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Its sluice gate was not opened through the work of human hands. According to the heart’s desire of the gods, I made it gurgle with water. After I inspected the canal and made sure its construction was performed correctly, I offered pure sacrifices of fattened oxen and an abundance of sheep to the great gods, who march at my side and who make my reign secure. I clothed those men who dug out this canal with linen garments and garments with multi-colored trim, and I placed gold rings and gold pectorals on them. |
The god Aššur, the one who regulates the Igīgū and Anunnakū gods, the father of all of the gods, |
From from the Upper Sea of the Setting Sun to the Lower Sea of the Rising Sun he made all of the rulers of the four quarters of the world bow down at my feet and they now pull my yoke. |
To a later ruler, one of the kings, my descendants, who deliberates the matter in his heart but is not able to believe it and says "How did he have this canal dug out with only these few men?": I swear by the god Aššur, my great god, that I dug out this canal with only these men. Moreover, I completed the work on it within one year and three months; |
Carnelian, lapis lazuli, muššāru-stone, pappardilû-stones, precious stones, turtles and tortoises whose likenesses are cast in silver and gold, aromatics, and fine oil, I gave as gifts to the god Ea, the lord of underground waters, cisterns, and |
This sluice gate of the watercourse opened by itself without the help of spade or shovel and let an abundance of water flow through |
Tukultī-Ninurta I, king of the world, son of Shalmaneser I, king of Assyria: Booty of Karduniaš Babylonia. As for the one who removes my inscription and my name, may the god Aššur and the god Adad make his name disappear from the land. |
Tukultī-Ninurta I, king of the world, son of Shalmaneser I, king of Assyria: Booty of Karduniaš Babylonia. As for the one who removes my inscription and my name, may the god Aššur and the god Adad make his name disappear from the land. |
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 deities Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Adad, Ištar, and |
He Sennacherib had an image of Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the deities Aššur, Anu, Sîn, Šamaš, Adad, Bēlet-ilī, and Ištar of Bīt-Kidmuri, the shepherd who expresses humility (one who strokes the nose), the agent of the god Aššur, his lord, placed in front of the representation of the god Aššur, his lord. |
O Aššur, father of heaven, king of the gods, the one who decrees fates, only you hold the Tablet of Destinies of the gods in your hands. Look after the reign of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, and determine as my fate a good destiny, a destiny of good health, and kingship. Lift up my head among all who sit on royal daises, so that the foundation of my throne will be as secure as a mountain until the distant future. For me, the one who provides for you, make all of the lands from east to west submit to my yoke so that the people, the black-headed, pray to you and so that my sons, my grandsons, my dynasty, and my progeny endure forever with the black-headed people. |
To the god Aššur, king of all of the gods, the one who created himself, father of the great gods, whose form took its beautiful shape in the apsû, king of heaven and netherworld, lord of all gods, the one who molds the Igīgū and Anunnakū gods, the one who formed the cover of the heavens (the god Anu) and the netherworld, creator of the whole of the inhabited world, the one who dwells in the bright firmament, the Enlil of the gods, the one who decrees fates, and the one who dwells in Ešarra, which is in Baltil Aššur, the great lord, his lord: |
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the god Aššur and the great gods, had a kettledrum of reddish bronze, cast by |
, skillfully made for his life, the prolongation of his days, his happiness, the securing of his reign, |
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the god Aššur and the great gods: |
The length of the throne is three and one-thirds cubits, measured by the royal cubit. Its width is one and two-thirds cubits. Water surrounds lamassu-figures. There are four lamassu-figures on the two rungs of the sides; two ditto (= lamassu-figure) on the frontpiece. The entire throne: The length of the kitturru is one and two-thirds cubits. Its height is two-thirds of a cubit. The width of the kuptu, as far as the mušḫuššu-dragon, is two-thirds of a cubit. |
Wording of the inscription that is on the bed and the throne at the footend. It is a single text. That of the chest was not copied. |
, as much I have done, please him and be acceptable to him. May he make the people of the four quarters of the world bow down to him so that they pull his yoke. May he make the substantial tribute of the settlements, the abundance of heaven and earth, pour into Ešarra, the seat of his great divinty, annually. |
