Part 1 — Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period 3/1

Sennacherib (704–681 BC) succeeded his father Sargon II as king of Assyria and made Nineveh his capital, building it into the empire's greatest city. Over a twenty-four-year reign he led the Assyrian army in person on most of his campaigns — north into the mountains near Lake Van, west along the Mediterranean coast, and repeatedly south against Babylonia and its Elamite allies — and his scribes recorded these campaigns, together with his building projects at Nineveh, on inscribed clay cylinders and stone prisms meant to be sealed into the foundations and walls of the buildings they describe. One such account, of the 701 BC campaign against the kingdom of Judah, is Sennacherib's own record of the siege of Jerusalem also described in the Bible (2 Kings 18–19; 2 Chronicles 32); in the translation below, Sennacherib records that he shut King Hezekiah up inside his own royal city "like a bird in a cage."

This first of the print edition's two parts collects the thirty-eight inscriptions that carry Sennacherib's own annalistic narrative of his reign: thirteen clay cylinders recording his first through third campaigns in progressively longer form, twenty stone prisms extending the same narrative through his eighth and final campaign against Babylon and Elam — among them the six-sided "Chicago/Taylor Prism" and the closely related "Jerusalem Prism," the fullest surviving accounts of the 701 BC campaign — four clay tablets from Nineveh's Nebi Yunus mound recording later building work, and the stone Royal Road Inscription. Nearly every text below is a composite reading edition assembled by RINAP's editors from multiple surviving exemplars — cylinders and prisms bearing the same or overlapping text, often broken in different places — so that the fullest possible narrative survives in one continuous reading; each entry below names its known exemplars and, where RINAP's catalogue gives one, its popular name.

The English below is the Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period (RINAP) project's own published translation, reproduced complete and verbatim as continuous reading prose; nothing has been added, paraphrased, or supplied by this library. Brackets and ellipses are RINAP's own markers for damaged, restored, or illegible cuneiform, and parenthetical notes such as "(Lacuna)" and "Completely broken away" are RINAP's own published notes on the physical state of the object, reproduced as published. Three of the thirty-eight texts below — Sennacherib 6, 14, and 33 — were not available for RINAP's editors to study directly, and RINAP publishes no transliteration or translation for them at all; that absence is disclosed in place of an invented text.

Contents

• Chapter One. The Annalistic Cylinders — Sennacherib 001–013
• Chapter Two. The Annalistic Prisms — Sennacherib 014–033
• Chapter Three. Tablets and the Royal Road Inscription — Sennacherib 034–038

Chapter One. The Annalistic Cylinders

Sennacherib 001 — First Campaign Cylinder

Cylinder; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). 13 exemplars. Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 001; CDLI P462809.

Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of Assyria, unrivalled king, pious shepherd who reveres 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: 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. At the beginning of my kingship, after [I] sat on the [(lordly)] throne and took command of the population of Assyria amid obedience and peace, Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), king of Kardun[iaš (Babylonia), an ev]il [foe], a rebel (with) a treacherous mind, an evildoer whose villainous acts are true, sought [frie]ndship with Šutur-Naḫundu (Šutruk-Naḫḫunte II), an E[lamite], by presenting him with gold, silver, (and) precious stones; then, he continuously requested reinforcements. To the land of Sumer and Akkad, he (Šutur-Naḫundu) sent to his (Marduk-apla-iddina’s) assis[tance] Imbappa, [his] field marshal, [together with the massed body of] his [tr]oops, Tannānu, (his) third man, ten unit commanders, including Nergal-nāṣir, a Sutian who is fearless in battle, 80,000 archers (and) [lancers, (and) the 850] wagons (and) horses that were with them. Moreover, he, [the evil Chaldean, evildoer, (and) offspring of murder], gathered together [Uruk, Lars]a, Ur, Eridu, Kullaba, Kissik, (and) Nēmed-La[gu]da, the lands of the Bīt-Ya[kīn, Bīt-Amukkāni, Bīt-Ašillāni (Bīt-Šillāni), Bīt-Saʾa]lli, (and) Bīt-Dakkūri, all of the Chaldeans, as many as there were; on the bank(s) of the [Tigris] River, the [Tuʾmūna, Riḫiḫu], Yadaqqu, Gibrê, (and) Maliḫu (Malaḫu); on the bank(s) of the [Surappu] River, [the Gurumu, Ubulu, Damu]nu, Gambulu, Hindaru, Ruʾuʾa, (and) Puqudu; on the bank(s) of the [Euphrates] River, [the Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu], Nabatu, (and) Liʾtaʾu — insubmissive Arameans who did not know (fear of) death; (15) Nippur, Dilbat, [Marad, Kish, Ḫursagkalamma, Baby]lon, Borsippa, (and) Cutha, all of Karduniaš (Babylonia) an[d pr]epared (them) for battle. When they reported his (Marduk-apla-iddina’s) evil deeds to me, Sennacherib, the attentive man of the steppe, I raged up like a lion and ordered the march into Babylon to confront him. He (Marduk-apla-iddina), the (very) image of an evil gallû-demon, heard about the advance of my expeditionary force, then he reinforced their companies with horses (and) Elamite, Aramean, (and) Chaldean archers, together with Nergal-nāṣir and ten unit commander[s of the king of] the land Elam who did not know (fear of) death, (and) the countless forces who were with them. He brought their contingents together in Cutha and had (them) keep watch at outposts for the approach of my expeditionary force. 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. (20) I sent (my) chief eunuch (and) my provincial governors to Kish ahead of me, (saying): “Take the road to Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), but do not be careless about putting a strong watch on him!” He (Marduk-apla-iddina) saw my provincial governors, then came out of the Zababa Gate with all of his forces 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 unable to withstand him. They sent their messenger to me in the plain of Cutha for help. In my rage, I unleashed a fierce assault on Cutha, 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 cloud of dust of my expeditionary force from afar and fear fell upon him. He abandoned all of his forces and fled to the land Guzummānu. I defeated Tannānu, together with the Elamite, Chaldean, and Aramean troops who had stood by him and had come to his aid, and I scattered his forces. I captured alive Adīnu, a nephew of Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), together with Basqānu, a brother of Iatiʾe, queen of the Arabs, along with their troops. I seized the chariots, wagons, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, (and) Bactrian camels that he had abandoned during the battle. With a rejoicing heart and a radiant face, I rushed to Babylon and entered the palace of Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan) to take charge of 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 without number, 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 hastened after him to the land Guzummānu and ordered my warriors into the midst of swamps and marshes. For five days they sought him out, but his (hiding) place could not be found. (35) I gathered 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, Nuqabu, Bīt-Sannabi, Quṭayyin, Qidrīna, Dūr-Ladini, Bitāti, (and) Bānītu, the land Guzummānu, the cities Dūr-Yanṣuri, Dūr-Abī-Yataʾ, Dūr-Rudumme, Bīt-Raḫê, Ḫapiša, Sadi-AN, Ḫurudu, Ṣaḫrina, Iltuk, Allallu, Marad, Yaqimuna, Kupruna, Bīt-Kudurri, Sūqa-Marusi, altogether 33 fortified cities, fortresses of the land of the Bīt-Dakkūri, together with 250 small(er) settlements in their environs; the cities Dūr-Appê, Dūr-Tanê, Dūr-Samaʾ, Sarrabātu, Ṣalaḫātu, Dūr-Abdāya, Sappi-ḫimari, Ṣibtu-ša-Makka-mê, altogether 8 fortified cities, fortresses of the land of the Bīt-Saʾalli, together with 120 small(er) settlements in their environs; the cities Sapīya (Šapīya), Sarrabānu, Larak, Parak-māri, Bīt-Ilu-bāni, Aḫudu, Ālu-ša-Iṣṣur-Adad, Ālu-ša-ḫarratu, Manaḫḫu, Ālu-ša-amēlê, Dūr-Aqqīya, Nagītu, Nūr-abīnu, Ḫar-Ṣuarra, Dūr-Rukbi, Danda-Ḫulla, Dūr-Bir-Dada, Bīt-rēʾê, Dūr-Ugurri, Ḫindaina, Dūr-Uayit, Bīt-Taurâ, Sapḫuna, Buḫarru, (45) Ḫarbat-Iddina, Ḫarbat-Kalbi, Šaparrê, Bīt-Bāni-ilūʾa, Sulādu, Bīt-Iltama-samaʾ, Bīt-Dīni-ili, Daqalu, Ḫamīṣa, Bēlā, Tairu, Kiprānu, Iltaratu, Aqqar-ša-Kīna, Sagabatu-ša-Mardukia, altogether 39 fortified cities of the land of the Bīt-Amukkāni, together with 350 small(er) settlements in their environs; (and) the cities Bīt-Zabīdāya, 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 cities, fortresses of the land of the Bīt-Yakīn, together with 100 small(er) settlements in their environs; the (grand) total is 88 fortified cities, fortresses of Chaldea, together with 820 small(er) settlement[s] 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), (and) burned (them) with fire, (and) turned (them) into forgotten ruin hills. I brought out the auxiliary forces of the Arameans (and) Chaldeans who were in Uruk, Nippur, Kish, (and) Ḫursagkalamma, together with the [guil]ty citizens, and I counted (them) as booty. 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 t[heir] li[fe’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 toget]her the Tuʾmūna, Riḫiḫu, Yadaqqu, Ubudu, Gibr[ê, Maliḫu (Malaḫu), Gurumu, U]bulu, Damunu, Gambulu, Ḫindaru, Ruʾuʾa, Puqudu, Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, (and) Li[ʾ]taʾ[u, insubmissive Arameans] and I plundered them. In the course of my campaign, I re[ceived] a substantial payment from Nabû-bēl-šumāti, the official in charge of the city Ḫararatu (Ḫarutu): gold, silver, large mu[sukkannu]-trees, donkey[s, c]amels, oxen, and sheep and goats. 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. I returned safely to Assyria with 208,000 substantial captives, 7,200 horses (and) mules, 11,073 donkeys, 5,230 camels, 80,050 oxen, (and) 800,100 sheep and goats. This is apart from the people, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats that all of my troops had carried away and appropriated for themselves. Moreover, I put to the sword the soldiers of the enemy, a recalcitrant force who had not submitted to my yoke, and hung (their corpses) on poles. At that time, Nineveh, the exalted cult center, the city loved by the goddess Ištar in which all of the rituals for gods and goddesses are present; the enduring foundation (and) eternal base whose plan had been designed by the stars (lit. “writing”) of the firmament and whose arrangement was made manifest since time immemorial; (65) a sophisticated place (and) site of secret lore in which every kind of skilled craftsmanship, all of the rituals, (and) the secret(s) of the lalgar (cosmic subterranean water) are apprehended; in which since time immemorial earlier kings, my ancestors, before me exercised dominion over Assyria and ruled the subjects of the god Enlil, and wherein annually, without interruption, they received an income unsurpassed in amount, the tribute of the rulers of the four quarters (of the world); (but) not one among them had paid heed to (or) shown interest in the palace inside it, the seat of lordly dwelling whose site had become too small; nor had anyone (of them) conceived of and put his mind towards the straightening of the city’s street(s) and the widening of (its) squares, the dredging of the river, (and) the planting of orchards: (But) as for me, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, the performing of this work came to my attention by the will of the gods and I put my mind to it. I forcibly removed the people of Chaldea, Aramean (tribes), the land of the Manneans, (and) the lands Que and Ḫilakku, who had not submitted to my yoke, then I made them carry baskets (of earth) and they made bricks. I cut down canebrakes in Chaldea and I had their splendid reeds hauled (to Nineveh) for its (the palace’s) construction by enemy soldiers whom I had defeated. The fo[rm]er palace, whose longer side was thirty nindanu and whose shorter side was ten nindanu, which earlier kings, my ancestors, had had constructed, but whose construction they had carried out inexpertly, (and) alongside of which the Tebilti River had flowed from [dis]tant [days], caused erosion in its foundations, (and) shaken its base: I tore down [that] small pala[ce] in its entirety and improved the course of the Tebilti River and directed its outflow. In [a] pro[pitious month, on] a favorable day, in the hidden depths of its subterranean waters I bonded together strong mountain stone sixty (nindanu) along (its) longer side (and) thirty-four (nindanu) along (its) shorter side, then I raised (that) area out of the water and converted (it) to dry land. In order to prevent its foundation from being weakened over the passage of time by cresting flood(s), I surrounded its damp course with large limestone slabs (and thereby) reinforced its base. Upon them, I filled in a terrace to a height of 160 courses of brick, then added (it) to the dimensions of the former palace and (thus) enlarged its structure. I had a palace of elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, musukkannu-wood, cedar, cypress, juniper, and terebinth, (a palace that I named) Egalzagdunutukua (“The Palace Without a Rival”), constructed thereon as my royal residence. I roofed them (the rooms of the palace) with beams of cedar grown on Mount Amanus, which were brought with difficulty from (that) distant mountain terrain. I fastened bands of shining bronze on magnificent doors of cypress, whose scent is sweet on opening and closing, and I installed (them) in their gates. For my lordly pleasure, I had a portico, a replica of a Hittite palace, which is called bīt-ḫilāni in the language of the land Amurru, constructed inside them. Eight striding lions, standing opposite one another, which were made from 11,400 talents of shining copper, cast by the god Ninagal, (and) were filled with radiance — upon (those) lion colossi I installed two identical columns that were cast from 6,000 talents of bronze, together with two large cedar columns, and I positioned cross-beams (upon them) as a cornice for their gate(s). I expertly fashioned four mountain sheep colossi of silver (and) bronze, together with mountain sheep colossi of massive mountain stone, and in four directions I had (them) hold their (the gates’) suitable door bolt(s). I engraved on large limestone slabs (images of) the enemy settlements that I had conquered. I surrounded their (the palace rooms’) lower courses (with them and) made (them) an object of wonder. I planted alongside it (the palace) a botanical garden, a replica of Mount Amanus, which has all kinds of aromatic plants (and) fruit trees, trees that are the mainstay of the mountains and Chaldea, collected inside it. To plant gardens, I subdivided the meadowland upstream of the city into plots of two 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 Kisiri to the plain of Nineveh. (90) 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. After I had finished the work on my lordly palace, broadened the squares, (and) brought light into the alleys (and) streets, making (them) as bright as day, I invited inside it (the palace) the god Aššur, the great lord, (and) the gods and goddesses living in Assyria, then I made splendid offerings and presented my gift(s). In the future, may one of the kings, my descendants, whom the god Aššur names for shepherding the land and people, renovate its dilapidated section(s) when that palace becomes old and dilapidated. May he find an inscribed object bearing my name, an[oint] (it) with oil, make an offering, (and) return (it) to its place. The god Aššur will (then) hear his prayers. The line count of the inscription is 94 (lines).

