Sumerian history Archieve

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• MS 2426 Sumer, ca. 2385 BC

• MS 4556 Sumer, ca. 2217-2193 BC
• MS 2814 Sumer, 2100-1800 BC
• MS 2855 Babylonia, 2000-1800 BC
• MS 2110/1 Babylonia 1900-1700 BC
• MS 5103 Babylonia 1900-1700 BC

MS 2426

ROYAL INSCRIPTION OF GISHAKIDU OF UMMA: WHEN

SHARA SAID TO ENLIL, AND STOOD AT HIS SERVICE,
GISHAKIDU, THE BELOVED OF SHARA - HERO AND
FIERCE ENCHANTER OF SUMER, THE BOLD ONE WHO
TURNS BACK THE LANDS, THE CONQUEROR OF NIN-
URRA, THE MOTHERLY COUNSELLOR OF ENKI, THE
BELOVED COMPANION OF ISHTARAN, THE MIGHTY
FARMER OF ENLIL, THE KING CHOSEN BY INANNA;
HE DUG THE CANALS, HE SET UP THE STELES -

MS in Sumerian on limestone, Umma, Sumer, ca. 2385 BC, 1/3

of a truncated cone, h. 11,9 cm, originally ca. 35 cm, diam. 5,3-
7,3 cm, 2 columns, compartments with 30 lines in a transitional
linear script between pictographic and cuneiform script.

Context: Continuation of the text (mainly listing the boundaries

of Shara of Umma) on British Museum terracotta vase, former Erlenmeyer Collection
(Christie's 13.12.1988:60), and also related to The Louvre AO 19225, a gold beard from a
statue which alludes to the existence of King Gishakidu.
For another foundation inscription of Gishakidu of Umma, see MS 4983.

Commentary: The cone and the vase relate to the Umma-Lagash border conflict that lasted
over the reign of many kings between ca. 2450 and 2300 BC, with many bloody battles. This
conflict is the earliest well documented piece of history. All the written and artistic materials
came from Lagash, such as the stele of the vultures in The Louvre. The cone and the vase for
the first time tell the history from Umma's point of view. The present MS also reveals the
unknown king of the British Museum vase, and dates it to ca. 2385 BC.
Information kindly given by Mark Wilson who will publish the text.
 MS 4556

ROYAL INSCRIPTION OF KING SHAR-KALI-

SHARRI OF AKKAD, DESCRIBING HIS
CAMPAIGNS AND CONQUESTS

MS in Sumerian on light green translucent alabaster,

Akkad, Sumer, ca. 2217-2193 BC, 1 partial tablet,
10,0x11,5x4,7 cm, (originally at least ca. 20x25x5 cm),
2+2 columns (originally 5+5 columns), 18 compartments
remaining in a formal archaizing cuneiform script of high
quality.

Commentary: This was originally a luxury inscription of

impressive size and beauty. No royal inscriptions have so far been published of this king,
who is known from other sources, including monumental inscriptions. The king's name have
been recut, after another name had been erased, possibly of the previous king, Naram-Sîn
(2254-2218 BC).

MS 2814

ROYAL INSCRIPTION COMMEMORATING DEFEAT OF

MAGAN, MELUKHAM, ELAM(?), AND AMURRU, AND
ESTABLISHMENT OF REGULAR OFFERINGS TO HIS
STATUE; SCHOOL TEXT?

MS in Neo Sumerian and Old Babylonian on clay, Sumer,

2100-1800 BC, 1 tablet, 14,8x14,0x3,3 cm (originally ca.
16x14x3 cm), 3+3 columns, 103 lines in cuneiform script.

