All tablets.

SAA 14 442. Puti-Athiš Buys a Boy As a Son for Himself (*634) (TIM 11 15)

(1) Seal of Abdi-Kurra, [co]ok. (2) [ow]ner of the son of being sold. (seal impression) (3) Ahu-iddina, son of his daughter from her temple-prostitution, of 3 spans — (5) Puṭi-athiš has [co]ntracted and [bough]t him [f]or 10 shekels of [silver to be] his son. (8) The mone[y is paid completely]. (Break) (11) [...]...[...] (r 1) Whoever in the [future, at any tim]e, lod[ges a complaint and break]s the contract, whether Abdi-Ku[rr]a [o]r his sons (or) his grandsons, and seeks a lawsuit or li[tiga]tion against Puṭi-athiš, and his sons, (r 8) shall give 10 minas of silver. (r 9) Even though the…

SAA 14 443. Puṭu-Eši Buys a Woman as a Wife (TIM 11 14)

(Beginning destroyed) (1) [daughter] o[f] P[uṭ]u-he[ši] — (2) Puṭu-eši [has contrac]ted and bought her [fo]r half mina of silver [a]s a wife. (5) [The mone]y is paid completely. (6) [Whoever] in the future, at any time, seeks [a law]suit or litigation [against] Puṭu-eši [an]d his sons, [whether] Puṭu-heši [or] his sons or his prefect, shall giv[e x min]a of silver. (Break) (r 3) [...] silver [...] (r 4) she shall leave the house. (r 5) If [Puṭu]-eši hates [his] wife, the lady Al-hapi-mepi shall pay Puṭu-eši 10 shekels of silver and she can leave. (r 10) For as long as Puṭu-e[ši] lives, the…

SAA 14 444. Šumma-taṣip Lends Barley (TIM 11 27)

(1) [x hom]ers of barley [by the seah] of 8 'litres' [belonging to Šu]mma-taṣip, [at the disposal of ...-a]hu-iddin (5) [...]... (Break) (r 1) [Wi]tness Luqu. (r 2) Witness Nabû'a. (r 3) Witness Šar-Issar, [r]ab dayāli. (r 4) Witness A[...]ayu.

SAA 14 445. Silver Loan (*621-I-21) (TIM 11 25)

(1) 10 shekels of silver (r 1) He shall pay [......]. (r 2) [I]f he does not pay, he shall pay in the centre of Nineveh. (r 4) Month Nisan (I), 21st day, eponym year of Bel-iqbi. (r 6) Witness Šarru-isse'a. (r 7) Witness Puṭiše.

SAA 14 446. Court Order Concerning a Silver Loan (*612-VII) (TIM 11 22)

(1) Se[al] of Aṣi', son of [T]amurṭiše, (3) 10[+x shekel]s of silver (seal impressions) (4) 10 days (5) ... (6) A'e[... ....] (7) ...[...] (8) ...[...] (r 1) shall gi[ve ...] (r 2) A'[e..., Aṣ]i', (r 3) ...[... If] they do not do the work, the silver will increase .... (r 5) they will do [...] (r 6) [...] Month Tishri (VII), eponym year of Šamaš-šarru-ibni, (r 7) Witness [...], [...]. (e. 1) Witness Haqu-niše. (e. 2) ditto Ši-eše. (e. 3) He has paid off a document for 7 shekels of silver.

SAA 14 447. (no title) (TIM 11 20)

(1) Seal of [NN], [son of] Inur[ta-...], [......] (seal impression) (4) [......] (5) On the 1st day o[f month ...] (r 1) ...[...] (r 2) If no[t ...] (r 3) not ...[...] (r 4) he shall bear the liability [for ......] (r 6) [M]onth Nisan (I), [...th day, epo]nym year of Šamaš-[......]. (r 8) [Witne]ss Ma[r-...]. (e. 1) Witness Aššur-ba[lliṭ ...]. (e. 2) Witness Ahu-[...]. (e. 3) Witness [...].

