All tablets.

Ikunum 5add (formerly Šamši-Adad I 03)

(1′) vice-regent of [(the god) Aššur; (and) Il]u-[šūma] (was) the son of Ša[lim-aḫum, vice-re]gent [of (the god) Aššur]. (5′) Ikūnum, vice[-regent of (the god) Aššur, buil]t the temple of the [goddess Ereškigal, for his life and the life of his city]. Moreover, he depo[sited (his) clay c]one (therein). (11′) (May) a f[uture ruler], when th(at) tem[ple ...] has become dilapida[ted, re]turn my clay co[ne t]o its place.

Ilu-šumma 1

(1) Ilu-šūma, vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, beloved of the god Aššur and the goddess Ištar, [son of Ša]lim-aḫum, vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, built a temple for the goddess Ištar, his lady, (and) for his life. (14) He established the freedom (andurāru) of the Akkadians.

Ilu-šumma 2

(1) Ilu-šūma, vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, beloved of the god Aššur and the goddess Ištar, son of Šalim-aḫum, vice-regent of (the god) Aššur. Šalim-aḫum, vice-regent of Aššur, (was) the son of Puzur-Aššur (I) (and) vice-regent of (the god) Aššur. (16) Ilu-šūma, vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, built a temple for the goddess Ištar, his lady, (and) for his life, and he constructed a façade (and) new wall. (27) I subdivided house-plots for my city. The god Aššur opened up for me two springs on Mount Ebiḫ (Abiḫ) and (then) I made bricks for th(at) wall using (the water of) those two springs.…

Puzur-Sin 1001

(1) When Puzur-Sîn, vice-regent of the god Aššur, son of Aššur-bēl-šamê, destroyed the evil of Asīnum, offspring of Šamšī-[Adad (I)], who was ... of the city Aššur, and instituted proper rule for the city Aššur, (at that time), [I (Puzur-Sîn) removed] ... a foreign plague, (who was) not of the flesh of [the city] Aššur. (15) The god Aššur justly ... [with] his pure hands and I, by the command of (the god) Aššur himself, my lord, destroyed that improper thing that he had worked on, (specially) the wall and palace of Šamšī-Adad (I), his grandfather, (who was) a foreign plague (and) not of the…

Šalim-aḫum 1

(1) Šalim-aḫum, vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, son of Puzur-Aššur (I), vice-regent of (the god) Aššur. (7) The god Aššur requested a temple from him and he built a temple of ... (to last) forever. Moreover, he bu[ilt] the palace of ... (-) Dagan, its shrine, its temple area, ...,(its) house of beer vats, and its storage area for <his> life and the life of his ci[ty], (erasure), for the god Aššur.

Šamši-Adad I 01

(1) Šamšī-Adad (I), king of the world, builder of the temple of the god Aššur, pacifier of the land between the Tigris River and the Euphrates River, by the command of the god Aššur, who loves him, (and the one) whom the gods Anu and Enlil called by name for greatness among the kings who came before (him). (18) (As for) the temple of the god Enlil, which Erišum (I), the son of Ilu-šūma, had built, it had become dilapidated and I abandoned it. Then, I built the temple of the god Enlil, my lord, the fearful dais, the large chapel, the seat of the god Enlil, my lord, (all of) which were…

~1900 BCE·Old BabylonianOur engine

Šamši-Adad I 02

Claims the Emašmaš temple in Nineveh as a restoration of a structure built by Maništušu of Agade, asserting Assyrian dynastic continuity across seven generations of post-Akkadian history.

Šamši-Adad I 03 (= Ikunum 5add)

(1) Šamšī-[Adad (I)], appointee of the god Enlil, vice-regent of the god Aššur. (4) (As for) the temple of the goddess Ereškigal, which Ikūnum, the son of Erišum (I), had built, it had become dilapidated and Šamšī-A[dad (I)], son of

Šamši-Adad I 04

(1) Šamšī-Adad (I), appointee of the god Enlil, vice-regent of the god Aššur. (4) When the god Itūr-Mēr, my lord, fully entrusted to [me] the ru[le] and control [over] the land Mari and the bank(s) of the Eu[phrates] River, I prayed to hi[m a]nd (then) [I offered up (to him), [(for the splendor of his divinity,)] a throne of light-colored medlar-wood ... [...] that had been perfected with everything pertaining to the goldsmith’s art (lit. “by gold and skilled craftsmen”).

Šamši-Adad I 05

(1) [Šamšī-Adad (I), appointee of the god Enlil, vice-regent of the god Aššur]. (4) Wh[en] the god Itūr-Mē[r] heard my pray[e]rs and petitions and fully entrusted to me the land Mari, the bank(s) of the Euphr[ates] River, and its domains, I prayed to him and (then) I offered up (to him), for the splendor of his divinity, a great ebony throne that had been methodically made with everything pertaining to the goldsmith’s art (lit. “by gold and skilled craftsmen”).