Sennacherib 002

Cylinder; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). 3 exemplars. Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 002; CDLI P462810.

[Sennacherib, great king], strong king, king of Assyria, unrivalled king, pious shepherd who reveres the [great] god[s, guardian of truth who loves justi]ce, 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: [The god Aššur, the great mountain], granted to me [unrivalled sovereignty] and made [my weapons] greater than (those of) all who sit on (royal) [da]ises. [At the beginning of my kingship], I brought about [the defeat of Marduk-apla-iddi]na (II) (Merodach-baladan), king of Karduniaš (Babylonia), together with the troops of (the land) Elam, [his] al[lies, i]n the plain of Kish. [In the midst of that battle he abandoned his camp]. He fled alone and escaped to the land Guzummānu, (where) [he entered] the swamps and marshes [and (thereby) saved his life. I seized the chariots, wagons, horse]s, mules, donkeys, camels, and Bactrian camels that [he had abandoned] in the thick of bat[tle]. I [joyful]ly entered [his palace, which is in Babylon], then I opened his treasury and [brought out] go[ld, silver], gold (and) silver [uten]sils, pr[ecious] stones, [all kinds of possessions (and) property, a substantial treasure, (together with) his wife, his palace women, cour]tiers, attendants, all of the crafts[men, as many as there were, (and) his palace attendants, and I counted (them) as booty]. [I pursued him to the land Guzummānu and ordered] my warriors into the midst of swamps and [marshes. For five days they searched (for him), but his (hiding) place could not be found]. [With the strength of the god Aššur, my lord, I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered 89 fortified cities, fortresses] of Chal[dea, and 820 small(er) settlements in their environs. I brought out the auxiliary forces of the Arameans and Chaldeans who were in] Uruk, Nip[pur, Kish, Ḫursagkalamma, (and) Cutha, together with the guilty citizens, and] I counted (them) [as booty]. [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 p]uppy [in my palace, as king of the land of Sumer and Akkad]. [On my return march], I defeated all together [the Tuʾmūna, Riḫiḫu, Yadaqqu, Ubudu, Gibrê, Maliḫu (Malaḫu), Gurumu, Ubulu], Damunu, (15) [Gambulu, Ḫindaru, Ruʾuʾa, Puqudu, Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, (and) Liʾtaʾu, insubmis]sive [Arameans]. I carried off into Assyria [a sub]stanial [booty (consisting of) 208,000 people, male and female, 7,200 horses (and) mules, 11,073 donkeys, 5,230 camels, 80,100 oxen, (and) 800,600 sheep and goats]. [In the course of my campaign], I received [a] substantial [aud]ience gift [from Nabû-bēl-šumāti, the official in charge of the city Ḫararatu (Ḫarutu): gold, silver, large musukkannu-trees, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats]. [I put to the sword the population of the city Ḫirimmu, a dangerous enemy who since time immemorial had not submitted to my yoke, 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 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, a dangerous enemy who since time immemorial] had not submitted [to the kings], my [ancestor]s. [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 city Bīt-Kilamzaḫ, their fortified city. I] brought out of it [people, young (and) old, horses, mules, donkeys, oxen, and sheep and goats], and I counted (them) as booty. [I destroyed, devastated, (and) turned into ruins their small(er) settlements, which were without number. I burned with fire the pavilions (and) tents that they relied upon, and] reduced (them) to [as]hes. [I made that city Bīt-Kilamzaḫ a fortress again (and) strengthened its enceinte more than before]. I settled [therein the people of the lands that I had conquered. (25) 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) dwe[ll 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 [o]n it, and I erected (it) in (that) city. [I turned around (lit. “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 destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire the cities Marubištu (and) Akkuddu, cities of his royal house, together with thirty-four fortified cities and small(er) settlements in] their [en]virons, which were without number, [then I cut down their orchards (and) poured deathly quiet over their fertile fields]. (In this manner) I reduced to desolation [the land Ellipi to] its full [extent]. [I carried off people, young (and) old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, oxen, and sheep and goats without number and] brought them [to nought]. I detached [fr]om his land [the cities Ṣi(ṣ)ṣirtu (and) Kummaḫlum, fortified cities, together with the small(er) 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, then I changed its former name and] called it [Kār-Sennacherib]. [On my return march, I received a substantial payment from the distant Medes, of whose land none of the kings, my ancestors, had heard mention]. (Thus) I made them bow down [to the yoke of] my [lo]rd[ship]. [At that time, Nineveh, the exalted cult center, the city loved by the goddess Ištar] in which [all of the rituals for gods and goddesses are prese]nt; (35) [the enduring foundation (and) eternal base] whose plan had been designed [by the st]ars (lit. “[writ]ing”) of the firmament and whose arrangement [was made man]ifest [since time immemorial; a sophisticated place (and) site of secret lore] in which [every kind of skilled craftsmanship, all of the ritual]s, (and) the secret(s) of the lalgar (cosmic subterranean water) are apprehended; [in which since time immemorial earlier kings, my ancestors, before] me exercised dominion over Assyria and ruled the subjects of the god Enlil, [and] wherein [annually, without interruption], they received [an income unsurpassed in amount, the tribute of the rulers of the] four [quarters (of the world)]; [(but) not one among them had paid] heed [to (or) sho]wn interest [in the palace inside it, the seat of lordly dwelling] whose site had become too small; (40) nor had anyone (of them) [con]ceived of and put his [mind towards the straightening of the city’s street(s) and the widening of (its) squares, the dredging of the river, (and) the planting of orchards]: [(But) as for me, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, the performing of this work] came to my [attention by the will of the gods] and I put my mind to it. I forcibly removed [the people of Chaldea, Aramean (tribes), the land of the Manneans, (and) the lands Que and Ḫilakku, who had not submitted to my yoke, then I made them carry] baskets (of earth) [and they made bricks. I cut down canebrakes in Chaldea and I had their splendid reeds hauled (to Nineveh) for its (the palace’s) construction by enemy soldiers] whom I had defeated. [The former palace, which was 360 cubits long opposite the zamû-wall of the ziggurrat, 80 cubits wide opposite the tower of] the temple of the goddess Ištar, 134 cubits wide op[posite the tower of the Bīt-Kidmuri, (and) 95 cubits wide (on the other side); (45) which earlier kings, my ancestors, had had constructed for their lordly dwelling, but whose construction] they had [carried out] in[expertly — the Tebilti River, a tempestuous flood (of water) which when it rose had destroyed sacred buildings inside the city and exposed] the mou[nds of] their tombs (lit. “their moun[ded] tombs”) [to the sun, and which had flowed from distant days by the side of the palace and which (thereby) had caus]ed [erosion in its foundation when its flood was in full spate] (and) had [shaken its base]: [I tore down that small palace in its entirety, then I changed the course of the Tebilti River, repaired (the effects of) the erosion, and directed its outflow]. [In the hidden depths of its subterranean waters I bonded together, with bitumen, reeds below (and) strong mountain stone above, then I raised (that) area out of the water and converted (it) to dry land. (50) I filled in and measured a terrace of 700 large aslu-cubits along (its) longer side, 162 large aslu-cubits along (its) upper, northern shorter side, 217 large aslu-cubits along the inner, shorter side, (and) 386 large aslu-cubits along the lower], southern [shorter side, (which is) beside the Tigris River]. In order to prevent its foundation [from being weakened over the passage of time by cresting flood(s), I surrounded its damp course with large limestone slabs (and thereby) reinforced its base]. [I inscribed objects bearing my name 160] courses of brick wi[thin] the terrace, [and I deposited (them) deep down in its foundation for ever after]. [Afterwards, I] decided [to increase the height of the terrace], then I added 20 courses of brick to the former (terrace) and (thus) I raised (it) to a (total) height of 180 courses of brick. (55) I made the area larg]er [than before, added] (it) to [the former] dimensions [of the palace, and (thus) enlarged its structure]. [I had a palace of elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, musuk]kannu-wood, cedar, cyp[ress, juniper, and terebinth, (a palace that I named) Egalzagdinutukua (“The Palace Without a Rival”), constructed thereon as my royal residence]. [I roofed them (the rooms of the palace) with beams of cedar grown on Mount Amanus, which were brought with difficulty] from (that) [distant] mountain terr[ain. I fastened bands of shining bronze on magnificent doors of cypress, whose scent is sweet on] opening and clos[ing, and I installed (them) in their gates]. For [my] lordly pleasure, [I had a portico, a replica of a Hittite palace, which is called bīt-ḫilāni] in the language [of the land Amurru, constructed inside them]. Eight striding lions, standing opposite one another, which] were made [from 11,400 talents of shining copper, c]ast by the god Ninagal, (and) were [filled with radiance] — upon (those) lion colossi I [installed two identical columns] that were cast [from 6,000 talents of bronze], together with two large cedar columns, [and I positioned cross-beams (upon them) as a cornice for their gate(s)]. I expertly fashioned [four mountain sheep colossi of silver (and) bronze, together with mountain sheep colossi of] massive [mountain stone], and in four directions I made (them) hold [their (the gates’) suitable door bolt(s)]. I engraved on [large limestone slabs (images of) the ene]my [settlements] that [I] had conquered. I surrounded their (the palace rooms’) lower courses (with them and) [made] (them) an object of wo[nder]. [I planted] alongsi[de it (the palace) a botanical garden, a replica of Mount Amanus], which has [all kinds of] aromatic plants (and) fruit [trees], trees that are the mainstay of the mountains and Chaldea, collected inside it. [To plant gardens], I subdivided [the meadowland upstream of] the city into plots of two pānu ea[ch] 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 Kisiri 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. [After I had finish]ed [the work on my lordly palace], broadened the squares, (and) brought light into the alleys (and) streets, making (them) [as] bright [as day], I invited inside it (the palace) [the god Aššur, the great lord, (and) the gods and goddesses l]iving in Assyria, then I made splendid offerings and presented [my gift(s)]. [In the future, may one of the kings], my [descendants], whom the god Aššur names for shepherding the land and people, [renovate its dilapidated section(s)] when that palace be[comes 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 [will (then) hear] his prayers. The line count of the inscription is [71] (lines). Sibūti, eponymy of Nabû-lēʾi, governor of the city Arbela (702).