SAA 14 448. Court Order Concerning Copper Vessels (TIM 11 21)

(1) [......] (2) [...] copper vessels (3) [...]... (seal impression) (4) [...] Urdu-Nabû (5) [...] ... (6) [...] with Urdu-[...], (7) he carried [...] (r 1) [...] they have come to an arrangement (r 2) [...] silver (r 3) [...] Urdu-Nabû (r 4) they gave [...] (r 5) [Peace is be]tween them. (r 6) [... M]onth Tebet (X), 26(th) day, [eponym year of ...], chief [...]. (r 8) [......] (r 9) [......] (r 10) [......]

SAA 14 449. Fragmentary Court Order (TIM 11 23)

(1) If [on the 1st] da[y], (2) Bal[...] (3) Kanun[ayu], (4) do not g[o] (seal impressions) (5) of [...] (6) 20 [...] (7) t[o ...] (r 1) [NN], [...] (r 2) to Bal[...]. (r 3) Month Elul (VI), 14[th] day. (r 4) Witness Ba[l...]. (r 5) [Witness] Gu[r...]. (r 6) [Wi]tness [NN]. (r 7) [Witness NN]. (e. 1) Witness Ša[maš-šall]im-ahhe. (e. 2) Witness Puṭi-ešu. (e. 3) Witness Nargî.

SAA 14 450. Court Decision Concerning Adoption (TIM 11 24)

(1) The lawsu[it which] Nur-šarru-[uṣur] argued with [... t]inti on account of [his s]on. (4) Nabû-mar-šarri-uṣur has taken Aptir[a...], his son, [as] an (adopted) son fo[r ...]. (Break) (r 1) Witness Ala[...]ru, Ahu-e[di]. (r 2) Witness Pan-[Issar-l]amur, Bel-šalme [...]. (r 3) Witness Ša-l[a-il]i-mannu, Puṭu-Eš[i]. (r 4) Witness [...]-ili, scribe.

SAA 14 451. (no title) (TIM 11 26)

(Beginning destroyed) (r 1) ...[...] (r 2) in the Review Palace [...] (r 3) he shall pay double the silver. (r 4) king's work [...] (r 5) Month Iyyar (II), [...] (Rest destroyed)

SAA 14 452. (no title) (TIM 11 28)

(1) Seal of Mannu-ki-Adad, [son of] Urdu-Mu[lli]ssi, (Break) (r 1) [Witness NN. Witness] Inurta-abi-uṣur. (r 2) [Witness NN. Witne]ss Dan-Adad. (r 3) [Witness ...]ru, son of Ilumma-lidgul. (r 4) [Witness NN, so]n of Nabû-uṣur. (r 5) [...]... (r 6) [...] ......

SAA 14 453. (no title) (TIM 11 30a)

(Beginning destroyed) (seal space) (1) [...] Nabû-aplu-[...], his servant (Break) (r 1) Witness [...]ri. (Rest destroyed)

SAA 14 454. (no title) (TIM 11 30c)

(Beginning destroyed) (3) ... [......] (4) [It will increase] by a fourth. (5) Month Sivan (III) [......] (Rest destroyed)

SAA 14 455. (no title) (TIM 11 30d)

(Beginning destroyed) (2) [...] in 1 homer [...] (3) [...] intercalary Ad[ar (XIIa) ...] (Rest destroyed)

SAA 14 456. (no title) (TIM 11 30e)

(Beginning destroyed) (2) [...] contravenes [...] (r 1) [...] Aššur and Šamaš [shall be his prosecutors]. (Rest destroyed)

SAA 14 457. Bel-Harran-duri, Chariot Driver of the C[rown Prince], Buys Land (TIM 11 31)

(1) [Instead of his seal he impressed his fingernail]. (fingernail impressions) (2) [Fingernail] of Zer-sama', [owner of the field], garden, threshing floor and house being sold. (4) [An estate of x hect]ares of field in cultivation [by the seah] of 7 'litres' by the [...] 'litre'. (6) [A bui]lt [house] with [its] beams, and [with] it[s d]oors, [...] (8) [...] threshing floor, vegetable garden, (9) [...] Satib[a...] — (10) Bel-Harran-duri, chariot driver of the c[rown prince], [has co]ntracted and bou[ght it f]rom Zer-sama'[... f]or 3 and half mina of silver. (14) The money is paid…