Šamši-Adad I 06

(1) For the goddess Ištar-šarrum, the controller of all of heaven and netherworld, the one who favorably receives his prayers (and) goes at his right hand: (6) Šamšī-Adad (I), strong king, king of Agade, conqueror of all of his enemies, dedicated a bronze kettledrum with good sound (and) befitting his being a warrior.

Šamši-Adad I 07

(1) [Šam]šī-[Adad (I)], strong king, appointee of the god [Enlil], vice-regent of the god Aššur, beloved of the god Dagān, pacifier of the land between the Tigris River and the Euphrates River, ruler of [Mar]i, king of Ekallātum, (and) governor of Šubat-Enlil. (12) [I ...] twin (vases) for the god Dagān and the banquet of [...] the god Aššur fo[r [...]. (r 1) (No translation possible)

Šamši-Adad I 08

(1) Šamšī-Adad (I), king of the world, appointee of the god Enlil, worshipper of the god Dagān, vice-regent of the god Aššur, builder of Ekisiga — “His Silent Temple,” the temple of the god Dagān in Terqa.

Šamši-Adad I 09

(1) Šamšī-Adad (I), vice-regent of the god Aššur, son of Ilā-kabkabī, builder of the temple of the god Aššur.

Šamši-Adad I 10

(1) Šamšī-Ad[ad (I)], beloved of the god Aššur, vice-regent of the god Aššur, [son of] Ilā-kabkabī.

Šamši-Adad I 1001

(i' 1) ... [By] command of [the god] Enlil and [...] my attack [in Arra]pḫa [...] seventh day [...] and [I] sacrificed, ...] and (ii' 1) I entered his fortress. I kissed the feet of the god Adad, my lord, and reorganized that land. I installed my governors everywhere and, (at) the Festival of Heat, I sacrificed to the gods Šamaš and Adad, in Arrapḫa itself. (ii' 12) (In) Addaru (XII), on the twentieth day, I crossed the (Lower) Zab (Zaiba) and made a razzia in the land Qabra. I struck down the harvest of that land and, in the month Magrānum, I captured the fortified cities of the land Arbela…

Šamši-Adad I 11

Attests Šamši-Adad I's self-presentation as temple-builder of Aššur, anchoring his reign within the city-god's cult at the moment Assyria first emerged as a territorial kingdom.

Šamši-Adad I 12

(1) Šamšī-[Adad (I)], king of [the world].

Šamši-Adad I 2001

(1) The name of this lion is “The Sealer of the Enemy of Šamšī-Adad (I) by the Command of the Goddess Ištar.”

Šamši-Adad I 2002

(1) The name of [this] lion is “The Drinker of the Blood of the Enemies of Ša[mšī-Adad (I)] by [the Command of] the Goddess [Ištar].” (8) (Belonging to) Eme[urur], (which means) “the temple of gathering together divine powers.”

Šamši-Adad I 2003

(1) Šamšī-[Adad (I)], appointee of the god Enlil, vice-regent of the god Aššur: Amaduga, his female servant.

Šamši-Adad I 2004

(1) Šamšī-[Adad (I)], appointee of [the god Enlil], vice-regent of the god [Aššur]: [Ya]matti-[El, his] servant.

Šamši-Adad I 2005

(1) Šamšī-[Adad (I)], appointee of the god [Enlil], vice-regent of the god Aššur: Yaḫuzānum, son of Zamāmu, his servant.

Šamši-Adad I 2006

(1) Šamšī-[Adad (I)], strong king. Ammī-iluna, son of Irra-i[...], his servant.

Šamši-Adad I 2007

(1) Yattiya, son of Samsī-malik, servant of Šamšī-Adad (I).

Šamši-Adad I 2008

(1) [Ya]matti-[El], son of Ḫata ..., servant of [Ša]mšī-Ad[ad (I)].

Šamši-Adad I 2009

(1) Tarim-š[akim], servant of Šamšī-[Adad (I)].

Šamši-Adad I 2010

(1) Umannisuṭa, son of Idin-[...], servant of Šamšī-[Adad (I)].

Šamši-Adad I 2011

(1) Adad-saga, son of Ḫaziya, servant of Šamšī-[Adad (I)].

Šamši-Adad I 2012

(1) [M]ašiya, son of Šalim-[...], servant of Šam[šī-Adad (I)].

Šamši-Adad I 2013

(1) Lu-Ninsianna, son of ..., servant of Šamšī-Adad (I).

Šamši-Adad I 2014

(1) [Zi]mrī-ḫammu, [son of S]umu-ammim, servant of Šamšī-Adad (I).

Šamši-Adad I 2015

(1) D[agān-...], son of ...[...], servant of Šamšī-Ad[ad (I)].

Šamši-Adad I 2016

(1) Ṣurri-Adad, [son of Z]idriya, [servant of] Šamšī-Adad (I).

