) he/they ... [...] (r 2) Aššur will come to the temple ... [...] (r 4) [...] ... [...] (r 5) [...] ... [...] (r 6) [W]ha[t ...] (r 7) [which the k]ing, [my] lord [...] (Remainder destroyed)

Daily Life·Religion & Myth

SAA 13 148. Fragment of a Report of a Prophecy? (CT 53 413)

(2) [N]N, a votary [of] Ištar [of] Arbela [reported] [th]is mes[sag]e for the k[ing, my lord] — (5) "[...] Ištar [...] (Rest destroyed)

Daily Life·Religion & Myth

SAA 13 170. Fragment Mentioning Esaggil

(Beginning destroyed) (1) 150 [......] (2) 5 tables ... [...] (3) Adad-... [...] (4) the king ... [...] (r 1) arm-bands, ri[ngs ...] (r 2) Esaggil [... front] (r 3) and rear [...] (r 4) on the 15th day ... [...] (r 5) in order to a[pply] the plaster (Rest destroyed)

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.

Ashurbanipal 013

Preserves Ashurbanipal's own account of his divine mandate, naming seven patron deities across Assyrian and Babylonian pantheons — evidence of deliberate theological synthesis at the height of Sargonid imperial ideology.

Ashurbanipal 014

Fuses two registers of Sargonid kingship in a single text: the lone-archer lion hunt staged as cosmic spectacle, and the Addaru akītu-festival linking royal legitimacy to the queen of the gods.

Ashurbanipal 015

Ashurbanipal claims the wisdom of the antediluvian sage Adapa as personal divine endowment — coupling scribal mastery with military might to justify one king's embodiment of both priestly and warrior ideals.

Ashurbanipal 016

Chronicles the chaotic succession crisis in Elam after Urtaku's death — rival claimants dying of mouse-bite and dropsy before the demon-like Teumman seized the throne — framing Assyrian intervention as cosmic necessity.

Ashurbanipal 017

Records Elamite court violence — the killing of Indabibi and enthronement of Ḫumban-ḫaltaš III — framed as divinely ordained Assyrian dominance, linking Sargonid royal ideology directly to datable Elamite dynastic upheaval c. 655 BCE.

Ashurbanipal 018

Preserves Ashurbanipal's account of Elamite vassal Indabibi's submission — fragmentary but direct evidence of how Assyrian royal inscriptions legitimised dominance over post-Teumman Elam.