Sennacherib 003 — Bellino Cylinder

Cylinder; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). 17 exemplars. Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 003; CDLI P462811.

Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of Assyria, unrivalled king, pious shepherd who reveres 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: 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. At the beginning of my kingship, I brought about the defeat of Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), king of Karduniaš (Babylonia), together with the troops of (the land) Elam in the plain of Kish. In the midst of that battle he abandoned his camp. He fled alone and escaped to the land Guzummānu, (where) he entered the swamps and marshes and (thereby) saved his life. I seized the chariots, wagons, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, and Bactrian camels that he had abandoned in the thick of battle. I joyfully entered his palace, which is in Babylon, then I opened his treasury and brought out gold, silver, gold (and) silver utensils, precious stones, all kinds of possessions (and) property, a substantial treasure, (together with) his wife, his palace women, courtiers, attendants, 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 ordered my warriors into the midst of swamps and marshes. For five days they searched (for him), but his (hiding) place could not be found. With the strength of the god Aššur, my lord, I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered 89 fortified cities, fortresses of Chaldea, and 820 small(er) settlements in their environs. I brought out the auxiliary forces of the Arameans and Chaldeans who were in Uruk, Nippur, Kish, Ḫursagkalamma, (and) Cutha, together with the guilty citizens, and I counted (them) as booty. 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 Tuʾmūna, Riḫiḫu, Yadaqqu, Ubudu, Gibrê, Maliḫu (Malaḫu), Gurumu, Ubulu, Damunu, (15) Gambulu, Ḫindaru, Ruʾuʾa, Puqudu, Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, (and) Liʾtaʾu, insubmissive Arameans. I carried off into Assyria a substantial booty (consisting of) 208,000 people, male and female, 7,200 horses (and) mules, 11,073 donkeys, 5,230 camels, 80,100 oxen, (and) 800,600 sheep and goats. In the course of my campaign, I received a substantial audience gift from Nabû-bēl-šumāti, the official in charge of the city Ḫararatu (Ḫarutu): gold, silver, large musukkannu-trees, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats. I put to the sword the population of the city Ḫirimmu, a dangerous enemy who since time immemorial had not submitted to my yoke, 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 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, a dangerous enemy 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 city Bīt-Kilamzaḫ, their fortified city. I brought out of it people, young (and) old, horses, mules, donkeys, oxen, and sheep and goats, and I counted (them) as booty. I destroyed, devastated, (and) turned into ruins their small(er) settlements, which were without number. I burned with fire the pavilions (and) tents that they relied upon, and reduced (them) to ashes. I made that city Bīt-Kilamzaḫ a fortress again (and) strengthened its enceinte more than before. I settled therein the people of the lands that I had conquered. (25) 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 (lit. “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 destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire the cities Marubištu (and) Akkuddu, cities of his royal house, together with thirty-four fortified cities and small(er) settlements in their environs, which were without number, then I cut down their orchards (and) poured deathly quiet over their fertile fields. (In this manner) I reduced to desolation the land Ellipi to its full extent. I carried off people, young (and) old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, oxen, and sheep and goats without number and brought them to nought. I detached from his land the cities Ṣi(ṣ)ṣirtu (and) Kummaḫlum, fortified cities, together with the small(er) 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, then I changed its former name and called it Kār-Sennacherib. On my return march, I received a substantial payment from the distant Medes, of whose land none of the kings, my ancestors, had heard mention. (Thus) I made them bow down to the yoke of my lordship. At that time, Nineveh, the exalted cult center, the city loved by the goddess Ištar in which all of the rituals for gods and goddesses are present; (35) the enduring foundation (and) eternal base whose plan had been designed by the stars (lit. “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 secret(s) of the lalgar (cosmic subterranean water) are apprehended; in which since time immemorial earlier kings, my ancestors, before me exercised dominion over Assyria and ruled the subjects of the god Enlil, and wherein annually, without interruption, they received an income unsurpassed in amount, the tribute of the rulers of the four quarters (of the world); (but) not one among them had paid heed to (or) shown interest in the palace inside it, the seat of lordly dwelling whose site had become too small; (40) nor had anyone (of them) conceived of and put his mind towards the straightening of the city’s street(s) and the widening of (its) squares, the dredging of the river, (and) the planting of orchards: (But) as for me, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, the performing of this work came to my attention by the will of the gods and I put my mind to it. I forcibly removed the people of Chaldea, Aramean (tribes), the land of the Manneans, (and) the lands Que and Ḫilakku, who had not submitted to my yoke, then I made them carry baskets (of earth) and they made bricks. I cut down canebrakes in Chaldea and I had their splendid reeds hauled (to Nineveh) for its (the palace’s) construction by enemy soldiers whom I had defeated. The former palace, which was 360 cubits long opposite the zamû-wall of the ziggurrat, 80 cubits wide opposite the tower of the temple of the goddess Ištar, 134 cubits wide opposite the tower of the Bīt-Kidmuri, (and) 95 cubits wide (on the other side); (45) which earlier kings, my ancestors, had had constructed for their lordly dwelling, but whose construction they had carried out inexpertly — the Tebilti River, a tempestuous flood (of water) which when it rose had destroyed sacred buildings inside the city and exposed the mounds of their tombs (lit. “their mounded tombs”) to the sun, and which had flowed from distant days by the side of the palace and which (thereby) had caused erosion in its foundation when its flood was in full spate (and) had shaken its base: I tore down that small palace in its entirety, then I changed the course of the Tebilti River, repaired (the effects of) the erosion, and directed its outflow. In the hidden depths of its subterranean waters I bonded together, with bitumen, reeds below (and) strong mountain stone above, then I raised (that) area out of the water and converted (it) to dry land. (50) I filled in and measured a terrace of 700 large aslu-cubits along (its) longer side, 162 large aslu-cubits along (its) upper, northern shorter side, 217 large aslu-cubits along the inner, shorter side, (and) 386 large aslu-cubits along the lower, southern shorter side, (which is) beside the Tigris River. In order to prevent its foundation from being weakened over the passage of time by cresting flood(s), I surrounded its damp course with large limestone slabs (and thereby) reinforced its base. I inscribed objects bearing my name 160 courses of brick within the terrace and I deposited (them) deep down in its foundation for ever after. Afterwards, I decided to increase the height of the terrace, then I added 20 courses of brick to the former (terrace) and (thus) I raised (it) to a (total) height of 180 courses of brick. (55) I made the area larger than before, added (it) to the former dimensions of the palace, and (thus) enlarged its structure. I had a palace of elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, musukkannu-wood, cedar, cypress, juniper, and terebinth, (a palace that I named) Egalzagdinutukua (“The Palace Without a Rival”), constructed thereon as my royal residence. I planted alongside it (the palace) a botanical garden, a replica of Mount Amanus, which has all kinds of aromatic plants (and) fruit trees, trees that are the mainstay of the mountains and Chaldea, collected inside it. To plant gardens, I subdivided the meadowland upstream of the city into plots of two 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 Kisiri to the plain of Nineveh. (60) 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. I enlarged the site of Nineveh, my capital city. I broadened its squares and brought light into the alleys and streets, making (them) as bright as day. In the future, may one of the kings, my descendants, whom the god Aššur names for shepherding the land and people, renovate its dilapidated section(s) when that palace 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 will (then) hear his prayers. The line count of the inscription is 63 (lines). Sibūti, eponymy of Nabû-lēʾi, governor of the city Arbela (702).

