text
stringlengths
63
2.96k
I tore down that small palace. I diverted the course of the Tebilti River from the center of the city and directed its outflow onto the meadow behind the city.
In a one-half ikû stretch of the water’s natural course, I bonded together with bitumen four large limestone blocks and spread marsh reeds and rushes over them. As an addition, I took a plot of land that was five hundred and
cubits long and two hundred and eighty cubits wide from the plain of the city and I added it to the former dimensions of the palace. I enlarged it to 914 large cubits along its longer side and 460 large cubits along its shorter side and thus I made its site bigger. In its (the terrace’s) entirety, I raised its superstructure to a total height of 190 courses of brick.
In order to prevent its foundation from being weakened over the passage of time by cresting floods, I surrounded its base with large limestone slabs and thereby reinforced its base.
In the corridors, I made openings for latticed windows. At their gates, I stationed apotropaic figures of alabaster and elephant ivory, whose folded hands hold poppies, and thus I made them an object of wonder.
I decorated them with silver and copper knobbed nails. I adorned the arches, friezes, and all of their copings with baked bricks glazed in the color of obsidian and lapis lazuli.
Breccia, whose appearance is like the wings of a dragonfly and the qualities of which calm headaches, a stone for happiness and cheer­ful­ness, as much as is needed for making burzigallu-bowls, a stone that had never been seen before, revealed itself at Kapridargilâ ("Dargilâ Village"), which is on the border of the city Tīl-Barsip.
By the command of the god Aššur, father of the gods, and the goddess Ištar, the queen, may I spend a long time in my palace,
in good health and happiness. May my descendants be established therein forever, for all days. May the good šēdu and the good lamassu last forever and ever in this palace. May they never leave it.
The god Aššur, father of the gods, made all of the black-headed people bow down at my feet and elevated me for shepherding the land and people. He gave me a just scepter that widens the land and he put in my hand a merciless weapon to fell enemies
The palace in the citadel of Nineveh, whose extent was 360 cubits on its longer side and 80 cubits on its shorter side, and whose site was too small; alongside of which the Tebilti River had flowed and which had caused erosion in its foundation when its flood was in full spate and had shaken its base; and which earlier kings, my ancestors, had had constructed for their lordly dwelling, but whose construction they had carried out inexpertly:
Palace of Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria: pendû-stone, whose appearance is as finely granulated as mottled barley and which in the time of the kings, my ancestors, was considered valuable enough to be an amulet, made itself known to me at the foot of Mount Nipur. I had it fashioned into sphinxes and had them dragged into Nineveh.
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria: Maniye, the king of the city Ukku, became frightened by my battle array, abandoned the city Ukku, a city upon which he relied, and fled far away. As for the population living inside it, who had flown away like birds to the peak of a rugged mountain, I pursued them and defeated them on the peak of that mountain. I burned the city Ukku, his royal city, with fire.
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria: The booty from the marshes of the city Saḫrina passed before him.
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, sat in his armchair and the booty of the city Lachish passed before him.
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, was joyfully having large bull colossi, which had been fashioned in the territory of the city Balāṭāya, dragged to his lordly palace that is inside Nineveh.
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria: With regard to the white limestone that had been discovered by the will of the gods in the territory of the city Balāṭāya for the construction of my palace, I had the soldiers of enemy settlements and insubmissive troops of the mountains whom I had captured wield iron axes and picks and they quarried large bull colossi for the gates of my palace.
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria: I had tall cedar columns, which I had had hauled up from the Tigris River, loaded on sleds and dragged along a canal.
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria: I had tall cedar columns, products of Mount Sirāra and Mount Lebanon, hauled up from the Tigris River.
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, had Egalzagdinutukua (the "Palace Without a Rival") built anew to be his lordly residence inside Nineveh.
Sennacherib, great king, mighty king, king of the world, king of Assyria, had Egalzagdinutukua (the "Palace Without a Rival") built anew to be his lordly residence inside the citadel of Nineveh.
Palace of Sennacherib, great king, king of the world, king of Assyria, the almighty sovereign of all rulers.