May the goddess Mullissu, the queen of Ešarra, the consort of the god Aššur, creator of the great gods, have a good word about Sennacherib, king of Assyria, set upon her lips daily before the god Aššur. |
Wording of the inscription that was cut off and erased from the bed and the throne of the god Bēl Marduk that were in the temple of the god Aššur and of the inscription written upon them in the name of Ashurbanipal. Simānu III, twenty-seventh day, eponymy of Awiānu, they were returned to Babylon. |
and carried out to perfection the rites of Ešarra, just like Sargon II, king of Assyria, my father — my father |
The arrangement of the inscription that is upon the paving slabs of alallu-stone in the temple of the god Aššur upon which the king stands when he kisses the ground. |
of the palace of Baltil Aššur, the seat of the kings, my ancestors, from distant days, of Tiglath-pileser I, son of Aššur-rēša-iši I, king of Assyria, became dilapidated. Ashurnasirpal II, king of Assyria, son of Tukultī-Ninurta II, king of Assyria, renovated its dilapidated sections. That private room |
I invited inside it the god Aššur, the great lord, and the gods and goddesses living in Baltil Aššur, and then I made splendid offerings before them of enormous wild bulls and fattened sheep. |
By the exalted command of the god Aššur, the great lord, the father of the gods, the one who decrees fates, inside the palace |
I joyfully entered his palace, which is in Babylon, and then I opened his treasury and brought out gold, silver, gold and silver utensils, precious stones, all kinds of possessions and property without number, a substantial tribute, together with his palace women, courtiers, attendants, male singers, female singers, all of the craftsmen, as many as there were, and his palace attendants, and I counted them as booty. |
On my return march, I defeated all together the Tuʾumuna, Riḫiḫu, Yadaqqu, Ubudu, Gibrê, Malaḫu, Gurumu, Ubulu, Damunu, Gambulu, Ḫindaru, Ruʾuʾa, Puqudu, Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, and Liʾtaʾu, insubmissive Arameans |
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. 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 of 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 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 |
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. |
Moreover, as for Ṣidqâ, the king of the city Ashkelon who had not submitted to my yoke, I forcibly removed the gods of his father’s house, himself, his wife, his sons, his daughters, his brothers, and other offspring of his father’s house and took him to Assyria. |
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 |
Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters of the world, leader of a widespread population, the one who fashioned images of the deities Aššur, Anu, Sîn, Šamaš, Adad, Nergal, Ištar of Bīt-Kidmuru, Bēlet-ilī, and the other great gods, the one who carries out to perfection the rites of Ešarra and Emašmaš, who knows well how to revere the gods of heaven and the gods of Assyria, the builder of Assyria, the one who brings his cult centers to completion, the one who uproots enemies and destroys their settlements, circumspect ruler whose dominion is more praised than that of all kings who sit on royal daises, the support of his land, the one who is trustworthy in battle and combat, and the protection of his troops, I: |
At that time, with regard to Eḫursaggalkurkurra, which is within Ešarra, the sanctuary of the god Aššur — the great lord, my lord — and whose proper orientation fell by the wayside in distant days: Its gate opened toward the south. With the extensive wisdom that the god Ea had given me, with the perspicacity that the god Aššur had granted to me, I took counsel with myself and made up my mind to open the gate of Eḫursaggalkurkurra towards the rising sun, facing east. |
I built anew the bīt-šuḫūru and widened its gate. At that gate of the bīt-šuḫūru, four bull-shaped son-of-Šamaš figures of reddish bronze raise up in their hands a sun disk and hold up the roof above, while below, their feet are firmly planted in place on two bronze daises, one of a bronze fish man and one of a bronze carp man. On the right and left of the gate, a lion-man figure and a scorpion-man figure hold the door bolts. I named that (those) gate "The Gate of the Path of the Enlil-Stars." |
I built anew its courtyard and named it "The Courtyard of the Row of Pedestals for the Igīgū gods." I gave the gate that faces the rising sun, towards the river, the name "The Gate of the Firmament." I gave its entrance gate to the courtyard the name "The Entrance of the Igīgū gods." I gave the gate that faces south the name "The Kamsū-Igīgū Gate." I gave its entrance gate to the courtyard the name "The Gate of the Abundance of the Land." I gave its gate that faces north the name "The Gate of the Wagon Star." I gave its entrance gate to the courtyard the name "The Gate of the Dais of Destinies." |