Commentary: The text was copied from a Sargonic royal

inscription on a statue in the Ur III or early Old Babylonian period. Magan was at Oman and
at the Iranian side of the Gulf. Meluhha or Melukham was the Indus Valley civilisation (ca.
2500-1800 BC). This is one of fairly few references to the Indus civilisation on tablets. The 3
best known references are: 1. Sargon of Akkad (2334-2279 BC) referring to ships from
Meluhha, Magan and Dilmun; 2. Naram-Sin (2254-2218 BC) referring to rebels to his rule,
listing the rebellious kings, including "(..)ibra, man of Melukha"; and 3. Gudea of Lagash
(2144-2124 BC) referring to Meluhhans that came from their country and sold gold dust,
carnelian, etc. There are further references in literary texts. After ca. 1760 BC Melukha is not
mentioned any more.

Exhibited: Tigris 25th anniversary exhibition. The Kon-Tiki Museum, Oslo, 30.1. -
15.9.2003.
 MS 2855

LIST OF KINGS AND CITIES FROM BEFORE THE FLOOD

IN ERIDU: ALULIM RULED AS KING 28,800 YEARS. ELALGAR RULED 43,200

YEARS. ERIDU WAS ABANDONED. KINGSHIP WAS TAKEN TO BAD-TIBIRA.
AMMILU'ANNA THE KING RULED 36,000 YEARS. ENMEGALANNA RULED 28,800
YEARS. DUMUZI RULED 28,800 YEARS. BAD-TIBIRA WAS ABANDONED.
KINGSHIP WAS TAKEN TO LARAK. EN-SIPA-ZI-ANNA RULED 13,800 YEARS.
LARAK WAS ABANDONED. KINGSHIP WAS TAKEN TO SIPPAR. MEDURANKI
RULED 7,200 YEARS. SIPPAR WAS ABANDONED. KINGSHIP WAS TAKEN TO
SHURUPPAK. UBUR-TUTU RULED 36,000 YEARS. TOTAL: 8 KINGS, THEIR
YEARS: 222,600

MS in Sumerian on clay, Babylonia, 2000-1800 BC, 1 tablet,

8,1x6,5x2,7 cm, single column, 26 lines in cuneiform script.

Context: 5 other copies of the Antediluvian king list are known

only: MS 3175, 2 in Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, one is
similar to this list, containing 10 kings and 6 cities, the other is
a big clay cylinder of the Sumerian king list, on which the
kings before the flood form the first section, and has the same
8 kings in the same 5 cities as the present. A 4th copy is in
Berkeley: Museum of the University of California, and is a
school tablet. A 5th tablet, a small fragment, is in Istanbul.

Commentary: The list provides the beginnings of Sumerian and the world’s history as the
Sumerians knew it. The cities listed were all very old sites, and the names of the kings are
names of old types within Sumerian name-giving. Thus it is possible that correct traditions
are contained, though the sequence given need not be correct. The city dynasties may have
overlapped. It is generally held that the Antediluvian king list is reflected in Genesis 5, which
lists the 10 patriarchs from Adam to Noah, all living from 365 years (Enoch) to 969 years
(Methuselah), altogether 8,575 years. It is possible that the 222,600 years of the king list
reflects a more realistic understanding of the huge span of time from Creation to the Flood,
and the lengths of the dynasties involved. The first of the 5 cities mentioned , Eridu, is Uruk,
in the area where the myths places the Garden of Eden, while the last city, Shuruppak, is the
city of Ziusudra, the Sumerian Noah.

Published: Jöran Friberg: A remarkable Collection of Babylonian Mathematical Texts.

Springer 2007. Sources and Studies in the History of Mathematics and Physical Sciences.
Manuscripts in the Schøyen Collection, vol. 6, Cuneiform Texts I. pp. 237-241.
 MS 2110/1

DEBATE BETWEEN BIRD AND FISH; PART OF THE SUMERIAN CREATION

1.
STORY
CREATION OF THE WORLD, THE MAN AND THE HOE, 1 - 33, SUMERIAN
2.
MYTH

MS in Sumerian on clay, Babylonia, 1900-1700 BC, 1 tablet,

24x17x5 cm, 2+2 columns, 42 lines in cuneiform script.

Context: Creation of the hoe is the text on MSS 2423/1-5,

2110/1, text 2, and 3293. Bird and Fish is also the text on MSS
2884 and 3325. About 50-60 sources for the Creation of the Hoe
is known.