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, had the inner wall and outer wall of Nineveh built anew and raised as high as mountains.
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, had the inner wall and outer wall of Nineveh built anew and raised as high as mountains.
Palace of Sennacherib, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria: With the power of my scepter that the father of the gods, the god Aššur, had given me, I brought back with me precious kašurû-stone, whose mountain is far away, and I installed it underneath the pivots of the door leaves of the gates of my palace.
Palace of Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria: He indeed built Egalzagdinutukua (the "Palace Without a Rival") anew to be his lordly residence inside Nineveh.
Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, had the inner wall and outer wall of Nineveh built anew and raised as high as mountains.
As for the inner wall and outer wall of Nineveh, which had not been built previously, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, had them built anew and raised as high as mountains.
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, built a house in connection with the start of the work on the wall of Nineveh for his son and gave it to him.
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, built a house at the same time as the laying of the foundations of Nineveh and gave it to Aššur-šumu-ušabši, his son.
Palace of Sennacherib, king of Assyria: This is the audience gift that Karib-il, king of the land Saba, presented to me. Whoever places it in the service of a god or another person or erases my inscribed name, may the deities Aššur,
Palace of Sennacherib, king of Assyria: This is the audience gift that Karib-il, king of the land Saba,
Palace of Sennacherib, king of Assyria: This is the audience gift that Karib-il, king of the land Saba, presented to me. Whoever places it in the service of a god or another person or erases my inscribed name, may the deities Aššur, Anu, Sîn,
Palace of Sennacherib, king of Assyria: This is the audience gift that Karib-il, king of the land Saba, presented to me. Whoever places it in the service of a god or another person
Palace of Sennacherib, king of Assyria: This is the audience gift that Nabû-zēr-kitti-līšir, son of Marduk-apla-iddina II (Merodach-baladan) presented to me. Whoever erases my inscribed name or places it in the service of a god or another person, may the god Aššur make his name and his seed disappear.
presented to me. Whoever erases my inscribed name or places it in the service of a god or another person, may the god Aššur make his name and his seed disappear.
Palace of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Whoever erases my inscribed name or places it in the service of a god or another person, may the deity
Palace of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Whoever erases my inscribed name or places it in the service of a god or another person, may the deities
Palace of Sennacherib, king of Assyria: Booty of the city Dumetu. Whoever erases my inscribed name or places it in the service of a god or another person, may the deities Aššur, Sîn, and Šamaš make his name and his seed disappear.
Whoever erases my inscribed name or places it in the service of a god or another person, may the god Aššur make his name and his seed disappear.
Palace of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Whoever erases my inscribed name or places it in the service of a god or another person, may the god Aššur make his name and his seed disappear.
Palace of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Whoever erases my inscribed name or places it in the service of a god or another person, may the gods Aššur, Sîn, and Šamaš make his name and his seed disappear.
Palace of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Whoever erases my inscribed name or places it in the service of a god or another person, may the deities Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Adad,
I was having it incised in my presence. Whoever erases my inscribed name or places it in the service of a god or another person
Whoever places it in the service of a god or another person, may the deities Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Adad,
Whoever places it in the service of a god or another person, may the deities Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Adad,
I, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, gave this naḫbuṣu-vessel to Aššur-ilī-muballissu, my son. Whoever should take it away from him, from his sons, or from his grandsons, may the god Aššur, king of the gods, take away his life, as well as those of his sons, and may he (they) make their names and their seed, as well as those of his advisors, disappear from the land.
I, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, gave this kappu-vessel to Aššur-ilī-muballissu, my son. Whoever should take it away from him, from his sons, or from his grandsons, may the god Aššur, king of the gods, take away his life, as well as those of his sons, and may he (they) make their names and their seed, as well as those of his advisors, disappear from the land.
Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters of the world, (
) great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, (king of the four quarters of the world):
On my first campaign, I brought about the defeat of Marduk-apla-iddina II (Me­ro­dach-ba­la­dan), king of Karduniaš Babylonia, (
The god Aššur, the great mountain, granted to me unrivalled sovereignty and made my weapons greater than those of all who sit on royal daises. He made all of the black-headed people from the Upper Sea of the Setting Sun to the Lower Sea of the Rising Sun bow down at my feet. Thus did recalcitrant rulers come to fear battle with me.
) over all of my enemies and all of my other achievements inscribed thereon. With inscribed objects of earlier rulers, my ancestors, I deposited it for ever after in the citadel wall of Nineveh, my capital city, for the kings, my descendants.
At any time in the future, may one of my descendants (future children), whom the god Aššur names for the lordship of the land and people, renovate its dilapidated sections when that wall becomes old and dilapidated. May he find an inscribed object bearing my name, anoint it with oil, make an offering, and return it to its place. The god Aššur and the goddess Ištar will then hear his prayers.
On my first campaign, I brought about the defeat of Marduk-apla-iddina II (Me­ro­dach-ba­la­dan), king of Karduniaš Babylonia, together with the troops of the land Elam, his allies, in the plain of Kish. In the midst of that battle he abandoned his camp, fled alone, and thereby saved his life. I seized the chariots, horses, wagons, and mules that he had abandoned in the thick of battle.
I put to the sword the population of the city Ḫirimmu, a dangerous enemy, and I did not spare a single one. I hung their corpses on poles and placed them around the city. I reorganized that district and imposed for eternity one ox, ten sheep, ten homers of wine, and twenty homers of dates as his first-fruits offerings to the gods of Assyria, my lords.
On my second campaign, the god Aššur, my lord, encouraged me and I marched to the land of the Kassites and the land of the Yasubigallians, who since time immemorial had not submitted to the kings, my ancestors. In the high mountains, difficult terrain, I rode on horseback and had my personal chariot carried on (men’s) necks
whose plan had been designed by the stars (writing) of the firmament and whose arrangement was made manifest since time immemorial; a sophisticated place and site of secret lore in which every kind of skilled craftsmanship, all of the rituals, and the secrets of the lalgar cosmic subterranean water are apprehended;
I measured (the terrace’s) dimensions. In order to prevent its foundation from being weakened over the passage of time by cresting floods, I surrounded its base with large limestone slabs and thereby reinforced its base.
I had a palace of breccia, alabaster, elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, musukkannu-wood, cedar, cypress, juniper, and elammaku-wood, a palace that I named Egalzagdinutukua (the "Palace Without a Rival"), constructed thereon as my royal residence.
To plant gardens, I subdivided the meadowland upstream of the city into plots of four pānu each for the citizens of Nineveh and I handed them over to them.
To make those planted areas luxuriant, I cut with iron picks a canal straight through mountain and valley, from the border of the city Kisiru to the plain of Nineveh. I caused an inexhaustible supply of water to flow there for a distance of one and a half leagues from the Ḫusur River and made it gush through feeder canals into those gardens.
By divine will, vines, all kinds of fruit trees, olive trees, and aromatic trees flourished greatly in those gardens. Cypress trees, musukkannu-trees, and all kinds of trees grew tall and sent out shoots. I created a marsh to moderate the flow of water for those gardens and had a canebrake planted in it.
he Ispabāra fled far away. I overwhelmed all of his wide land like a fog. I surrounded, conquered, destroyed, devastated, and burned with fire the cities Marʾ­u­biš­tu and Ak­kud­du, cities of his royal house, together with thirty-four smaller settlements in their environs.
I carried off people, young and old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats without number, and then I brought him Ispabāra to nought and made his land smaller
In the high mountains, difficult terrain, I rode on horseback and had my personal chariot carried on (men’s) necks. In very rugged terrain I roamed about on foot like a wild bull. I surrounded and conquered the cities Bīt-Kilamzaḫ, Ḫardišpu, and Bīt-Kubatti, their fortified walled cities. I brought out from them people, horses, mules, donkeys, oxen, and sheep and goats, and I counted them as booty. Moreover, I destroyed, devastated, and turned into ruins their smaller settlements, which were without number. I burned with fire pavilions and tents, their abodes, and reduced them to ashes.