SAA 14 458. Barruqu Lends Grain (TIM 11 35)

(1) 5 homers one seah 5 'l[itres' ...] according to the seah of [x 'litre(s)'] belonging to Barr[uqu], (4) at the disposal of Nabû-šallimšunu, (5) at the disposal of Ereš-Issar, (6) They shall pay at the threshing floor in its original amount. (7) If they do not pay, it shall accrue interest. Month Nisan (I), (Rest destroyed)

SAA 14 459. Fragment of a Conveyance Text (*635) (TIM 11 32)

(1) [Seal of Is]sar-šarru-ibni, chief bow-maker [...], son of Issar-tariba, [owner of the ... being s]old. (stamp seal impressions) (Break) (r 2) No-one [shall litigate with] any[one] (r 3) Whoever in the future, [at any tim]e, contra[venes], Aššur and Šamaš shall be his prosecutors. The treaty of the king shall call him to account. (r 6) Witness Kaqqadanu. Witness Qulî. (r 7) Witness Mussezib. Witness Urdu-ahhešu. (r 8) Witness Nergal-eṭir. Witness Zar'utî. (r 9) Witness Remana-Aššur. Witness Gula-šumu-ibni. (r 10) Witness Mušallim-Marduk. (r 11) Witness Ahû'a-eriba. (e. 1) [Month ..., xth da…

SAA 14 460. Land Lease (TIM 11 33)

(Beginning destroyed) (1) An estate of 5 hectares 7 decares of [...] ditto Ṣidqaya, the Sido[nian ...] Nineveh, ditto the river. (3) An estate of 2 hectares [...] adjoining the river, adjoining the road of the town of Ad[ad-...], adjoining the maintenance field of the king's house [...], adjoining the sacred precint, adjoining Ṣidqaya, (7) An estate of 2 hectares "thin" (land) adjoining [...] (8) adjoining the road to Adad-[... ...] (9) Su-bal from [...] (10) adjoining Ṣidq[aya, ...] (11) well, adjoining [...] (12) of Tur[...] (13) Issar-ša[......] (14) adjoining the side road of [...] (15)…

SAA 14 461. Fragment of a Conveyance Text (TIM 11 34)

(Beginning destroyed) (r 1) his [..., ...] (r 2) [whether] the governor of his city, o[r ... or] the scribe of his city, o[r ...] (r 4) [se]eks [a law]suit or litigation against [NN, with] his [son]s, with [his grand]sons, [...], (r 6) [he shall give] 20 [minas of refined silver and x minas of] pure gold [...], he shall give [x] white [hor]ses t[o ......]. (r 9) He shall retu[rn] the mone[y tenfold to] its [owner]s. (r 10) [He shall con]test [in his 'no-lawsuit'] and not [succeed]. (Rest destroyed)

SAA 14 468. Urdu-Inurta Buys 11 Hectares of Land in Huli (ADD 1185)

(1) [Instead of] his seal he impressed his fingernail. (2) [Fi]ngernail of Inurta-na'di, owner of the field being sold. (stamp seal impressions) (3) An estate of 2 hectares of land adjoining the field of [...] adjoining the road that le[ads] to Enati. (5) An estate of 1 hectare 6 decares of field adjoining Man[nu-ki-Adad], adjoining the field of Ṭab-bel. (6) An estate of 1 [hectare of field] adjoining Ter-dala, adjoining [NN], adjoining the steppe road. (8) An estate of 1 he[ctare of field] adjoining [...]..., adjoining [...]. (10) An estate of 5 decares of field in the wadi o[f ...]…

Law·Economy

SAA 14 475. Urdu Buys People (ADD 0259)