Commentary: Text 1, a part of the Sumerian creation story; as a

literary debate between the bird and the fish in which they argue
for their usefulness in the universe as it was then conceived. It
has a substantially variant form of the published text, and the
end is unpublished. Parts of the text are similar to Genesis 1:20-22.
Text 2: The Sumerians believed that the hoe, one of their basic agricultural tools, in the
beginning was given as a gift of the gods. A myth was created explaining the circumstances
of this event. It opens with the Sumerian creation of the world and of man.
There are parallels to both the Bible's 1st creation story: "The Lord hastened to separate
heaven from earth" (Gen. 1:6-10); "and Daylight shone forth" (Gen. 1:3-5); and the 2nd
creation story: "The Lord put the (first) human in the brick mould, and Enlil's people emerged
from the ground" (Gen. 2:7).

Exhibited: Tigris 25th anniversary exhibition. The Kon-Tiki Museum, Oslo, 30.1. -
15.9.2003.
 MS 5103

CREATION OF THE WORLD, SUMERIAN MYTH: IN DISTANT DAYS, IN THOSE

DAYS, AFTER DESTINIES HAD BEEN DECREED, AFTER AN AND ENLIL HAD SET
UP THE REGULATIONS FOR HEAVEN AND EARTH, ENKI, THE EXALTED
KNOWING GOD, LIKE A HIGH PRIEST WITH WIDE KNOWLEDGE, ENLIL-BANDA,
IN THE LANDS WAS THEIR RULER. BY THE RULES FOR HEAVEN AND EARTH,
THE FIXED RULES, HE SET UP CITIES. - HE DUG THE TIGRIS AND THE
EUPHRATES. THEREUPON HE ESTABLISHED THE RULES OF THE LANDS. HE SET
UP HAND-WASHING RITES, HE SET UP LIBATIONS

MS in Neo Sumerian on clay, Babylonia, 1900-1700 BC, 1 tablet,

10,6x5,0x2,2 cm, single column, 26 lines in cuneiform script, the lines on
reverse missing.

Commentary: The present text is unique, and different from the

abbreviated creation story which introduces the creation of the hoe (MSS
2423/1-5, 2110/1, text 2, and 3293), and the Neo Babylonian epic of
Creation, Enuma Elish, 1000 years later.

 
 MS 1686

THE UR-ISIN KING LIST

1. LIST OF THE 5 KINGS OF THE UR III DYNASTY WITH REGNAL YEARS

FROM KING UR-NAMMU 2112 BC TO KING IBBI-SIN 2004 BC
2. LIST OF THE 15 KINGS OF THE ISIN I DYNASTY WITH REGNAL YEARS
FROM KING ISHBI-ERRA 2017 BC TO THE 4TH YEAR OF KING DAMIQ-
ILISHU 1813 BC

MS in Old Babylonian with a few names in Sumerian on clay, Isin,

Babylonia, 1813 or 1812 BC, 1 tablet, 5,6x3,9x2,0 cm, 21 lines in Old
Babylonian cuneiform script.

Binding: Barking, Essex, 1993, red quarter morocco gilt folding case
by Aquarius.

Context: An incomplete tablet with the same texts was Erlenmeyer

Collection no. 115, now in a public institution. The texts were
originally extracted from date lists, now lost.

Commentary: 17 different Babylonian and Assyrian King Lists have

survived, mostly in fragmentary or worn condition. The present King List is the only one
perfectly preserved and is the oldest as well. All others are in public collections. In addition
there are 23 surviving Sumerian King Lists, all in public collections except MS 2855. The
importance of the King Lists for the chronology of the Babylonian and Assyrian Kingdoms
can hardly be over-estimated. They are crucial tools and primary historical evidence for the
historians.