I completed the gate of the cella, the bīt-šaḫūru, its walls, together with its courtyard, its rooms, and its gates, from its foundations to its crenellations with the craft of the god Kulla and I raised its superstructure as high as a mountain. With my innate expertise, I named the gates and their courtyard and I gave them their names. |
O foundation inscription, speak favorable things to the god Aššur about Sennacherib, king of Assyria, the one who loves correct behavior, the one who fashioned the image of his god, and the one who built this temple, so that his offspring, his sons, and his grandsons may flourish together with Baltil Aššur and Ešarra and endure forever with the black-headed people. |
May any future ruler whom the god Aššur names for shepherding the land and people and during whose reign that temple becomes dilapidated renovate its dilapidated sections. May he find my inscribed objects, anoint them with oil, make an offering, and put them back in their place. The god Aššur will then hear his prayers. |
As for the one who alters my inscribed object and disrespects my words, may the god Aššur, king of the gods, and the great gods of heaven and netherworld curse him with a harsh curse, and may they overthrow his kingship, deprive him of his life, and make his name, his seed, his offspring, and his progeny disappear from the mouth of the people. |
Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the deities Aššur, Mullissu, |
and the other great gods, the one who makes great their purification rites, the one who carries out to perfection the forgotten rites of Ešarra through divination, at the command of the gods Šamaš and Adad, the one who renovated Baltil Aššur, the one who |
its purification rites, the one who returns the unfinished protective spirit of Ešarra to its place, I: |
Then, after I had made the image of the god Aššur, the great lord, my lord, and the images of the great gods, and installed them in their peaceful dwellings, in the month Nisannu I, the first month, the month of father Enlil, the month of the heliacal rising of the Plow-star: The festival of the feast of the king of the gods, the god Aššur, which from distant days, because of chaos and disruption, and the akītu-house of the steppe had been forgotten; the rites of the king of the gods, the god Aššur, had been performed inside the city. With regard to that work, I made up my mind to rebuild that akītu-house, and then I found out the will of the gods Šamaš and Adad, and they answered me with a firm ‘yes’ and commanded me to rebuild it. |
Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters of the world, leader of a widespread population, the one who fashioned images of the god Aššur and the great gods, the one who carries out to perfection the forgotten rites of Ešarra through divination, at the command of the gods Šamaš and Adad, the one who makes great their purification rites, the one who returns the abandoned protective spirit of Ešarra to its place, who knows well how to revere the gods of heaven and the gods of Assyria, who exalts the great gods in their dwellings, who makes their accoutrements great, |
the builder of Assyria, the one who brings his cult centers to completion, the one who makes enemy lands obedient, the one who destroys their settlements, the one who has canals dug, the one who opens streams, the one who makes watercourses gush, the one who establishes abundance and plenty in the wide plains of Assyria, the one who provides irrigation water in the meadows of Assyria — which from the days of yore no one in Assyria had seen or known canals and artificial irrigation and which none in bygone times had used — |
the one who makes brickwork structures (the craft of the god Kulla) secure, from buildings for the living to tombs befitting the dead made from limestone, stone from the mountains, with which none of the kings of the past who came before me in Assyria had used, circumspect ruler whose dominion is more praised than that of all kings who sit on royal daises, the support of his land, the one who is trustworthy in battle and combat, and the protection of his troops, I: |
Then, after I had made the image of the god Aššur, the great lord, my lord, and the images of the great gods, and installed them in their peaceful dwellings, in the month Nisannu I, the first month, the month of father Enlil, the month of the heliacal rising of the Plow-star: The festival of the feast of the king of the gods, the god Aššur, which from distant days, because of chaos and disruption, and the akītu-house of the steppe had been forgotten; the rites of the king of the gods, the god Aššur, had been performed inside the city. With regard to that work, I made up my mind to rebuild that akītu-house, and then I found out the will of the gods Šamaš and Adad, and they answered me with a firm ‘yes’ and commanded me to rebuild it. |