Šamši-Adad I 2017 / CDLI Seals 009443

(1) Ibāl-eraḫ, son of Kiabkurānu, servant of Šamšī-Adad (I).

Šamši-Adad I 2018

(1) Laḫar-abī, the scribe, son of Kakisum, servant of Šamšī-Adad (I).

Šamši-Adad I 2019

(1) Sîn-iqīšam, son of Būr-Adad, servant of Šamšī-Adad (I).

Šamši-Adad I 2020 / CDLI Seals 008051

(1) Rīš-ilu, son of Aduanniam, servant of Šamšī-Adad (I).

Šamši-Adad I 2021

(1) Pazaya, son of Aḫi-šakim, servant of Šamšī-Adad (I).

Šamši-Adad I 2022

(1) Kunnat[um], son of Mezi..., servant of Šamšī-Adad (I).

Šamši-Adad I 2023

(1) Samiya, son of Ḫani-m[alik], servant of Šamš[ī-Adad (I)].

Sargon I 1 / CDLI Seals 003474

(1) The divine Sargon (I), vice-regent of the god Aššur, son of Ikūnum, vice-regent of the god Aššur.

Sargon I 2001

(1) When the divine Sargon (was) vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, Ḫadītum, the wife of Bēlam-nāda, dedicated (this) to the Assyrian Ištar, her lady. She put (the symbol of the) pudendum into (the Ištar temple) for the life of her husband, her (own) life, and the life of her children.

~1850 BCE·Old BabylonianETCSRI

Abi-sare 3add

(1) For Nanna, his master, Abi-sare, the powerful man, king of Urim, built and restored the city wall of Iškun-Suen.

Religion & MythWriting & Literature

~1808 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

Sumerian King List (Weld-Blundell Prism)

The single most influential Mesopotamian king list — the model for every later attempt to chronicle the deep history of the region. It transmits the political theology of divinely granted kingship, an idea that would echo through Babylon, Assyria, and into the Hebrew Bible. The Weld-Blundell prism (WB 444) at the Ashmolean is the most complete surviving copy.

Religion & MythWriting & Literature

A balbale of Inana (Inana A)

Great fierce storm, ...... radiance! Inana, emitting fearsomeness and radiance in battle! (1 ms. adds: Inana, playing (?) in battle! Inana, emitting fearsomeness and radiance in battle! ) Where Enlil has commanded it, you make a lion's body and lion's muscles rise up. ...... in the south and in the uplands ...... like grass. Like Ickur ....... Like their proud mighty heroes, you ...... (1 ms. has instead: may they ...... for you) their noses (?) to the ground. May the great (1 ms. has instead: proud) warrior of kings and queens restore for you the shrine Kec. May he make them ...... their noses (?) to the ground for you.

Religion & Myth

A balbale to Enki for Ishme-Dagan (Ishme-Dagan E)

1 line missing ...... in the holy heart ......, ......, whose words are powerful, who ...... decisions. ...... foremost of the gods, omniscient ....... ...... Enki, counsellor of holy An, adviser of the Great Mountain ....... ...... foremost of the gods, omniscient ....... ...... Enki, counsellor of holy An, adviser of the Great Mountain ....... Adviser, whose statements cannot be countermanded, whose ways ...... fearsomeness. Patient-hearted, who rides upon all the divine powers, who ...... like Enlil. Nudimmud ...... holy dais ....... Lord imbued with fearsomeness, borne by An and Urac,…

Religion & Myth

A balbale to Enlil for Ur-Namma (Ur-Namma G)

6 lines missing Enlil ...... to Ur-Namma. He bestowed on him (?) early floods, grain and speckled barley. Ur-Namma, may the people flourish in prosperity under your rule. You (?) ...... the plough and good barley, and your cultivated fields will be rich. You (?) ...... trees, seeds, good barley, the plough, and the fields. You (?) ...... the plough and good barley ....... King, cultivate the fields with oxen, and your cultivated fields will be rich; Ur-Namma, cultivate the fields with them, and your cultivated fields will be rich. The oxen will make (?) your cultivated fields fertile; your cultivated fields will be rich.

Religion & Myth

Religion & MythDaily Life

A balbale to Inana and Dumuzid (Dumuzid-Inana A)

The brother speaks gently to his sister, Utu speaks gently to his sister, he speaks tenderly to holy Inana: "Young lady, the flax in the garden beds is full of loveliness, Inana, the flax in the garden beds is full of loveliness, like the barley in the furrows, overflowing with loveliness and delight. Sister (1 ms. has instead: Young lady), you took a fancy to a grand length of linen; Inana, you took a fancy to a grand length of linen. I will dig up the plants for you and give them to you. Young lady (1 ms. has instead: My sister), I will bring you flax from the garden beds. Inana, I will bring you flax from the garden beds."