Published: E. Sollberger: "New Lists of the Kings of Ur and Isin", in: Journal of Cuneiform
Studies 8(1954) pp. 135-6; and A.H. Grayson, King List 2 in the article "Königlisten und
Chroniken" in Reallexicon der Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archaeologie, Berlin 1980,
p. 90.

The Story of Time, ed.: Kristen Lippincott, with Umberto Eco, E.H. Gombrich. London,
Merrell Holberton in association with National Maritime Museum, 1999, p. 255.

Jöran Friberg: A remarkable Collection of Babylonian Mathematical Texts. Springer 2007.

Sources and Studies in the History of Mathematics and Physical Sciences. Manuscripts in the
Schøyen Collection, vol. 6, Cuneiform Texts I. pp. 233-236.

Exhibited: 1. Conference of European National Librarians, Oslo. Sept. 1994; 2. "The Story of
Time", Queen's House at the National Maritime Museum and The Royal Observatory,
Greenwich, Dec. 1999 - Sept. 2000.
 MS 1876/1

HAMMURABI, MIGHTY KING, KING OF BABYLON, KING OF THE FOUR

QUARTERS OF THE WORLD, THE BUILDER OF THE TEMPLE EZI-KALAM-MA
("HOUSE - THE LIFE OF THE LAND"), TEMPLE OF THE GODDESS INNANA IN
ZABALA

MS in Old Babylonian on clay, Zabala, Babylonia, 1792-1750

BC, 1 brick, 13x29x9 cm, originally ca. 33x29x9 cm, 9 columns,
(7x16 cm) in cuneiform script.

Context: There are 10 bricks extant apart from MS 1876/1-2, 9 in

the Iraq Museum and 1, former MS 1876/3, now in British
Museum (gift from The Schøyen Collection). MS 3028 is a royal
inscription on black stone from the shoulder of a statue.

Commentary: Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC), the great king who

created the Old Babylonian empire, is today mostly remembered
for his famous law code. But he also built a series of great temples
like the present one in Zabala. Towards the end of his reign,
Hammurabi ordered his law code to be carved on stelae which
were placed in the temples bearing witness that the king had
performed his important function of "king of justice"
satisfactorily. The famous stele now in the Louvre, was originally
erected in the Sippar temple. The 12 surviving bricks are the only
witnesses of the Zabala temple, its law code stele is lost.

For The Hammurabi law code, see MS 4507.

The Iraq bricks are published in: The Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia, early periods, vol.
4: Douglas Frayne, Old Babylonian Period (2003-1595 BC), p. 352.
 MS 1955/1

INTERNATIONAL JUDGEMENT MADE BEFORE INITESHSHUB, KING OF

CARCHEMISH AND SHAUSHGAMUWA KING OF AMURRU WHICH WAS SENT TO
AMISTAMRU II, KING OF UGARIT CONCERNInG PIDDU, THE FORMER QUEEN OF
UGARIT, SISTER OF SHAUSHGAMUWA, AND FORMER WIFE OF AMISTAMRU.
PIDDU IS EXILED BUT PROTECTED FROM BEING PUT TO DEATH IN THAT
AMISTAMRU CANNOT BRING HER BACK TO UGARIT FOR ANY REASON, AND
SHAUSHGAMUWA IS FORBIDDEN TO ASSOCIATE WITH HER OR MAKE PLANS
THAT WILL HAVE ANY IMPLICATIONS ON THE ROYAL LINE AT UGARIT

MS in Akkadian on clay, Carchemish, Syria, 1250-1240

BC, 1 tablet, 8,2x10,2x3,2 cm, single column, 15+5
lines in cuneiform script, with seal impression rolled
across the whole of the tablet, showing the deity
Sharruma advancing left, holding a double axe and a
sceptre.

Context: The present tablet is one out of 11 tablets

concerning the divorce and judgement of Queen Piddu,
involving 3 of the Kingdoms of the time, as well as the
Hittite empire under King Tudkhaliash IV (ca. 1265-1220 BC).