Sennacherib 004 — Rassam Cylinder

Cylinder; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). 86 exemplars. Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 004; CDLI P462812.

Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, unrivalled king, pious shepherd who reveres 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: 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. 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 joyfully entered his palace, which is in Babylon, then I opened his treasury and brought out gold, silver, gold (and) silver utensils, precious stones, all kinds of possessions (and) property, a substantial treasure, (together with) his wife, his palace women, courtiers, attendants, all of the craftsmen, as many as there were, (and) his palace attendants, and I counted (them) as booty. With the strength of the god Aššur, my lord, I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered 89 of his fortified cities, fortresses of Chaldea, and 620 small(er) settlements in their environs. I brought out the auxiliary forces of the Arameans (and) Chaldeans who were in Uruk, Nippur, Kish, Ḫursagkalamma, Cutha, (and) Sippar, together with the guilty citizens, and I counted (them) as booty. I placed Bēl-ibni, a son of a rab banî, on his royal throne (and) entrusted him with the people of Akkad. I appointed my eunuchs to be governors over all of the districts of Chaldea and I imposed the yoke of my lordship upon them. On my return march, I defeated all together the Tuʾmūna, Riḫiḫu, Yadaqqu, Ubudu, Gibrê, Maliḫu (Malaḫu), Gurumu, Ubulu, Damunu, Gambulu, Ḫindaru, Ruʾuʾa, Puqudu, Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, (and) Liʾtaʾu, insubmissive Arameans. I carried off into Assyria a substantial booty (consisting of) 208,000 people, young (and) old, male and female, 7,200 horses (and) mules, 11,073 donkeys, 5,230 camels, 80,100 oxen, (and) 600,600 sheep and goats. In the course of my campaign, I received a substantial audience gift from Nabû-bēl-šumāti, the official in charge of the city Ḫararatu (Ḫarutu): gold, silver, large musukkannu-trees, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats. 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. In very rugged terrain I roamed about on foot like a wild bull. (20) 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 small(er) 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, 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 (lit. “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 Marubištu (and) Akkuddu, cities of his royal house, together with thirty-four small(er) 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, then I brought him (Ispabāra) to nought and made his land smaller. I detached from his land the cities Ṣi(ṣ)ṣirtu (and) Kummaḫlum, fortified cities, together with the small(er) 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, then I changed its former name and called it Kār-Sennacherib. (30) 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. On my return march, I received a substantial payment from the distant Medes, of whose land none of the kings, my ancestors, had heard mention. (Thus) I made them bow down to the yoke of my lordship. On my third campaign, I marched to the land Ḫatti. Fear of my lordly brilliance overwhelmed Lulî, the king of the city Sidon, and he fled afar into the midst of the sea. The awesome terror of the weapon of the god Aššur, my lord, overwhelmed the cities Great Sidon, Lesser Sidon, Bīt-Zitti, Ṣarepta, Maḫalliba, Ušû, Akzibu, (and) Acco, his fortified cities (and) fortresses, an area of pasture(s) and water-place(s), resources upon which he relied, and they bowed down at my feet. 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. As for Minuḫimmu of the city Samsimuruna, Tu-Baʾlu of the city Sidon, Abdi-Liʾti of the city Arwad, Ūru-Milki of the city Byblos, Mitinti of the city Ashdod, Būdi-il of the city 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. Moreover, (as for) Ṣidqâ, the king of the city Ashkelon who had not bowed down 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. I set Šarru-lū-dāri, son of Rūkibtu, their former king, over the people of the city Ashkelon and imposed upon him the payment of tribute (and) gifts (in recognition) of my overlordship so that he (now) pulls my yoke. In the course of my campaign, I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered the cities Bīt-Daganna, Joppa, Banayabarqa, (and) Azuru, the cities of Ṣidqâ that had not submitted to me quickly. (As for) the governors, the nobles, and the people of the city Ekron who had thrown Padî, their king who was bound by treaty and oaths to Assyria, into iron fetters and who had handed him over to Hezekiah of the land Judah in a hostile manner, they became frightened on account of the villainous acts they had committed. They formed a confederation with the kings of Egypt (and) the archers, chariots, (and) horses of the king of the land Meluḫḫa, forces without number, and they came to their aid. 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. (45) In the thick of battle, I captured alive the Egyptian charioteers (and) princes (lit. “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 crime(s) 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, then I imposed upon him payment (in recognition) of my overlordship. (As for) Hezekiah of the land Judah, I surrounded (and) conquered forty-six of his fortified walled cities and small(er) settlements in their environs, which were without number, (50) 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. As for him, Hezekiah, fear of my lordly brilliance overwhelmed him and, after my (departure), he had the auxiliary forces (and) his elite troops whom he had brought inside to strengthen the city Jerusalem, his royal city, thereby gaining reinforcements, (along with) 30 talents of gold, 800 talents of silver, choice antimony, large blocks of ..., ivory beds, armchairs of ivory, elephant hide(s), elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, garments with multi-colored trim, linen garments, blue-purple wool, red-purple wool, utensils of bronze, iron, copper, tin, (and) iron, chariots, shields, lances, armor, iron belt-daggers, bows and uṣṣu-arrows, equipment, (and) implements of war, (all of) which were without number, together with his daughters, his palace women, male singers, (and) female singers brought into Nineveh, my capital city, and he sent a mounted messenger of his to me to deliver (this) payment and to do obeisance. 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. (60) 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. At that time, Nineveh, the exalted cult center, the city loved by the goddess Ištar in which all of the rituals for gods and goddesses are present; the enduring foundation (and) eternal base whose plan had been designed by the stars (lit. “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 secret(s) of the lalgar (cosmic subterranean water) are apprehended; in which since time immemorial earlier kings, my ancestors, before me exercised dominion over Assyria and ruled the subjects of the god Enlil, (65) and wherein annually, without interruption, they received an enormous income, the tribute of the rulers of the four quarters (of the world); (but) not one among them had paid heed to (or) shown interest in the palace inside it, the seat of lordly dwelling whose site had become too small; nor had anyone (of them) conceived of and put his mind towards the straightening of the city’s street(s) and the widening of (its) squares, the dredging of the river, (and) the planting of orchards: (But) as for me, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, the performing of this work came to my attention by the will of the gods and I put my mind to it. I forcibly removed the people of Chaldea, Aramean (tribes), the land of the Manneans, the lands Que, Ḫilakku, (and) Philistia, and the land (of the city) Tyre, who had not submitted to my yoke, then I made them carry baskets (of earth) and they made bricks. (70) I cut down canebrakes in Chaldea and I had their splendid reeds hauled (to Nineveh) for its (the palace’s) construction by enemy soldiers whom I had defeated. The former palace, which was 360 cubits long opposite the zamû-wall of the ziggurrat, 80 cubits wide opposite the tower of the temple of the goddess Ištar, 134 cubits wide opposite the tower of the Bīt-Kidmuri, (and) 95 cubits wide (on the other side); which earlier kings, my ancestors, had had constructed for their lordly dwelling, but whose construction they had carried out inexpertly — the Tebilti River, a tempestuous flood (of water) which when it rose had destroyed sacred buildings inside the city and exposed their hidden tombs to the sun, and which had flowed from distant days by the side of the palace and which (thereby) had caused erosion in its foundation when its flood was in full spate (and) had shaken its base: I tore down that small palace in its entirety, then I changed the course of the Tebilti River, repaired (the effects of) the erosion, and directed its outflow. In the hidden depths of (its) subterranean waters I bonded together, with bitumen, reeds below (and) strong mountain stone above, then I raised (that) area out of the water and converted (it) to dry land. I filled in and measured a terrace of 700 large aslu-cubits along (its) longer side, 176 large aslu-cubits along (its) upper, northern shorter side, 268 large aslu-cubits along the inner, shorter side, (which is) opposite the zamû-wall of the shrine behind (the temple of) the goddess Ištar, 383 large aslu-cubits along the other, parallel, inner shorter side, (which is) on the west behind the ziggurrat of the temple of the goddess Ištar, (and) 386 large aslu-cubits along the lower, southern shorter side, (which is) beside the Tigris River. (80) In order to prevent its foundation from being weakened over the passage of time by cresting flood(s), I surrounded its base with large limestone slabs (and thereby) reinforced its base. I inscribed objects bearing my name 160 courses of brick within the terrace and I deposited (them) deep down in its foundation for ever after. Afterwards, I decided to increase the height of the terrace, then I added 20 courses of brick to the former (terrace) and (thus) I raised (it) to a (total) height of 180 courses of brick. I made the area larger than before, added (it) to the former dimensions of the palace, and (thus) enlarged its structure. I had a palace of alabaster, elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, musukkannu-wood, cedar, cypress, daprānu-juniper, juniper, and terebinth, (a palace that I named) Egalzagdinutukua (“The Palace Without a Rival”), constructed thereon as my royal residence. I planted alongside it (the palace) a botanical garden, a replica of Mount Amanus, which has all kinds of aromatic plants (and) fruit trees, trees that are the mainstay of the mountains and Chaldea, collected inside it. To plant gardens, I subdivided the meadowland upstream of the city into plots of two pānu each for the citizens of Nineveh and I handed (them) over to them. To make (those) planted areas luxuriant, I cut with picks a canal straight through mountain and valley, from the border of the city Kisiri 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. I enlarged the site of Nineveh, my capital city. I broadened its squares and brought light into the alleys and streets, making (them) as bright as day. I had a bridge constructed opposite the Citadel Gate (by packing down) paving stones of white limestone for my lordly procession(s). I had an inscribed object made and inscribed thereon all the mighty victories that I achieved over all of (my) enemies with the support of (the god) Aššur, the great lord, my lord, and everything (else) that I had been doing. I deposited (it) in the foundation of my lordly palace for ever after. In the future, may one of the kings, my descendants, whom the god Aššur names for shepherding the land and people, renovate its dilapidated section(s) when that palace 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 will (then) hear his prayers. The line count of the inscription is 94 (lines). Ayyāru (II), eponymy of Mitūnu, governor of the city Isāna (700).

Sennacherib 005

Cylinder; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 005; CDLI P462813.

[Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters (of the world), capable 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 en]emies [with lightning]: (Lacuna) [In the future, may one of the kings, my descendants, whom the god Aššur names for shepherding the land and people, renovate its dilapidated section(s) when that ... 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]. [The line count of the inscription is ... (lines). ..., the eponymy of Bēl-šarrāni, govern]or of the city Kurbail (699).

Sennacherib 006

Cylinder; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 006; CDLI P462814.

(The surface of the cylinder is very badly worn and relatively little of the extant text can be read with certainty, and thus no edition is given.)

Sennacherib 007

Cylinder; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 007; CDLI P462815.

(Lacuna) [...] ... [...] its foundations [...]. [I enlarged] the si[te of the citadel and Nineveh], my [c]apital [city. I broadened their squares and brought light into the alleys and streets, making (them) as bright as day]. [I had a bridge constructed opposite] the Citadel [Gate] with paving ston[es of white limestone for the passage of my lordly chariot]. [I had an inscribed object made and had all the mi]ghty victo[ries that I achieved over all of (my) enemies with the support of (the god) Aššur, the great lord, my lord, and all of my (other) achievements inscribed thereon. With inscribed objects of] earl[ier rule]rs, [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 (lit. “future children”), whom the god Aššur names for shepherding the land and people, renovate its dilapidated section(s) 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]. (Ruling line and date missing)

Sennacherib 008

Cylinder; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 008; CDLI P462816.

[Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, unrivalled king], pious [shep]herd who reveres the great gods, [guardian of truth who loves justice, renders assistance, goes to the aid of the wea]k, (and) strives after good deeds, [perfect man, virile warrior, foremost of all rulers, the bridle that con]trols the insubmissive, (and) the one who strikes enemies with lightning: [The god Aššur, the great mountain, granted to me unrivalled sovereignty and] made my weapons greater [than (those of) all who sit on (royal) da]ises. [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) Ela]m, 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 joyfully entered his palace, which is in Babylon, then I opened his treasury and] brought out [gold, silver, gold (and) silver utensils, precious stones, all kinds of] possessions (and) property, a substan[tial] treasure, (together with) [his wife, his palace women, courtiers, attendants, all of the craftsmen, as many as there were], (and) his palace [attendan]ts, and [I counted] (them) as booty. [With the strength of the god Aššur, my lord], I surrounded, conquered, (and) plunder[ed 89 of his fortified cities, fortresses of Chaldea, and 620 small(er) settlements in their environs]. (10) I brought out [the auxiliary forces of the Arameans (and) Chaldeans who were in Uruk, Nippur, Kish, Ḫursagkalamma, Cutha, (and) Sippar, together with] the guilty [citizens], and [I counted (them) as] bo[oty]. [I placed Bēl-ibni, a son of a rab banî, on his royal throne (and) entrusted him with the people of Akkad. I ap]pointed [my eunuchs to be governors over all of the districts of Chaldea] and [I imposed] the yoke of my lordship [upon them]. [On my return march, I defeated] all together [the Tuʾmūna, Riḫiḫu, Yadaqqu, Ubudu, Gibrê, Maliḫu (Malaḫu), Gurumu], Ubulu, [Damunu, Gambulu, Ḫindaru, Ruʾuʾa, Puqudu, Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, (and) Liʾtaʾu, in]submissive [Arameans. I carried] off into [Assyria a substantial booty (consisting of) 208,000 people, young (and) old, male and female, 7,200 horses (and) mules, 11,073 donkeys, 5,230 camels, 80,100 oxen, (and) 600,600 sheep and goats]. [In the course of my campaign, I received a substantial aud]ience gift [from Nabû-bēl-šumāti, the official in charge of the city Ḫararatu (Ḫarutu): gold, silver, large musukkannu-trees, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats]. [...] ... [...]. (Lacuna) [To plant gardens, I subdivided the meadowland upstream of the city into plots of two pānu each for the citizens of Nineveh and I handed] (them) over [to them]. [To make (these) planted areas luxuriant, I cut with picks a canal] st[raight through mountain and valley, from the border of the city Kisiri 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) ma]de (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 gr]ew tall and sent [out shoots. (5´) I created a marsh to moderate the flow of water for (those) gardens and had a canebrake planted (in it). I let loose] in i[t herons, wild boa]rs (lit. “[pigs of the ree]ds”), (and) roe deer. [The marshes thrived greatly. Birds of the heavens, heron(s) whose home(s) are far away, made nest(s) and wild boars (and) roe deer] ga[ve birth] in abundance. [I cut down musukkannu-trees (and) cypress trees grown in the orchards (and) marsh reeds from the swamps and] I us[ed (them) in the work required] (to build) my [lor]dly [palatial halls]. [... At the inauguration of the palace, I had the heads of the subjects of my land drenched] (and) I wa[tered] their insides with [sw]eet [wine]. [Nineveh, the site of whose circumference had been 9,300 cubits since former times (and) for which no earl]ier ruler [had had an inner or outer wall built — (10´) I added 12,515 (cubits) in the plain around the city to (its) previous measurement and] (thus) established its dimensions [as 21,815 lar]ge [cubits]. [I laid the foundation of its great wall, Badnigalbilukurašušu, (which means) “Wall Whose Brilliance Overwhelms Enemies,” upon limestone and made (it) 40 bricks thick]. I raised its superstructure [180 cou]rses of brick high. [I opened up a foundation pit for the outer wall, Badnigerimḫuluḫa, (which means) “Terrorizer of Enemies,” then I dug down forty-five nindanu and made (it) reach] the water table. [I bound together strong mountain stone in the water below and above] I expertly carried out its construction [with large limestone (blocks) up to its copings]. [I enlarged the site of Nineveh, my capital city. I broadened its squares, making (them) as bright as day]. I had [an inner (and) outer wall] built and I raised (them) as high as mountain(s). [So that there would be outflow from the Ḫusur River in the city (and) the passage of water upstream and downstream], I built aqueducts beneath it (the city wall) [with baked bricks, ...]. I had a bridge constructed [opposite the Citadel Gate with paving stones of white limestone for the passage of my lordly chariot]. [I had an inscribed object made and] had [all the mighty victories that I] achieved [over all of (my) enemies with the support of (the god) Aššur, the great lord, my lord], and all of my (other) achievements inscribed thereon. [With inscribed objects of earlier rulers, my ancestors], I deposited (it) for ever after [in the wall of Nineveh, my capital city, for the kings], my [descendant]s. [In the future, may one of the kings, my descendants, whom the god Aššur names for shepherding the land and people, renovate their dilapidated section(s) when] these inner and outer walls become old and dilapidated. (20´) [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 will (then) hear his prayers. [The line count of the inscription is ... (lines). ... eponymy of] Bēl-šarrāni (699).

Sennacherib 009

Cylinder; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 009; CDLI P462817.

[Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of Assyria, unrivalled king, pious] shepherd [who reveres 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 rul]ers, the bridle that controls the in[submissive, (and) the one who strikes enemies with lightning]: [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. [At the beginning of my kingship, I brought about the defeat of Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), king of Karduniaš (Babylonia), together with the troop]s of (the land) Elam, his ally, in [the p]lai[n of Kish. I seized the chariots, wagons, horses, mules, donkeys, cam]els, and [Bactrian camels that he had abandoned in the thick of battle]. [I joyfully entered his palace, which is in Babylon, then I opened] his [trea]sury [and brought out] gold, silver, gold (and) silver utensils, [precious] stones, [all kinds of possessions (and) property, a substantial treasure, (together with) his wife, his palace women, courtiers, attendants], all of the craftsmen, as many as there were, (and) [his palace attendants, and I counted (them) as booty]. [... into the mi]dst of swamps ... [...] [With the strength of the god Aššur, my lord], I surrounded, conq[uered, (and) plundered 89 fortified cities, fortresses of Chaldea, and 8]20 small(er) settlements in their environs. [I brought out the auxiliary forces of the Arameans and Chaldeans who were in Uruk, Nippur, Kish, Ḫursagkalamma], (and) Cutha, together with the gu[ilty] citizens, [and I counted (them) as booty]. [On my return march, I defeated all together the Tuʾmūna, Riḫiḫu, Yadaqqu, Ubu]du, Gibrê, Maliḫu (Malaḫu), [Gurumu, Ubulu, Damunu, (15) Gambulu, Ḫindaru, Ruʾuʾa, Puqudu, Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, (and) Liʾ]taʾu, insubmissive] Ara[means]. (Lacuna)

Sennacherib 010

Cylinder; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). 2 exemplars. Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 010; CDLI P462818.

[S]ennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, [king of the fou]r [quarters] (of the world), leader of a widespread population, [the one who fashioned image(s) of the deities Aššur, Anu, Sîn, Šamaš], Adad, Nergal, Iš[tar of Bīt-Kidmuri, ... (5) ...] whose dominion [is mo]re 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: [... the admi]nistrator who [knows] how to reckon the accounts [...] ... the god Ḫaya, their god, [...] their [...], the great gods [... by the comm]and of the gods [to lay] the foundation [...] his [...] ... before me (15) [...] ... [...] the one who fashioned (the image of) the god Ḫaya [...] ... [...] ..., the one who performed the rites: I bu[ilt] (and) completed [it] from its foundations to its crenellations [and] I settled the god Ḫaya, the god of scribes, [inside it]. O foundation inscription, [speak] favorable things to (the god) Aš[šur] about Sennacherib, king of Assyria, the one who lo[ves correct behavior], the one who fashioned image(s) of (the god) Aššur and the great gods, (and) the one who built (this) temple, so that his sons (and) his grandsons may endure forev[er] 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, (25) renovate its dilapidated section(s). May he find (this) inscribed object, anoint (it) with oil, make an offering, (and) put (it back) in its place. (The god) Aššur and the goddess Ištar will (then) hea[r] 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, irreversible curse, and may they overthrow his kingship, deprive him of his life, (and) eradicate his name, his seed, his offspring, (and) his progeny from the mouth of the people.

Sennacherib 011

Cylinder; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 011; CDLI P462819.

[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 image(s) of the deities Aššur, Anu, Sîn, Šamaš, Adad, Nergal, Ištar of] Bīt-Kidmuri, [Bēlet-ilī, and the great gods, the one who carries out to perfection the rites of E]šarra (5) [and Emašmaš], who knows well [how to revere the gods of heaven and the gods of Assyri]a, [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]: [...] lamentation singers (kalû) who pacify (10) [...], lamentation singers, [... a] lamentation singer [...] (Lacuna)

Sennacherib 012

Cylinder; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 012; CDLI P462820.