I made that city Bīt-Kilamzaḫ a fortress again and I strengthened its walls more than before, and then I settled therein the people of the lands that I had conquered. I brought down from the mountains the people of the land of the Kassites and the land of the Yasubigallians who had fled from my weapons and I made them dwell in the cities Ḫardišpu and Bīt-Kubatti. I placed them under the authority of a eunuch of mine, the governor of the city Arrapḫa. I had a stele made, had all the victorious conquests that I achieved over them written on it, and I erected it in that city.
I turned around (I turned the front of my yoke) and took the road to the land Ellipi. Before my arrival, Ispabāra, their king, abandoned his fortified cities and his treasury and fled far away. I overwhelmed all of his wide land like a fog. I surrounded, conquered, destroyed, devastated, and burned with fire the cities Marʾubištu and Akkuddu, cities of his royal house, together with thirty-four smaller settlements in their environs.
I carried off people, young and old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats without number, and then I brought him Ispabāra to nought and made his land smaller. I detached from his land the cities Ṣiṣṣirtu and Kummaḫlum, fortified cities, together with the smal­ler settlements in their environs and the district of the land Bīt-Barrû in its entirety, and I added this area to the territory of Assyria.
I took the city Elenzaš as a royal city and a fortress for that district, and then I changed its former name and called it Kār-Sennacherib. I settled therein the people of the lands that I had conquered. I placed it under the authority of a eunuch of mine, the governor of the city Ḫarḫar, and thus enlarged my land.
I placed Tu-Baʾlu on his royal throne over them and imposed upon him tribute and payment in recognition of my overlordship to be delivered yearly and without interruption.
In the plain of the city Eltekeh, they sharpened their weapons while drawing up in battleline before me. With the support of the god Aššur, my lord, I fought with them and defeated them. In the thick of battle, I captured alive the Egyptian charioteers and princes (the sons of the kings), together with the charioteers of the king of the land Meluḫḫa.
I surrounded, conquered, and plun­dered the cities Eltekeh and Tamnâ. I approached the city Ekron and I killed the governors and nobles who had committed crimes and hung their corpses on towers around the city; I counted the citizens who had committed the criminal acts as booty; and I commanded that the rest of them, those who were not guilty of crimes or wrongdoing, to whom no penalty was due, be allowed to go free.
I brought out Padî, their king, from the city Jerusalem and placed him on the lordly throne over them, and then I imposed upon him payment in recognition of my overlordship.
As for Hezekiah of the land Judah, who had not submitted to my yoke, I surrounded and conquered forty-six of his fortified walled cities and smaller settlements in their environs, which were without number, by having ramps trodden down and battering rams brought up, the assault of foot soldiers, sapping, breaching, and siege engines. I brought out of them 200,150 people, young and old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats, which were without number, and I counted them as booty.
As for him Hezekiah, I confined him inside the city Jerusalem, his royal city, like a bird in a cage. I set up blockades against him and made him dread exiting his city gate. I detached from his land the cities of his that I had plundered and I gave them to Mitinti, the king of the city Ashdod, and Padî, the king of the city Ekron, and Ṣilli-Bēl, the king of the land Gaza, and thereby made his land smaller. To the former tribute, their annual giving, I added the payment of gifts in recognition of my overlordship and imposed it upon them.
From the booty of those lands that I had plundered, I conscripted 10,000 archers and 10,000 shield bearers and added them to my royal contingent. I divided up the rest of the substantial enemy booty like sheep and goats among my entire camp and my governors, and the people of my great cult centers.
Būdi-il of the land Bīt-Ammon, Kammūsu-nadbi of the land Moab, Aya-rāmu of the land Edom, all of the kings of the land Amurru, they brought extensive gifts, four times the normal amount, as their substantial audience gift before me and kissed my feet.
As for Hezekiah of the land Judah, I surrounded and conquered forty-six of his fortified walled cities and smaller settlements in their environs, which were without number, by having ramps trodden down and battering rams brought up, the assault of foot soldiers, sapping, breaching, and siege engines. I brought out of them 200,150 people, young and old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats, which were without number, and I counted them as booty.