Commentary: The kingdoms of Ugarit, Amurru and Carchemish at the North-east corner of
the Mediterranean, were squeezed between the 3 great powers of the 13th c. BC, the Hittite
empire, Assyria and Egypt. The present tablet illustrates the tensions among the kingdoms
that fills in a bit of the picture of the upheaval to come at the end of the Bronze Age and the
beginning of the Iron Age, leading to the fall of the Hittite empire to Assyria and the
following Trojan war as described by Homer.
Published in Analecta Orientalia, 48, Roma, Pontificium Institutum Biblicum, 1971: Loren R.
Fisher, editor, The Claremont Ras Shamra Tablets, pp. 11-21. The seal is published in
Ugaritica III, p. 24.

Exhibited: 1. The Claremont Ras Shamra Tablets, at the Institute for Antiquity and
Christianity, Claremont, California, 1970-1994. 2. "Preservation for access: Originals and
copies". On the occasion of the 1st International Memory of the World Conference, organized
by the Norwegian Commission for UNESCO and the National Library of Norway, at the
Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, 3 June - 14 July 1996.
 MS 2063

THE TOWER OF BABEL STELE

ETEMENANKI: ZIKKURAT BABIBLI: "THE HOUSE, THE FOUNDATION OF HEAVEN AND EARTH,
ZIGGURAT IN BABYLON". CAPTION IDENTIFYING THE GREAT ZIGGURAT OF BABYLON, THE
TOWER OF BABEL. THE ROYAL INSCRIPTION OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR CONTINUES:
ETEMENANKI, I MADE IT THE WONDER OF THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD, I RAISED ITS TOP TO
THE HEAVEN, MADE DOORS FOR THE GATES, AND I COVERED IT WITH BITUMEN AND BRICKS

MS in Neo Babylonian on black stone, Babylon, 604-562 BC, stele with

rounded top, 47x25x11 cm, the back of the lower 2/3 missing, 3 columns,
3+24+24+24 lines in cuneiform script, to the left: carving of the Tower of
Babel from a front view, clearly showing the relative proportions of the 7
steps including the temple on the top; to the right: the standing figure of
Nebuchadnezzar II with his royal conical hat, holding a staff in his left
hand and a scroll with the rebuilding plans of the Tower (or a foundation
nail) in his outstretched right hand; at the top: a line drawing of the ground
plan of the temple on the top, showing both the outer walls and the inner
arrangement of rooms, including the one that once had a fine large coach in
it, richly covered, and a gold table beside it, according to Herodot: The Histories I:181; on the
left edge: another line drawing of the ground plan of the temple, further building plans on the
missing back.

Context: The missing part of the stele's back, was in a religious

institution in U.S.A., the present whereabouts unknown. The stele
was found in a special hiding chamber, broken into 3 parts in
antiquity, at Robert Koldewey's excavations of the site of the
Tower of Babel in 1917. Its importance was immediately
recognised. A photograph was taken with 3 archaeologists standing
next to the stele. With the imminent danger of war breaking out in
the area, they decided to rescue it, and each archaeologist carried
one part out of the war zone. One part was taken to Germany, one part to Jordan and then
London, the third part to U.S.A.
Now the 2 most important parts are reunited in The Schøyen collection.
For bricks from the Tower of Babel, stamped with Nebuchadnezzar's name, used during the
rebuilding, see MS 1815/1-3. For the only other known architect's plan of a known temple,
see MS 3031.