In a favorable month, on a propitious day, through the craft of the purification priest and the wisdom of the exorcist, I laid its foundation with limestone, stone from the mountains, and I raised its superstructure. I completed it from its foundations to its crenellations with stone from the mountains and raised it as high as a mountain. I had two canals dug around each of its sides, and then I had it surrounded with a lush garden, an orchard with fruit, and placed a splendid plantation around it. |
After I destroyed Babylon, smashed its gods, and put its people to the sword, I removed its earth in order to make the site of that city unrecognizable and I had it carried to the sea by the Euphrates River. When its dirt reached Dilmun and the people of Dilmun saw it, fear and terror of the god Aššur fell upon them and they brought their audience gifts to me. Together with their audience gifts, they sent people mustered from their land, corvée workers, with bronze spades and bronze plowshares, tools manufactured in their land, in order to demolish Babylon. |
In order to pacify the god Aššur, my lord, for people to sing the praises of his might, and for the admiration of future people, I removed dirt from Babylon and piled it up in heaps and mounds in that akītu-house. |
O you, foundation inscription, speak favorable things to the god Aššur about Sennacherib, king of Assyria, the one who loves correct behavior, the one who fashioned the image of the god Aššur, and the one who built this temple, so that his offspring, his sons, and his grandsons may flourish together with Baltil Aššur and Ešarra and endure forever with the black-headed people. |
May any future ruler whom the god Aššur names for shepherding the land and people and during whose reign that temple becomes dilapidated renovate its dilapidated sections. May he find my inscribed objects, anoint them with oil, make an offering, and put them back in their place. The god Aššur will then hear his prayers. |
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the god Aššur and the great gods, I: With white limestone, I laid the foundations of the courtyard of Ešarra, the palace of the gods. |
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the god Aššur and the great gods. |
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the god Aššur and the great gods: With limestone, stone from the mountains, I raised this akītu-house as high as a mountain, from its foundations to its crenellations. |
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the deities Aššur, Anu, Sîn, Šamaš, Adad, Nergal, Ištar of Bīt-Kidmuri, Bēlet-ilī, and the other great gods, I: With white limestone, I laid the foundations of the akītu-house, the residence of the god Aššur, my lord. |
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the deities Aššur, Šerūa, Anu, Sîn, Šamaš, Adad, Ištar of Bīt-Kidmuri, Bēlet-ilī, Kaka, Ḫaya, Kusu, Lumḫa, Dunga, Egalkiba, and the other great gods, I: With limestone, stone from the mountains, I laid the foundations of the akītu-house for the festival of the feast of the god Aššur. |
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the deities Aššur, Mullissu, Šerūa, Sîn, Nikkal, Šamaš, Aya, Anu, Antu, Adad, Šala, Ištar of Bīt-Kidmuri, Bēlet-ilī, Ḫaya, Kusu, Lumḫa, Dunga, Egalkiba, and the other great gods, I: With limestone, stone from the mountains, I had the akītu-house of the steppe built anew and I raised it as high as a mountain. |
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the god Aššur and the great gods, I: With limestone, stone from the mountains, I laid the foundations of the Step Gate of the Palace, which is in Baltil Aššur. |
I, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the god Aššur and the great gods, built this house for my second son Aššur-ilī-muballissu, who is in the service of the god Aššur, and I laid its foundations with limestone, stone from the mountains. |
I, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, built this house and gave it to my second son Aššur-ilī-muballissu |
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the god Aššur and the great gods, had twin doors of cedar, the pure wood, made for his life, the lengthening of his days, the securing of his reign, and the well-being of his offspring, and he had them secured in their positions upon kašurrû-stone, stone from the mountains, in the Gate of the Wagon Star. |
For his life, the lengthening of his days, the securing of his reign, and the well-being of his offspring, |