[Sennacherib], great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, [king of the four quarters (of the world), lea]der of a widespread population, [the one who fashioned image(s) of the deities Aššur, Anu, Sîn], Šamaš, Adad, Nergal, Ištar of Bīt-Kidmuri, [Bēlet-ilī, and the great gods], the one who carries out to perfection the rites of Ešarra (5) [and Emašmaš, who knows well how to revere the go]ds 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 [set]tlements, [circumspect] ru[ler], (Lacuna) [(As for) the one who alters my inscribed object (and) disrespects my words], may [(the god) Aššur, king of the gods, and the gre]at [gods of heaven and netherworld] curse him [with a harsh, irreversible curse, and may they overthrow his kingship, deprive him of his life], (and) eradicate [his name, his seed, his offspring, (and) his progeny] from the mouth of the people.

Sennacherib 013

Cylinder; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 013; CDLI P462821.

Sennacherib, [great] king, [strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria], king of the four quarters (of the world), lea[der of a widespread population], the one who fashioned image(s) of the deities Aššur, Anu, Sîn, Šamaš, [Adad, Nergal, Ištar of Bīt-Kidmuri, Bēlet-ilī], and the great gods, the one who carries out to perfection the rites of E[šarra and Emašmaš, who knows well how to revere the gods of heaven] (5) and the gods of Assyria, the builder of Assyria, [...] ... [...] (Lacuna) ... [...]

Chapter Two. The Annalistic Prisms

Sennacherib 014

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 014; CDLI P462822.

(This text was not available for study so no transliteration is available.)

Sennacherib 015 — “Cylinder C”

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). 17 exemplars. Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 015; CDLI P462823.

Column i

[Sennacherib], great king, [strong king, king of the world], king of Assyria, [king of the] four [quar]ters (of the world), capable [shepherd, (i 5) 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], (i 10) perfect man, vi[rile warrior], foremost of all [rulers], the bridle that controls the insub[missive], (and) the one who strikes enem[ies] with lightning: The god Aššur, the great mountain, granted to me unrival[led] sovereignty [and] made [my] weapons greater than (those of) all who sit on (royal) dais[es]. He made [all of the black]-headed (people) from the Upp[er] Sea of the Setting Su[n] (i 20) to the Low[er] Sea of the Rising Su[n] bow down [at my] fe[et]. (Lacuna) [I] joy[fully entered his palace, which is in Babylon], then I opened [his] trea[sury and] brought out [gold], silver, gold (and) [silver] utensils, precious stones, (i 5´) 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. With the strength of the god Aššur, my lord, I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered 75 of his fortified cities, fortresses of Chaldea, and 420 small(er) settlements in their environs. I brought out the auxiliary forces of the Arameans (and) Chaldeans who were in Uruk, Nippur, Kish, Ḫursagkalamma, Cutha, (and) Sippar, together with the guilty citizens, and I counted (them) as booty. On my return march, I defeated all together the Tuʾmūna, Riḫiḫu, Yadaqqu, Ubudu, Gibrê, Maliḫu (Malaḫu), Gurumu, (i 25´) Ubulu, Damunu, Gambulu, Ḫindaru, Ruʾuʾa, Puqudu, Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, (and) Liʾtaʾu, (i 30´) insubmissive Arameans. I carried off into Assyria a substantial booty (consisting of) 208,000 people, young (and) old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats, which were without number. In the course of my campaign, I received a substantial audience gift from Nabû-bēl-šumāti, the official in charge of the city Ḫararatu (Ḫarutu): gold, silver, large musukkannu-trees, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats.

Column ii

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. (ii 5) I reorganized that district (and) [imposed] for eternity [one] yoke ox, ten sheep, ten homers of wine, (and) [twenty homers of dates] as his first-fruits offerings [to the gods of] Assyria, [my lords]. (Lacuna) [I bro]ught out [of them ...] ... [...] sheep and goa[ts, and I counted] (them) as booty. [Moreover, I destroyed, devastated, (and) tur]ned into ruins [their small(er) settlements], which were without number. [I burn]ed [with fire pavilions (and) te]nts, their abodes, and reduced (them) to ashes. I made that city Bīt-Kilamzaḫ a fortress [again] (and) I strengthened its walls more than before, then [I settled therein] the people of the lands that I had conquered. (Lacuna) I had a st[ele made], had [all the victorious] conquests [that I achieved over them written] on it, [and I erected (it) in (that) city]. I turned [around] (lit. “I turned the front of my yoke”) and took the roa[d to the land Ellipi. (ii 5´´) 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, devas[tated], (and) burned [with] fire the cities Marubištu (and) [Akkuddu], (ii 10´´) cities of [his] royal house, toget[her with] thirty-four small(er) settlements [in] their environs. I carried off people, young (and) old, male [and female], horses, mules, donkey[s], camels, (ii 15´´) oxen, and sheep and goat[s] without number, then I brought him (Ispabāra) to nought and made his land smaller. I detached from his land the cities Ṣi(ṣ)ṣirtu (and) Kummaḫlum, fortified cities, [to]gether with the small(er) settlements (ii 20´´) 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, then I changed its former name and called it Kār-Sennacherib. I settled therein the people of the lands that I had conquered. (ii 30´´) I placed (it) under the authority of a eunuch of mine, the governor of the city Ḫarḫar, and (thus) enlarged my land. On my return march, I received a substantial payment from the distant Medes, of whose land none of the kings, my ancestors, had heard mention. (Thus) I made them bow down to the yoke of my lordship.

Column iii

On my third campaign, I marched to the land Ḫatti. Fear of my lordly brilliance over[whelmed] Lulî, the king of the city Sidon, and (iii 5) he fled afar into [the midst of] the sea and disappeared. The awesome terror of the weapon of the god Aššur, my lord, overwhelmed the cities Great Sidon, Lesser Sidon, Bīt-Zitti, Ṣarepta, Maḫalliba, [Ušû], (iii 10) Akzibu, (and) Acco, his fortified [cit]ies (and) fortresses, [an area of pasture(s) and] water-place(s), resources upon which he relied, [and they bowed do]wn at my feet. [I placed] Tu-Baʾ[lu on the royal throne] over them and [imposed upon] him [tribute (and) pay]ment (in recognition) of [my overlordship (to be delivered) yearly (and) without interrup]tion. (Lacuna) [I imposed upon him (Šarru-lū-dāri) the payment of tribute (and) gifts (in recognition) of] my [overlor]dship [so that he (now) pulls] my yoke. [In the course of my campaign], I surrounded, [conquered, (and) plund]ered the cities [Bīt-Dagan]na, Joppa, [Banayabarqa], (and) Azuru, (iii 5´) [the cities of Ṣ]idqâ that had not submitted [to me qu]ickly. (As for) the governors, the noble[s, and the peopl]e of the city Ekron who had thrown Padî, their [king] who was bound by treaty (iii 10´) and oaths to Assyria, into iron fetters and who had handed him over to Hezekiah of the land Judah in a hostile manner, they became frightened on account of the villainous acts they had committed. They formed a confederation with the kings of Egypt (and) the archers, (iii 15´) chariots, (and) horses of the king of the land Meluḫḫa, forces without number, and they came to their aid. 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 (lit. “the sons of the king”), 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 crime(s) and (iii 30´) 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.

Column iv

I brought out Padî, their king, from the city Jerusalem and placed (him) on the lordly throne over them, then I imposed upon him [pay]ment (in recognition) of [my] overlordship. Moreover, (as for) He[ze]kiah of the land Judah, [who had not] submitted to my yoke, I surrounded (and) conquered forty-six of [his] fortified [wa]lled cit[ies] and small(er) [settlements] in their environs, (iv 10) 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, (iv 15) 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. (iv 20) I set up blockades [against] him and [made] made him dread ex[iti]ng 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, [Padî, the king of the city E]kron, [and Ṣilli-Bēl, the king of the city G]az[a], (Lacuna) [and], after my (departure), he (Hezekiah) had [the auxiliary forces and] his eli[te troops whom he] had brought inside [to strengthen] the city Jerusalem, [his royal city], thereby gaining reinforceme[nts, along with] 30 talents of gold, (iv 5´) 800 [talents of silver, ch]oice antimony, large blocks of ..., ivory beds, [armch]airs of ivory, elephant hide(s), elephant ivory, [ebony, boxwood], every kind of [valuable] treasu[re], (iv 10´) as well as his daughters, his palace women, [male singers, (and) female singers] brought into Nineveh, [my] capi[tal] city, [and] he sent a mounted messenger of his to me to deliver (this) [pay]ment and to do obeisance. On [my] fourth campaign, the god Aššur, my lord, encouraged me so that I mustered my numerous troops and ordered the march to the land Bīt-[Ya]kīn. In the course of my camp[aign], I defeated Šūzubu (Mušēzib-Marduk), a Chaldean who lives in the marshes, (iv 20´) at the city Bittūtu. As for him, terror of doing battle with me fell upon him and his heart pounded. He fled alone like a lynx and [his] (hiding) place could not be found. I turned around (lit. “I turned the front of my yoke”) and took the road to the land Bīt-Yakīn. He — Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), whom I had defeated and whose forces I had scattered [during] my first campaign — became frightened by the clangor of my mighty weapons (iv 30´) and my fierce battle array, then [dislodged] the gods of the (full) extent of [his] land [from their abodes, and loaded] (them) onto boats. He flew away like a bird to (the city) Nagīte-raqqi, which is in the midst of the sea. [I] brought his brothers, the seed of his father’s house, whom he had abandoned at the shore of the sea, together with the rest of the people of his land, out of the land Bīt-Yakīn, (v 1) which is in the swamps (and) [marshes], and I counted (them) as booty.