Commentary:
The ziggurat in Babylon was originally built around the time of Hammurabi 1792-1750 BC.
The restoration and enlargement began under Nabopolassar, and was finished after 43 years
of work under Nebuchadnezzar II, 604-562 BC. It has been calculated that at least 17 million
bricks had to be made and fired. Babylon with the ziggurat was captured by Kyros 538 BC
(who pulled down the 3 stair ramps so the tower could not be used as a fortress), Dareios I
519 BC, Xerxes ca. 483 BC, and entirely taken down by Alexander I the Great 331 BC, due
to the structural water damage caused by the removed ramps, but his rebuilding plans failed.
Until now our knowledge of the Tower of Babel has been based on the account in Genesis
11:1-9, and of Herodot: The Histories I:178 - 182, with the measurement of the first 2 steps,
and a Seleucid tablet of 229 BC (Louvre AO 6555), giving the sizes of the steps. However,
no contemporary illustrations have been known, resulting in a long series of fanciful
paintings throughout the art history until present. Here we have for the first time an
illustration contemporary with Nebuchadnezzar II's restoring and enlargement of the Tower
of Babel, and with a caption making the identity absolutely sure. We also have the building
plans, as well as a short account of the reconstruction process. The text also mentions the
restoration of the E-ir-inimanki ziggurat in Borsippa, once believed by some scholars to be
the Tower of Babel.

Exhibited: Rounded top part only: 1. The Bibliophile Society of Norway's 75th anniversary.
Bibliofilklubben 75 år. Jubileumsutstilling Bok og Samler, Universitetsbliblioteket 27.2 -
26.4.1997; 2. XVI Congress of the International Organization for the study of the Old
Testament. Faculty of Law Library, University of Oslo, 29 July - 7 August 1998; 3. Tigris
25th anniversary exhibition. The Kon-Tiki Museum, Oslo, 30.1. - 15.9.2003 -

Published: To be published by Prof. Dr. Andrew George in the series, Manuscripts in The
Schøyen Collection.

MS 2004
 ROYAL ANNALS OF KING TIGLATH-PILESAR I

1. CHRONICLE OF SEVERAL MILITARY CAMPAIGNS TO CONQUER NAIRI, LEBANON, AMURRU AND

THE HITTITE EMPIRE
2. CHRONICLE OF THE FIRST WAR BETWEEN ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA: "I
WENT TO BABYLONIA. FROM THE CITY RIKSU-SHA-ILI WHICH IS ON THE
OTHER SIDE OF THE LOWER ZAB RIVER AS FAR AS THE CITY LUBDI I
CONQUERED. I KNOCKED DOWN THEIR TOWNS AND BURNT THEM WITH
FIRE, THEIR POSSESSIONS AND THEIR PROPERTY I CARRIED OFF TO MY CITY
ASHUR. I WENT TO THE LAND SUHA - VARIOUS TOWNS WHICH ARE IN THE
MIDST OF THE EUPHRATES I CONQUERED. THEIR POSSESSIONS WITHOUT
NUMBER I TOOK AWAY. I TORE UP THEIR FIELDS. I CUT DOWN THEIR
ORCHARDS"
3. CHRONICLE OF THE SECOND WAR BETWEEN ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA: "AT
THE COMMAND OF NINURTA, THE GOD WHO LOVES ME, FOR THE SECOND
TIME TO BABYLONIA I WENT. SIPPAR, BABYLON, UPI, THE GREAT SETTLEMENTS OF
BABYLONIA I CONQUERED TOGETHER WITH THEIR FORTRESSES. THEIR POSSESSIONS AND
THEIR PROPERTY WITHOUT NUMBER I TOOK AWAY. THE PALACES OF BABYLON, THE CITY OF
MARDUK-NADIN-AHHI, KING OF BABYLONIA, I KNOCKED DOWN. THE MANY OBJECTS OF HIS
VARIOUS PALACES I CARRIED OFF. THE KING OF BABYLONIA, IN THE STRENGTH OF HIS
SOLDIERS AND HIS CHARIOTS HE PUT HIS TRUST, AND HE CAME AFTER ME. IN THE CITY SITULA
WHICH IS NORTH OF THE CITY AKKAD WHICH IS OPPOSITE THE TIGRIS RIVER, HE ENGAGED IN
BATTLE WITH ME. HIS MANY CHARIOTS I DISPERSED, THE DEFEAT OF HIS WARRIORS AND HIS
FIGHTERS IN THE MIDST OF THAT BATTLE I BROUGHT ABOUT. HE RETREATED AND RETURNED
TO HIS LAND"
4. DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE REBUILDING OF THE GREAT CITY WALL OF PAKUTE AND ITS
PRINCIPAL PALACE

MS in Middle Assyrian on clay, Assyria, 1115-1077 BC, 1 tablet, 19,7x14,5x3,3 cm, single column, 35+35 lines
in Assyrian cuneiform script, with 60 "fire holes".
Binding: Barking, Essex, 1995, quarter green morocco gilt folding case, by Aquarius.