For the god Aššur, the father of the gods, his lord: Sennacherib, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the god Aššur and the great gods, greatly embellished the frieze of the battlemented parapet of Ešarra with baked bricks and stone. |
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the god Aššur and the great gods, I: With baked bricks from a ritually pure kiln, I had the tikātu-house of the courtyard where the pedestals of the Igīgū gods stand in rows made anew and I raised it as high as a mountain. |
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the god Aššur and the great gods, I: With baked bricks from a ritually pure kiln, I had the tikātu-house of the courtyard where the pedestals of the Igīgū gods stand in rows, made anew and I raised it as high as a mountain. |
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the god Aššur and the great gods, I: With baked bricks from a ritually pure kiln, I had the Step Gate of the Palace in Baltil Aššur built anew. |
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the god Aššur and the great gods: With baked bricks from a ritually pure kiln, I built the Step Gate of the Palace in Baltil Aššur anew and I raised it as high as a mountain. |
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the god Aššur and the great gods: With baked bricks from a ritually pure kiln, I had the Step Gate of the Palace in Baltil Aššur built anew and I raised it as high as a mountain. |
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, the one who fashioned images of the god Aššur and the great gods, I: With baked bricks from a ritually pure kiln, I raised the Step Gate of the Palace in Baltil Aššur as high as a mountain. |
Palace of Rest, an eternal dwelling, the firmly-founded family house of Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria. |
Palace of Sleep, a restful tomb, the eternal dwelling of Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria. |
I gave the gate that faces the rising sun, towards the river, the name "The Gate of the Firmament." I gave its entrance gate to the courtyard the name "The Entrance of the Igīgū gods." I gave the gate that faces south the name "The Kamsū-Igīgū Gate." I gave its entrance gate to the courtyard the name "The Gate of the Abundance of the Land." I gave the gate that faces north the name "The Gate of the Wagon Star." I gave its entrance gate to the courtyard the name "The Gate of the Dais of Destinies." |
Whoever places it in the service of a god or another person or erases my inscribed name, may the deities Aššur, Mullissu, |
The Seal of Destinies by which the god Aššur, king of the gods, seals the destinies of the Igīgū and Anunnakū gods, the heavens, the netherworld, and mankind. |
Whatever he seals cannot be changed. Whoever tries to change what he seals, may the god Aššur, king of the gods, and the goddess Mullissu, together with their children, kill him with their mighty weapons. |
Whoever erases my inscribed name or alters this Seal of Destinies belonging to you, erase his name and his seed from the land. |
Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of Assyria, unrivalled king, true shepherd, favorite of the great gods, guardian of truth who loves justice, renders assistance, goes to the aid of the weak, and strives after good deeds, perfect man, virile warrior, foremost of all rulers, the bridle that controls the insubmissive, and the one who strikes enemies with lightning: |
At the beginning of my kingship, after I sat on the lordly throne and set to governing the people of Assyria in obedience and peace, Marduk-apla-iddina II (Merodach-baladan), king of Karduniaš Babylonia, an evil foe, a rebel with a treacherous mind, an evildoer whose villainous acts are true, sought friendship with Šutur-Naḫundu (Šutur-Naḫḫunte II), an Elamite, by presenting him with gold, silver, and precious stones; then, he continuously requested reinforcements from him. |
To the land of Sumer and Akkad, he (Šutur-Naḫundu) sent to his (Marduk-apla-iddina’s) assistance Imbappa, his field marshal, together with the massed body of his troops, Tannānu, his third man, ten unit commanders, including Nergal-nāṣir, a Sutian who marches before them, 80,000 archers and lancers, 850 wagons, and the 12,200 horses that were with them. |
Moreover, he, the evil Chaldean, evildoer, and offspring of murder, gathered together Uruk, Larsa, Ur, Eridu, Kullaba, Kissik, and Nēmed-Laguda, the lands of the Bīt-Yakīn, Bīt-Amukāni, Bīt-Ašillāni (Bīt-Šillāni), Bīt-Saʾalli, and Bīt-Dakkūri, all of the Chaldeans, as many as there were; on the banks of the Tigris River, the Tuʾumuna, Riḫiḫu, Yadaqqu, Gibrê, and Maliḫu Malaḫu; on the banks of the Surappu River, the Gurumu, Ubulu, Damunu, Gambulu, Hindaru, Ruʾuʾa, and Puqudu; on the banks of the Euphrates River, the Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, and Liʾtaʾu — Arameans who did not know fear of death; Nippur, Dilbat, Marad, Kish, Ḫursagkalama, Babylon, Borsippa, and Cutha, all of Karduniaš Babylonia and prepared them for battle. |