Column v

[Once again] I destroyed (and) devastated his cities, (and) [turned (them) into ruins]. I poured out awe-inspiring brilliance upon his ally, the king of the land Elam. On my return ma[rch], I placed Aššur-nādin-šumi, my first-born son (whom I) [rai]sed on my (own) knee, on his lo[rd]ly throne and entrusted him with the wide land of Sumer and Akkad. From the booty of those lands that I had plundered, I conscripted 20,000 archers (and) 15,000 shield bearers and added (them) to my royal contingent. I divided up the rest of the substantial enemy booty (v 15) like sheep and goats among my entire camp (and) my governors, (and) the people of my great cult centers. At that time, Nineveh, the exalted cult center, the city loved by the goddess Ištar (v 20) in which all of the rituals for gods and goddesses are present; the enduring foundation (and) eternal base whose [plan] had been designed by the stars (lit. “writing”) of the firmament and whose arrangement was made manifest since time immemorial; (v 25) [a sophisti]cated [place] (and) site of secret lore in which every kind of [skil]led [craftsmanship], all of the rituals, (and) [the secret(s) of the lalgar] (cosmic subterranean water) are apprehended; [in which since time immemorial] ea[rl]ier [king]s, [my ancestors, before] me (v 30) exercised dominion over Assyria and ruled the subjects of the god En[lil]; (but) not one among them had conceived of [and put his mind] towards increasing the site of the city, building wall(s), straightening the streets, or dredging the river (and) planting orchards; nor had any (of them) paid heed to (or) shown (v 35) interest in [the palace inside it], the seat of lordly dwelling whose [site had become too sm]all (and) whose construction was inexpert: (But) as for me, Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, the performing of this work came to my attention by the will of the gods and I put my mind to it. I forcibly removed the people of Chaldea, Aramean (tribes), the land of the Manneans, the lands Que, Ḫilakku, (and) Philistia, (v 45) and the land (of the city) Tyre, who had not submitted to my yoke, then I made them carry baskets (of earth and) they made bricks. The former palace, which was 360 cubits long, 80 cubits wide opposite the zamû-wall of the ziggurrat, (v 50) 134 cubits wide opposite the tower of the temple of the goddess Ištar, (and) 95 cubits wide opposite the tower of the Bīt-Kidmuri; which earlier kings, my ancestors, [had had] constructed for their lordly dwelling, but whose construction they had carried out inexpertly: [They quarri]ed mountain sheep colossi of white limestone [in the city T]astiate, which is across the Tigris River, to be their (the palatial halls’) gatekeepers. Throughout their entire land [they depleted] forests [of large trees to have] boats [bu]ilt. (v 60) [In the month Ayyāru (II), the time of] spring [fl]oods, [they brought] (the colossi) across [to this side] (of the river) with difficulty [in] magnificent [boats]. They sank [large bo]ats [at the quay dock (and then) made their] cre[ws strugg]le (and) strain. (v 65) With might and ma[in], they [strug]gled to transport (the colossi) and ins[tall (them) in their gates]. The Tebilti River, a [tempestuous] flood (of water) which had flowed from distant days by the side of the palace and which had caused erosion [in its foundation] when its flood was in full sp[ate] (and) had shaken [its base]:

Column vi

[I tore down] that small palace in its entirety, [then] I chan[ged] the course of the Tebilti River, repaired (the effects of) the erosion, and directed [its] out[flow]. In the hidden depths of its subterranean waters I bonded together, with bitumen, reeds below (and) strong mountain stone above, then I raised (that) area out of [the water and co]nverted (it) [to dry land]. I added to the dimensions of the former terrace a plot of land that was 288 cubits wide. (vi 10) In total, I filled in and measured a terrace of 700 large aslu-cubits along (its) longer side, 176 large aslu-cubits along (its) upper, northern shorter side, 268 [large aslu-cubits along the] inner, [shorter side], (which is) opposite [the zamû-wall of the shrine behind] (the temple of) the goddess Ištar, 443 [lar]ge aslu-[cubits] along (vi 15) the other, parallel, inner shorter side, (which is) on the west behind the zig[gur]rat of the temple of the goddess Ištar, (and) 386 large aslu-cubits along the lower, southern shorter side, (which is) beside the Tigris River. So that the construction of my palace might be carried out correctly and that my handiwork be completed, at that time, [the god Aš]šur and the goddess Ištar revealed [to me the pres]ence of [white] limestone in the city Balāṭāya. (vi 25) Therein, I qua[rrie]d [mighty] mountain sheep coloss[i], sphinxes, and [large] stone [slabs] for the gates of my lordly palace. In order to prevent the foundation of the terrace from being weakened over the passage of time by cresting flood(s), (vi 30) I surrounded its base with large limestone (slabs and thereby) reinforced its base. I inscribed objects bearing my name [160 cour]ses of brick within the terrace and [I] deposited (them) deep down [in its foundation] for ever after. Afterwards, I de[cided] to [increase the height of the ter]race, [then I added] 30 [cour]ses of brick to the former (terrace) and (thus) I [raised (it) to a heig]ht of 190 courses of brick. [I] made the area larger than [before], (vi 40) added (it) to the [former] dimensions of the pal[ace], and (thus) enlarged [its structure]. I had a palace of breccia, [alabaster], elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, [musukkannu-wood], cedar, cyp[ress, juniper, and elammaku-wood], (vi 45) (a palace that I named) Egalzagdi[nutukua (“The Palace Without a Rival”), constructed [thereon as my royal residence]. [I roofed them (the palatial halls) with beams of cedar (and) cypress], who[se scent is sweet, product(s) of] Mount [Amanus (and) the yield of Mount Sirāra], the [holy] mountain[s]. I [fastened bands of shining silver (and) bright copper on] (vi 50) mag[nificent doors of cedar, cypress, (and) juniper and I installed (them) in their gates. I decorated] th[em (the doors) with silver and copper knobbed] nai[ls. I adorned the arches], friez[es, and all of the copings with baked bricks] (vi 55) (glazed in the color of) obsidian (and) [lapis lazuli]. [For] my lordly [pleasure, I had] a por[tico, a replica of a Hittite palace], which [is called] bīt-ḫilā[ni] in [the language of the land Amurru, constructed inside them]. Twelve [striding] lions [of shining copper] (and) fierce [demeanor, (which were) standing opposite one another], which [were skillfully cast] through the craftsmanship of the god [Ninagal, and] which were filled with rad[iance] — upon (those) lion colos[si I] installed [two] identical [columns that were] c[ast fro]m [bronze], together with four large [cedar] colu[mns], and I positioned cross-beams (upon them) as a cor[nice for their gates]. [I cover]ed [ten sphinxes of cast] bright [urudû-coppe]r with [shining] zaḫalû-silv[er] and (over them), over ten sphin[xes of ala]baster, (and) over twelve sphin[xes of cast] ...-metal [I erected] two mag[nificent] ebony columns, [whose inlays are pašallu-gold], and columns of [cedar, cypress, (and) daprānu-juniper] (vi 75) with eš[marû-silver and bronze] inlays, [and I positioned the architraves of my] lord[ly] palatial halls (on those columns). Moreover, [I made] twelve mountain sheep [colossi of cast bright urudû-copper, which are splendid] in form (and) [perfect in shape], (vii 1) two moun[tain] sheep [colossi of alabaster], (and) seventy-two mountain sheep [colossi and sphinxes of] whit[e] limestone suitable for holding the door bolt(s) for leaving and entering.

Column vii

I engraved on slabs of breccia (and) [alabaster], and on [large] limestone slabs (images of) the enemy settlements that [I] had conquered. I surrounded their (the palace rooms’) lower courses (with them and) made (them) an object of wonder. I planted alongside it (the palace) a botanical garden, a replica of Mount Amanus, which has all kinds of aromatic plants (and) fruit trees, trees that are the mainstay of the mountains and Chaldea, collected inside it. Nineveh, the site of whose circumference had been [9],300 [cubits] since former times (and) for which no [ea]rlier ruler had had an inner or outer [wa]ll built — I added 12,515 (cubits) [in] the plain around the city to (its) previous measurement and (thus) [established its dimensions as] 21,8[15 large cubits]. [I laid the foundation of] its [great] wall, [Badnigalbilukurašušu], (which means) “Wall [Whose Brilliance Overwhelms Enemies],” upon limesto[ne and made (it) 40 bricks thick. I raised its superstructure] 180 [courses of brick high]. I had [fourteen gates] op[ened up in it] in fou[r directions], in front and be[hind, (and) along both sides], for en[tering and leaving]. “The God Šarur [Is the One Who Cuts Down the King’s Enemy”: (this is) the Ḫandūru] Gate. “May [the Vice-Regent of the God Aššur Endure”]: (Lacuna) (this is) [the Šamaš] G[ate, which (leads to) the land Gagal]. “O Iš[tar Bless the One Who Provides for You!”: (this is) the Mullissu] Ga[te, which (leads to) the city Kār-Mullissi]. “The One [Who Exorcises the ‘Flesh’ of the Asakku-demon”: (this is) the Step Gate]. (vii 5´) “The Choi[cest of Grain and Flocks] Are [Constantly Inside It”: (this is) the gate (that leads to) the city Šibaniba. “The Bearer] of the Produce of the Mountains”: (this is) the gate (that leads to) the land Ḫalaḫḫu. In total, eight gates (facing) the rising sun, towards the south and east, (vii 10´) (and) I gave them (these) names. “The God Adad Is the Provider of Prosperity to the Land”: (this is) the Adad Gate, which (leads to) the game preserve. “[The God] Erra Is the One Who Cuts Down Enemies”: (this is) the Nergal Gate, which (leads to) the city Tarbiṣu. (vii 15´) “[The God Igi]sigsig Is the One Who Makes Orchards Flourish”: (this is) the Gate of the Gardens. In total, three gates (facing) towards the north (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. (vii 20´) “The One Who Brings in Income from the Settlements”: (this is) the Quay Gate. “The One Who Regulates Everything”: (this is) the Armory Gate. In total, three gates (facing) towards the west (and) I gave them (these) names. I opened up a foundation pit for the outer wall, Badnigerimḫuluḫa, (which means) “Terrorizer of Enemies,” then I dug down forty-five nindanu and made (it) reach the water table. I bound together strong mountain stone in the water below and above I expertly carried out its construction with large limestone (blocks) up to its copings. [I en]larged the site of Nineveh, my capital city. [I broad]ened [its] squar[es, making (them) as bright as day]. (Lacuna)

Column viii

(Lacuna) I had [a bridge] constructed [opposite the Citadel Gate with paving stones of white limestone] for the passage of my lordly chariot. [Besi]de the city, in a botanical garden (one) pānu (in size and) a garden (one) pānu (in size) for a game preserve, I gathered every type of aromatic tree of the land Ḫatti, fruit trees of all la[nds], (and) trees that are the mainstay of the mountains and Chal[dea]. Upstream of the city, on newly tilled soil, I planted vines, every type of fruit tree, and olive trees. For the expansion of orchards, I subdivided the meadowland upstream of the city into plots of two pānu each for the citizens of Nineveh and I handed (them) over to them. To make (those) [plan]ted areas luxuriant, (viii 15´) [I cut with] iron [pi]cks [a] canal [straight through] mountain and valley, from the border of the city Kisiri [to the] plain of Nineveh. [I caused an inexhaustible supply of water to f]low [there for a distance of one and a half leagues from the Ḫu]sur [River ...] ... (Lacuna) [...] ... [...] Wi[ld] boars (and) [roe deer] ga[ve birth in abun]dance. I cut down musukkan[nu]-trees (and) cypress trees grown in the orchards (and) marsh reeds from the swamps and I used (them) in the work required (to build) my lordly palatial halls. After I had finished the work on my palace, (viii 10´´) I invited inside it the god Aššur, the great lord, (and) the gods and goddesses living in Assyria, then I made splendid offerings and presented my gift(s). (viii 15´´) I made fine oil from olives and aromatics from the orchards (planted) on newly tilled soil. At the inauguration of the palace, I had the heads of the subjects of my land drenched (and) I watered their insides with sweet wine. In the future, may one of the kings, my descendants, whom the god Aššur names for shepherding the land and people, renovate its dilapidated section(s) when that wall becomes old and dilapidated. May he find an inscribed object bearing my name, (viii 25´´) 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.