(1) Fingernail of Bel-iqbi, (2) Fingernail of Zeru-ibni, (3) Fingernail of Bel-abu-uṣur, (4) owner(s) of the people being sold. (space for fingernail impressions) (5) [...]-Marduk, his wife, (6) his [x sons], his 2 daughters, (7) [in all x per]sons, servants [of] these [men] — (9) Urdu [has contrac]ted and bought them [from] these men [for 1]80 (shekels of) copper. (12) [The money] is paid completely. The [people] are purchased and acquired. Any [revocat]ion, lawsuit, or litigation is void. (15) [Whoever in] the future lodges a complaint and seeks [a law]suit against Urdu and his sons, (18)…

Law·Economy

SAA 14 476. A Court Decision on Behalf of Silim-Aššur

(1) The case which Sil[im-Aššur] argued with Sunî [......]. They approached the [...]. (4) Silim-[Aššur]. (unused seal space) (Rest destroyed or too broken for translation)

~650 BCE·Neo-AssyrianEditorial

SAA 14 478. Fragment of a Witness List (ADD 1201)

(Beginning destroyed) (r 3) Witness [NN]. (r 4) Witness Ahu-la-amaš[ši]. (r 5) Witness Agu[...]. (r 6) Witness Nergal-ša[rru-uṣur]. (r 7) [Witness] Nabû-[...]. (Rest destroyed)

Law·Economy

Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet XI (the Flood)

The single most important literary discovery of the 19th century. It rewired the understanding of the Bible's literary context and proved that the Mesopotamian flood tradition is older. It is the oldest surviving epic poetry in human history.

Religion & Myth·Writing & Literature

Religion & Myth·Writing & Literature

Aššur-etel-ilāni 01

Aššur-etel-ilāni's dedication of baked bricks for Ezida at Kalḫu — framed as a life-preservation rite — attests royal temple-building ideology persisting into the final turbulent years of the Assyrian Empire.

Aššur-etel-ilāni 02

Addresses Marduk as 'Enlil of the gods' and supreme arbiter of both Igīgū and Anunnakū — attesting the late Assyrian theological strategy of absorbing Babylonian divine supremacy into royal piety.

Aššur-etel-ilāni 03

(1) For the god Marduk, supreme lord, exalted hero, lord of lords, exalted, wh(ose) figure is splendid (and who) is vastly superior to all of the (other) gods, bearer of the awe-inspiring, terrible radiance, clothed in splendor, (5) who drove [off] the god Kingu, defeated the angry sea, (and) overcame the evil ones, who dwells in Eešerke — which is inside Sippar-Aruru — great lord, his lord: (8) Aššur-etel-ilāni, king of the world (and) king of Assyria, son of Ashurbanipal, king of the world (and) king of Assyria, (10) had a scepter of red gold made which was (then) presented for his…

Aššur-etel-ilāni 04

(1a) For the god Uraš, exalted lord, foremost of the great gods of E-ibbi-Anum — the shrine (which is) worthy of honor — great lord, his lord: (2b) Aššur-etel-ilāni, king of Assyria, who renovated the shrine(s) of the great gods, son of Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria, shepherd of the black-headed, renovated E-ibbi-Anum, the holy place which is inside Dilbat, the abode of the god Uraš and the goddess Ninegal. He built (it) anew with baked bricks, the craft of the god Baḫar and, with regard to the foundation of the well, he (re-)established its position just as (it had been) in ancient times.…

Aššur-etel-ilāni 05

(1) For [the god Enlil, lord of the la]nds, his [lord: Aššu]r-etel-ilāni, (5) his obedient [shephe]rd, who provides for Nippur, supporter of Ekur, mighty king, king of the four quarters (of the world), (re)built (10) Ekur, his beloved temple with baked bricks.

Aššur-etel-ilāni 06

(1) The tomb of Šamaš-ibni, the Dakkurian, upon whom Aššur-etel-ilāni, king of Assyria, had pity, brought from Assyria to Bīt-Dakkūri, his (own) country, and laid to rest in a tomb inside his home of Dūru-ša-Ladīni (“Fortress of Ladīnu”). (4) Whoever you are, whether governor or commander or judge or prince, who is appointed in the land, do not harm this tomb or (its) bone(s)! (But rather) look after its position (and) extend (your) good protection over it! For (doing) this, may the god Marduk, the great lord, lengthen your reign, establish his good protection over you, (and) bless your name,…

Sîn-šarru-iškun 01

Royal titulary of Sîn-šarru-iškun invokes ten deities across the Assyrian and Babylonian pantheons, documenting the deliberate theological diplomacy of the last generation of Sargonid kings before Nineveh fell in 612 BCE.