Context: Another inscription of Tiglath-pileser is MS 2795.

Commentary: The present tablet represents a major new contribution to the history of the world in its detailed
account of two hitherto unknown wars between 2 of the 3 greatest powers of the period, Assyria and Babylonia,
texts 2 and 3. The campaigns in text 1 are known from other sources, while the city Pakute in text 4 is attested
here for the first time.

Exhibited: "Preservation for access: Originals and copies". On the occasion of the 1st International Memory of
the World Conference, organized by the Norwegian Commission for UNESCO and the National Library of
Norway, at the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, 3 June - 14 July 1996.
 MS 711

ROYAL INSCRIPTION OF ASSURNASIRPAL II: CALAH I RESTORED. A TEMPLE OF

MY LADY I ESTABLISHED THERE. THIS TEMPLE DEDICATED TO THE GODS
AND SUBLIME, WHICH WILL ENDURE FOREVER, I WILL DECORATE
SPLENDIDLY. PART OF THE "STANDARD INSCRIPTION" FROM THE ROYAL
PALACE IN CALAH, MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE

MS in Assyrian on basalt stone, Nimrod (Calah), Assyria, 883-859

BC, 1 plaque, 43x26 cm, single column, (43x23 cm), 10 lines in
display cuneiform script. Complete standard inscription: ca. 50x225
cm (ca. 45x215), 21 long lines with friezes over and below (both
ca. 70x225 cm).

Context: Most of the reliefs and inscriptions are in British Museum

and Louvre. Further holdings in New York Historical Society,
Metropolitan Museum of Art and Yale University.

Commentary: From the East Wing of the Palace, room I. The site of
the temple is mentioned in Genesis 10:11-12: "Out of that land
went forth Assur, and builded Nineveh, and the city of Rehoboth,
and Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah, the same is a
great city". Genesis 10:1-12 mentions that the builder of Calah was Nimrod, son of Cush, son
of Ham, son of Noah. The "standard inscription" is a 22-line text that records Assurnasirpal's
victories, his greatness and describes the building of his palace at Calah. The inscription
exists in many variants, all of which come from the slabs lining the walls of the palace. The
version presented here is recorded by Y. Le Gac: Les incriptions d'Ashur-nasir-pal II, roi
d'Assyrie. Paris 1908, p. 187. What makes the present inscription of interest, is that it
includes a detailed description of the very palace that it adorned, and that Calah is directly
referred to in Genesis 10:11-12.
 MS 2848

ROYAL INSCRIPTION OF ADAD-NIRARI III: - MY DREAD OVERWHELMED THEM

- I CONSTRUCTED A CITY - I WENT UP AND MADE SACRIFICES - PRIME SON OF
ASSUR-NASIR-APLI - PRINCES HAS NO RIVAL - SON OF TUKULTI-
NINURTA

MS in Neo Babylonian on bronze, Assyria, 811-783 BC, lower part of the

garment of a giant statue, 42x26x5-10 cm remaining, single column, 19
lines in a large formal cuneiform script, the lower border of the garment,
6x18 cm, divided into 4 square compartments with decorative designs of
Assyrian type.