The cities Nagītu and Nagītu-diʾbina, the lands Ḫilmu, Pillatu, and Ḫupapanu, districts of the king of the land Elam that are situated on the other shore of the sea, in which the people of the land Bīt-Yakīn — having, because of my mighty weapons, dislodged the gods of the full extent of their land from their abodes and crossed the sea — took up residence inside: I crossed the sea in boats of the land Ḫatti, which I had built in Nineveh and the city Tīl-Barsip. I conquered and burned with fire the cities in those districts, and I turned them into a mound of ruins (a mound and ruins). I carried off the people of the land Bīt-Yakīn and their gods, together with soldiers of the king of the land Elam, and I brought them to Assyria.
I myself prayed to the deities Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Bēl, Nabû, Nergal, Ištar of Nineveh, and Ištar of Arbela, the gods who support me, for victory over my strong enemy and they immediately heeded my prayers and came to my aid.
I received gold and shining silver sling straps from their wrists and slashed off their belts with sharp swords. I took away gold and silver decorated belt-daggers from their waists.
The king of Babylon and the king of the Elam abandoned their tents and, in order to save their lives, they trampled the corpses of their troops as they pushed on.
Their hearts throbbed like the pursued young of pigeons, they passed their urine hotly, and released their excrement inside their chariots.
The lands Parsuaš, Anzan, Pašeru, and Ellipi, the people of Yasil, Lakabera, and Ḫarzunu, and the cities Dummuqu, Sulāya,
all of the gods of Assyria, make their name, their seed, their offspring, and their progeny disappear
They the Babylonians opened the treasury of Esagil and sent my gifts — the silver, gold, and precious stones that I had given as presents to the god Bēl Marduk and the goddess Zarpanītu, the property and possessions of the temple of their gods — as a bribe to Umman-menanu (Ḫumban-menanu), the king of the land Elam, who does not have sense or insight
all of the gods of Assyria, make their name, their seed, their offspring, and their progeny disappear
the gods who support me, for victory over the army of my enemy and they immediately heeded my prayers and came to my aid.
I put on armor and placed a helmet suitable for combat on my head. In my anger, I rode quickly in my exalted battle chariot, which lays enemies low.
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria: In the mighty mountains, wherein there is not even a piece of straw or a splinter of wood for sustaining a shepherd, wherein even the tough tree trunks of eʾru-trees grow flat on the ground, and between which a strong, steady wind never ceases to blow — where I pitched my camp, no other living man had ever brought a tent. I, myself, together with my troops, travelled over them with difficulty.
Marduk-apla-iddina II (Merodach-baladan), king of Karduniaš Babylonia, became frightened by my battle array; he shred his lordly garments and quickly departed from Babylon.
Šūzubu, a usurper king who had taken the kingship of Babylon for himself: Terror of doing battle with me fell upon him; he lost consciousness and fell from his horse to the ground.
So that the construction of my palace might be carried out correctly and that my handiwork be completed, at that time, the god Aššur and the goddess Ištar revealed to me the presence of white limestone in the city Balāṭāya
In total, eight gates facing the rising sun, towards the south and east, and I gave them these names.
"The God Ea Is the One Who Properly Directs Water Flow into My Cisterns": this is the Mašqû Gate. "The One Who Brings in Income from the Settlements": this is the Quay Gate.
Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters of the world, favorite of the great gods: The god Aššur (
) made all of the insubmissive kings from the rising sun to the setting sun bow down at his feet and they now pull his yoke.
pendû-stone — a stone for speaking and being accepted, as well as making storms pass by, and keeping the rābiṣu-demon away from a man, and which was joyfully brought from the foot of Mount Nipur — breccia, a stone for
I made six steles and I fashioned images of the great gods, my lords, upon them. Moreover, I had a royal image of myself expressing humility (one who strokes the nose) placed before them. I had all of my handiwork that I had undertaken in Nineveh inscribed upon them and I left them for ever after for the kings, my descendants.