Sîn-šarru-iškun 02

Preserves the legitimating titulary of a late Sargonid king — likely Sîn-šarru-iškun — showing Sîn, Marduk, and Ea each conferring distinct attributes of rule within decades of Assyria's fall.

Sîn-šarru-iškun 03

Attests Sîn-šarru-iškun's full Sargonid titulary — king of Assyria, Sumer, and Akkad — anchoring his legitimacy claim within a dynastic chain stretching back to Sargon II, just years before Assyria's collapse in 612 BCE.

Sîn-šarru-iškun 04

Attests Sîn-šarru-iškun's building activity along the Tigris in the final decade of the Assyrian Empire, adding fragmentary but direct epigraphic evidence to a reign otherwise poorly documented in royal inscriptions.

Sîn-šarru-iškun 05

Attests late Sargonid royal building rhetoric — the formulaic 'foundation to crenellation' restoration topos — applied to an Assyrian cultic or palatial structure in the empire's final decades before Nineveh's fall in 612 BCE.

Sîn-šarru-iškun 07

Royal titulary of Sîn-šarru-iškun, one of Assyria's last kings before Nineveh fell in 612 BCE, attesting the Sargonid court's continued investment in divine-legitimation rhetoric even as the empire was collapsing.

Sîn-šarru-iškun 13

Names four generations of Sargonid kings in a single titulary chain, offering a fixed synchronic anchor for the dynasty's self-legitimating genealogy in the final decade before Assyria's collapse.

Sîn-šarru-iškun 19

Preserves the titulary of Sîn-šarru-iškun — Assyria's penultimate king — attesting the full Sargonid divine-election formula invoked even as Nineveh stood fewer than a decade from its fall in 612 BCE.

Sîn-šarru-iškun 06

(1) [I, Sîn-šar]ra-iškun, great king, strong king, king of the world, k[ing of Assyria, favored by the deities Aššur], Enlil, (and) Mullissu; pious governor, [... of Ešarra, humble ruler; chos]en by the steadfast hearts of the deities Sîn, Ningal, Šamaš, and Aya; beloved of [the deities Marduk, Zarpanītu, Nabû, (and) Tašmētu; the one chosen by the goddess Ištar who res]ides in Nineveh (and) the goddess Ištar who resides in Arbela, favorit[e of the gods Nergal and Nusku; (5) the one whom (the god) Aššur, the goddess Mulliss]u, and the great gods, my lords, steadfastly l[ooked upon] among my…

Sîn-šarru-iškun 08

(i' 1') [conceiv]ed [in] my [heart to (re)buil]d [t]hat [temple] and [want]ed (to carry it out). [According to] its [original pla]n, [on] its [form]er [sit]e, [in a favorable month, (on) an au]spicious [day, according to the craft of the incantation pri]est, [... I fille]d in its [foundat]ion [with limesto]ne and [made (it) as high] as [a mount]ain. [I built (and) complet]ed (it) [from] its [foundation(s) to] its [crenellations. ...] (ii' 1') [I] offered [prime quality prize bulls (and) f]atten[ed fat-t]ai[led sheep] as pu[re] food offe[rings] befo[re] the god Nabû (and) the goddess [Tašmētu,…

Sîn-šarru-iškun 09

(i 1') As[syria]; the one who[m (the god) Aššur], the king [of the gods], with [his] benevol[ent] g[lance], looked [with] ple[asure upon and] selecte[d] for king[ship; to] ma[ke firm] (ii 1) [...] ... [to make the foundation of] the land [f]irm, [to dir]ect [the peo]ple of [As]syria, [...] ... (iii 1) governor of Babylon, king of the land of Sum[er] and Akk[ad]; (5) son of Sennac[herib], grea[t] king, stro[ng] king, king of [the world], (iv 1) they (the gods) [guided me and] ... [...] (vi 1') [May they (the gods) make his name, his seed], (and) his offspring [disa]ppear [from the land]. (vi 3'…