Commentary: A unique royal inscription. There seems to be no other remains of so large a

statue of an Assyrian king surviving. Assur-nasir-apli II was the son of Tukulti-Ninurta II and
the great grandfather of Adad-nirari III.
 MS 2368

ROYAL INSCRIPTION OF SARGON II OF ASSYRIA,

DESCRIBING HIS CONQUESTS GENERALLY, MENTIONING:
BIT-HABAN, PARSHUMASH, MANNAEA, URARTU; THE
HEROIC MAN WHO DEFEATED HUMBANIGASH, KING OF
ELAM; WHO MADE THE EXTENSIVE BIT-HUMRIYA (HOUSE
OF OMRI) TOTTER, THE DEFEAT OF MUSRU IN RAPIHU;
BOUND TO ASHUR, WHO CONQUERED THE TAMUDI; WHO
CAUGHT THE IONIANS IN THE SEA LIKE A BIRD-CATCHER;
ALSO BIT-BURTASHA, KIAKKI AND AMRISH, THEIR
RULERS; WHO DROVE AWAY MITÂ (MIDAS), KING OF
MUSHKU; WHO PLUNDERED HAMATH AND CARCHEMISH;
GREAT HAND CONQUERED, THE DEVASTATOR OF
URARTU, MUSASIR; THE URARTIANS BY THE TERROR OF
HIS WEAPONS, KILLED BY HIS OWN HANDS; WHO
DESTROYED THE PEOPLES OF HARHAR, WHO GATHERED THE MANNAEANS,
ELLIPI; WHO CHANGED THE ABODE OF PÂPA, LALLUKNU; WHO FLAYED THE
SKIN OF ASHUR-LÊ'I, THEIR GOVERNOR; WHO IMPOSED THE YOKE OF ASHUR
ON SHURDÂ; FROM MELIDU, HIS ROYAL CITY; THE FEARSOME ONSLAUGHT,
WHO HAD NO FEAR OF BATTLE, -

MS in Neo Babylonian on clay, Nimrod, Assyria, 722-705 BC, 1 partial 8-facetted prism,
6,2x12,0 cm remaining, 8 lines in cuneiform script.

Context: 1 fragment of a cylinder with the same inscription, also in Neo Babylonian, is
known.

Commentary: The present MS is related to the clay cylinders from Khorsabad, but they are in
Assyrian. These cylinders were written in Nimrud, Assyria, for being sent to Babylonian
cities to be deposited in foundation deposits in buildings in Babylonia.
 MS 2180

TO NABÛ, EXALTED LORD, WHO DWELLS IN EZIDA,

WHICH IS IN NINEVEH, HIS LORD: I ASHURBANIPAL,
KING OF ASSYRIA, THE ONE LONGED FOR AND
DESTINED BY HIS GREAT DIVINITY, WHO, AT THE
ISSUING OF HIS ORDER AND THE GIVING OF HIS
SOLEMN DECREE, CUT OFF THE HEAD OF TE'UMMAN,
KING OF ELAM, AFTER DEFEATING HIM IN BATTLE,
AND WHOSE GREAT COMMAND MY HAND
CONQUERED UMMAN-IGASH, TANMARIT, PA'E AND
UMMAN-ALTASH, WHO RULED OF ELAM AFTER
TE'UMMAN. I YOKED THEM TO MY SEDAN CHAIR, MY
ROYAL CONVEYANCE. WITH HIS GREAT HELP I ESTABLISHED DECENT ORDER
IN ALL THE LANDS WITHOUT EXCEPTION. AT THAT TIME I ENLARGED THE
STRUCTURE OF THE COURT OF THE TEMPLE OF NABÛ, MY LORD, USING
MASSIVE LIMESTONE. MAY NABÛ LOOK WITH JOY ON THIS, MAY HE FIND IT
ACCEPTABLE. BY THE RELIABLE IMPRESS OF YOUR WEDGES MAY THE ORDER
FOR A LIFE OF LONG DAYS COME FORTH FROM YOUR LIPS, MAY MY FEET
GROW OLD BY WALKING IN EZIDA IN YOUR DIVINE PRESENCE

MS in Neo Assyrian on limestone, Nineveh, Assyria, ca. 646 BC, 1 limestone slab, 47x42x4
cm, single column, 19 lines in Neo Assyrian cuneiform script.

Commentary: King Ashurbanipal (669-631 BC) rebuilt Ezida, the temple of Nabû, the god of
writing.