I put my yoked teams in order. On the twentieth day of the month Šabāṭu XI, like a powerful wild ox, I took the lead of my troops from Baltil Aššur, but I did not wait for the main force of my army, nor did I wait for the rear guard. I sent my chief eunuch and my provincial governors to Kish ahead of me, saying: "Find out news of Marduk-apla-iddina II (Merodach-baladan), and do not be careless about putting a strong watch on him!" |
He (Marduk-apla-iddina) saw my provincial governors, and then came out of the Zababa Gate with all of his troops and did battle with my magnates in the plain of Kish. The enemy prevailed over my magnates in the thick of battle and they my magnates were afraid to clash with his |
In my rage, I unleashed a fierce assault on Cutha, and then I slaughtered the warriors surrounding its wall like sheep and took possession of the city. I brought out horses, the Elamite, Aramean, and Chaldean archers, the Elamite unit commanders, and Nergal-nāṣir, together with the guilty citizens, and I counted them as booty. |
I raged up like a lion and became furious like the Deluge. With my merciless warriors, I set out for Kish against Marduk-apla-iddina II (Merodach-baladan). Moreover, he, that evildoer, saw the disturbance from afar and fear fell upon him. He abandoned all of his troops and fled to the land Guzummānu. |
With a rejoicing heart and a radiant face, I rushed to Babylon and entered the palace of Marduk-apla-iddina II (Merodach-baladan) to plunder the possessions and property therein. I opened his treasury and brought out gold, silver, gold and silver utensils, precious stones, beds, armchairs, a processional carriage, royal paraphernalia of his with gold and silver mountings, all kinds of possessions and property, a substantial treasure, together with his wife, his palace women, female stewards, eunuchs, courtiers, attendants, male singers, female singers, palace servants who cheered up his princely mind, all of the craftsmen, as many as there were, and his palace attendants, and I counted them as booty. |
I pursued him to the land Guzummānu and sent my warriors into the midst of swamps and marshes. For five days they sought him out, but his hiding place could not be found. I gathered all together the rest of his horses and troops, who were weary, and who had fled like deer instead of going with him, from the midst of the open country and plain. |
In the course of my campaign, I surrounded, conquered, and plundered the cities Amatu, Ḫauae, Supapu, Bīt-Sannabi, Qudayyin, Kidrina, Dūr-Ladini, Bitāti, Bānītu, Guzummānu, Dūr-Yanṣuri, Dūr-Abī-Yataʾ, Dūr-Rudumme, Bīt-Raḫê, Ḫapiša, Sadian, Ḫurudu, Ṣaḫrina, Iltuk, Allallu, Sabḫānu, Kār-Nergal, Apak, Bīt-Dannāya, Bīt-Abdāya, Baḫir, Marirâ, Marad, Yaqimuna, Kupruna, Bīt-Kudurri, Sūqa-Marusi, altogether 34 fortified walled cities of the land of the Bīt-Dakkūri, together with 250 smaller settlements in their environs; |
the cities Dūr-Appê, Dūr-Tanê, Dūr-Samaʾ, Sarrabātu, Ṣalaḫatu, Dūr-Abdāya, Sappi-ḫimari, Ṣibtu-ša-Makkamê, altogether 8 fortified walled cities of the land of the Bīt-Saʾalli, together with 120 smaller settlements in their environs; |
and the cities Bīt-Zabidīya, Larsa, Kullaba, Eridu, Kissik, Nēmed-Laguda, and Dūr-Yakīn, including the city Kār-Nabû, which is on the shore of the Bitter Sea, altogether 8 fortified walled cities of the land of the Bīt-Yakīn, together with 100 smaller settlements in their environs; |
the grand total is 88 fortified walled cities of Chaldea, together with 820 smaller settlements in their environs. |
I let my troops eat the grain and dates in their gardens and their crops in the countryside. I destroyed them, devastated them, burned them with fire, and I turned them into forgotten ruin hills. |
I let my army eat the grain and dates in their gardens, the fields they had labored in, and the crops in the countryside, which is their life’s necessity. |
I appointed over them Bēl-ibni, a son of a rab banî and a scion of Šuanna Babylon, who had grown up like a young puppy in my palace, as king of the land of Sumer and Akkad. |
On my return march, I defeated all together the Tuʾumuna, Riḫiḫu, Ubudu, Gibrê, Maliḫu Malaḫu, Gurumu, Ubulu, Damunu, Gambulu, Ḫindaru, Ruʾuʾa, Puqudu, Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, and Liʾtaʾu, insubmissive Arameans, and I plundered them. |
I put to the sword the population of the city Ḫirimmu, a dangerous enemy who since time immemorial had not submitted to the kings, my ancestors, and I did not leave one alive. 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 for the ginû-offerings to the gods of Assyria, my lords. |