Sîn-šarru-iškun 10

(1) I, [Sîn-šarra-i]škun, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria; the one whom the deities Aššur, [Mullissu, M]arduk, Zarpanītu, Nabû, (and) Tašmētu steadfastly looked upon with their benevolent glance and selected for kingship; whom the light of heaven, the god Sîn, crowned with the crown of lordship to make the foundation of the land firm, to direct the people, to put in order what is confused, (5) (and) to repair what is destroyed; whose hand the god Nabû, overseer of the world, made grasp a just scepter (and) a true staff for shepherding a widespread population;…

Sîn-šarru-iškun 11

(1) I, Sîn-šarra-iškun, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria; son of Ashurbanipal, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the land of Sumer and Akkad; son of Esarhaddon, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, governor of Babylon, king of the land of Sumer and Akkad; son of Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, ruler who has no rival; descendant of Sargon (II), great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, governor of Babylon, king of the land of Sumer and Akkad: (2b)…

Sîn-šarru-iškun 12

(1) I, Sîn-šarra-iškun, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria; son of Ashurbanipal, king of the world, king of Assyri[a]; son of Esarhaddon, king of the world, king of Ass[yria]; (5) son of Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria; [de]s[cenda]nt of Sargon (II), king of the world, king of Assyria, [governor of B]abylon, king of the land of Sumer and Akkad: (8) At [the beginning of] my [king]ship, when the deities Aššur, Bēl (Marduk), Nabû, (and) [Ištar] gladly placed me (10) on the th[rone of the fa]ther who had engendered me, in place of an empty lot I built…

Sîn-šarru-iškun 14

(1) [Palac]e of Sîn-šarra-iškun, great king, [strong] king, [king of the world, king of Assyria; son of As]hurbanipal, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of [Assyria; son of Es]arhaddon, great king, strong king, k[ing of the world, king of Assyria; son of Senn]acherib, great king, s[trong] king, [king of the world, king of Assyria; (5) descendan]t of Sargon (II), [great] k[ing, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, ...]

Sîn-šarru-iškun 15

(1) [For the god Nabû, lord of ingenio]us things, the splendid one, s[on of] the ruler (Marduk), the nob[le one, the one who contr]ols the Igīgū (and) Anunnakū gods, the one who directs everything there is, the one who knows [the fate of the land, the merc]iful (and) compassionate one, the one who resides in Baltil (Aššur), the great lord, [his lord]: (4) Sîn-šarra-iškun, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of [Assyria]; (5) son of Ashurbanipal, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of [Assyria]; son of Esarhaddon, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of…

Sîn-šarru-iškun 16

(1) For the goddess Tašmētu, the goddess of acceptance and reconciliation, heroic one of the gods, sublime one of [goddesses], wife of the god Nabû — the firstborn son — who is endowed with sexual charm (and) filled with awe-insp[iring brilliance], the one who controls the Igīgū (and) Anunnakū gods, the one who directs everything there is, the one who accepts sup[plications, the one who] saves the ruler who reveres [her divinity] from the midst of combat and battle, (5) supreme [go]ddess, the one who resides in Baltil (Aššur), the great lady, [his] lady: (6) Sîn-šarra-iškun, great king,…

Sîn-šarru-iškun 17

(1) For (the goddess) Antu, lady of the go[ds, ...], the one who created everything there i[s, ...], who resides in the city Aššur, the grea[t] lady, [his lady]: (3b) [S]în-[šarra-iškun, king of Assyria]; son of Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria; son of Esar[haddon, king of] Assyria; son of [Sennacherib, king of Assyria]; had a table made of musukkannu-wood, a durable wood, and clad (it) with shining eš[marû-metal], and (then) had (it) firmly placed before her (Antu) to set out pure meal(s) befitting [her] di[vinity] so that [her] great divin[ity] may constantly (and) unceasingly receive (meals)…