Date ex. 1

[The month ..., the ...]-eighth [day, eponymy of Nabû-dūru]-uṣur, [governor of the city Tam]nūnu (697).

Date ex. 2

[The month ...], the twenty-third day, [eponymy of Nabû]-dūru-uṣur, [governor of] the city [Tam]nūnu (697).

Date ex. 3

Nisannu (I), the twenty-seventh day, eponymy of Nabû-dūru-uṣur, governor of the city Tamnūnu (697).

Date ex. 4

Duʾūzu (IV), the twelfth day, epo[nymy of Nabû-dūru-uṣur, governor of the city Tamnūnu] (697).

Date ex. 17

... [...] ... [...].

Sennacherib 016 — “Cylinder D”

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). 38 exemplars. Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 016; CDLI P462824.

Column i

Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters (of the world), (i 5) capable shepherd, favorite of the great gods, [guar]dian of truth who loves justice, renders assistance, goes to the aid of the weak, (i 10) (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: 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 (i 20) of the Setting Sun to the Lower Sea of the Rising Su[n] bow [down at my feet]. Thus did recalcitrant rulers come to fear [battle with me]. While they were ab[andoning] their settlements, (i 25) they flew away alone like bats (living) in crev[ices] to inac[cessible] place(s). On [my] first campaign, [I brought about the defeat] of Marduk-apla-[iddina] (II) (Merodach-baladan), king of Kardun[iaš] (Babylonia), (i 30) 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] a[lone, and] (thereby) saved his life. (i 35) I seized the chariots, ho[rses], wagons, (and) mu[les] that he had abandoned in the thick of ba[ttle]. I joyfully entered his palace, which is in Babylon, then (i 40) 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, c[ourtier]s, attendants, (i 45) male [singers], female singers, all of the craftsmen, as many as there were, (and) his palace attendants, [and] I counted (them) as booty. With the [strength of the god] Aššur, my lord, I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered 75 of his fortified cities, fortresses of Chaldea, and 420 small(er) settlements [in] their environs. I brought out the auxiliary forces of the Arameans (and) Chaldeans (i 55) who were in Uruk, Nippur, Kish, Ḫur[sagkala]mma, Cutha, (and) Sippar, [together with the] guilty [cit]izens, and I counted (them) as booty. [On] my [retu]rn march, I defeated all together the [Tuʾ]mūna, Riḫiḫu, [Yadaq]qu, Ubudu, [Gibr]ê, Malaḫu, [Guru]mu, Ubulu, [Damu]nu, Gambulu, (i 65) [Ḫin]daru, Ruʾuʾa, Puqudu, Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, (and) Liʾtaʾu, insubmissive Arameans. I carried off into Assyria a substantial booty (i 70) (consisting of) 208,000 people, young (and) old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats, which were without number. In the course of my campaign, I received a substantial audience gift from Nabû-bēl-šumāti, the official in charge of the city Ḫararatu (Ḫarutu): gold, silver, large musukkannu-trees, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats. 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 (ii 1) 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.

Column ii

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, (ii 10) 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-Ku[batti], their fortif[ied] walled cities. [I brought out] of [them] people, horses, [mules], donkeys, oxen, and she[ep and goats, and I counted] (them) as boo[ty. Moreover, I destroyed, devastated, (and) turned] into ruins [their small(er) settlements], (ii 20) which were [with]out num[ber. I burned with fire pavilions (and) tents], their [ab]odes, [and] reduced (them) [to ashes]. [I made th]at [city Bīt-Kilamzaḫ a fortress again (and) I streng]thened [its walls more than be]fore, 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 Ya]subigallians (ii 30) [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. (ii 35) 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 (lit. “I turned the front of my yoke”) and (ii 40) 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. (ii 45) I surrounded, conquered, destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire the cities Marubištu (and) Akkuddu, cities of his royal house, together with thirty-four small(er) 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, then I brought him (Ispabāra) to nought and made his land smaller. I detached from his land the cities Ṣi(ṣ)ṣirtu (and) Kummaḫlum, (ii 55) fortified cities, together with the small(er) 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, then I changed its former name and called it Kār-Sennacherib. (ii 65) 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. On my return march, I received a substantial payment from the distant Medes, of whose land none of the kings, my ancestors, had heard mention. (Thus) I made them bow down to the yoke of my lordship. On my third campaign, I marched to the land Ḫatti. Fear of my lordly brilliance (iii 1) overwhelmed Lulî, the king of the city Sidon, and he fled afar into the midst of the sea and disappeared. The awesome terror of the weapon of the god Aššur, my lord, overwhelmed the cities Great Sidon, Lesser Sidon, (iii 5) Bīt-Zitti, Ṣarepta, Maḫalliba, Ušû, Akzibu, (and) Acco, his fortified cities (and) fortresses, an area of pasture(s) and water-place(s), (iii 10) resources upon which he relied, and they bowed down at my feet.

Column iii

I placed Tu-Baʾlu on the royal throne over them and imposed upon him tribute (and) payment (in recognition) of my overlordship (to be delivered) yearly (and) without interruption. As for Min(u)ḫimmu of the city Samsimuruna, Tu-Baʾlu of the city Sidon, Abdi-Liʾti of the city Arwad, Ūru-Milki of the city Byblos, Mitinti of the city Ashdod, (iii 20) 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. Moreover, (as for) Ṣidqâ, [the king of the city As]hkelon who had not bowed down [to my yoke], I forcibly removed [the god]s of his father’s house, himself, [his wife, his sons, his daughters, his brothers, (and other) offspring of his father’s house (iii 30) and took him to Assyria]. I set Šarru-lū-dāri, [son of Rūkibtu, their] forme[r king, over the people of the city Ashkelon] and imposed upon him the pay[ment of] tribute (and) [gif]ts (in recognition) of [my] overlordship so that he (now) pulls [my] yo[ke]. In the course of [my] campaign, I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered the cities Bīt-Daganna, Joppa, Banayabarqa, (and) Azuru, the cities of Ṣidqâ that had not submitted to me quickly. (As for) the governors, the nobles, and the people of the city Ekron who had thrown Padî, their king who was bound by treaty and oaths to Assyr[ia], into iron fetters and who had ha[nded him over] to [Hezekiah] of the land Judah [in a hostile manner], (iii 45) [they became frightened] on account of the villainous acts they had committed. They fo[rmed a confederation with] the kings of Egypt (and) [the archers], chariots, (and) horses of [the king of the land Meluḫḫa], forces without number, [and] they came to [their] ai[d]. In the plain of the city [Eltekeh], they sharpened [their weapons while drawing up in] battlel[ine] before me. With the support of the god Aššur, [my] lord, I fought with them and defeat[ed them]. (iii 55) In the thick of battle, I captured alive the Egyptian charioteers and [princes (lit. “the sons of the king”)], 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 crime(s) and hung their corpses on towers around the city; (iii 65) 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, then I imposed upon him payment (in recognition) of my overlordship. Moreover, (as for) Hezekiah of the land Judah, who had not submitted to my yoke, I surrounded (and) conquered forty-six of his fortified cities, fortresses, and small(er) settlements in their environs, which were without number, by having ramps trodden down and battering rams brought up, (iv 1) 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.

Column iv

As for hi[m] (Hezekiah), I confined him inside the city Jerusalem, his [roy]al [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 (iv 15) I gave (them) to Mitinti, the king of the city Ashdod, Padî, the king of the city Ekron, and Ṣilli-Bēl, the king of the city 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. As for him, Hezekiah, fear of my lordly brilliance overwhelmed him and, after my (departure), he had the auxiliary forces and his elite troops (iv 25) whom he had brought inside to strengthen the city Jerusalem, [his] roy[al] city, thereby gaining [reinforcements], along with 30 talents of gold, [800 talents of si]lver, choice antimony, large [blocks of] ..., (iv 30) [ivory beds], armchairs of ivory, elephant hide(s), elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, every kind of valuable treasure, as well as his daughters, his palace women, [male] singers, (and) female singers brought into Nineveh, my capital city, and he sent a mounted messenger of his to me to deliver (this) payment and to do obeisance. [O]n my fourth campaign, the god Aššur, my lord, encouraged me (iv 40) so that I mustered my numerous troops and ordered the march to the land Bīt-Yakīn. In the course of my campaign, I defeated Šūzubu (Mušēzib-Marduk), a Chaldean who lives in the marshes, at the city Bittūtu. (iv 45) As for him, terror of doing battle with me fell upon him and his heart pounded. He fled alone like a lynx and his (hiding) place could [not] be found. I turned [ar]ound (lit. “I turned the front of my yoke”) and took the road [to] the land Bīt-Yakīn. [H]e — Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), [wh]om [I had defeated and] whose forces [I had scatter]ed during my first campaign — (iv 55) [became frightened by the clangor of my mig]hty [weapons and] my fierce [battle array. He] flew away [like a bird to the city Nagīte]-raqqi, [which is in the midst of the sea]. I brought [his] brothers, [the seed of his father’s house], whom he had abandoned at the shore of the sea, together with the rest of the people of his land, (iv 60) out of the land Bīt-Yakīn, which is in the swamps (and) marshes, and I counted (them) as booty. Once again I destroyed (and) devastated his cities, (and) turned (them) into ruins. I poured out awe-inspiring brilliance upon his ally, the king of the land Elam. On my return march, I placed Aššur-nādin-šumi, my first-born son (whom I) raised on my (own) knee, on his lordly throne and entrusted him with the wide land of Sumer and Akkad. On my fifth campaign: The population of the cities Tumurrum, Šarum, Ezāma, Kipšu, Ḫalbuda, Qūa, (and) Qana, whose dwellings are situated like the nests of eagles, the foremost of birds, (iv 75) on the peak of Mount Nipur, a rugged mountain, and who had not bowed down to the yoke — I had my camp pitched at the foot of Mount Nipur. Like a fierce wild bull, with my select bodyguard and my merciless combat troops, I took the lead of them (the soldiers in my camp). (v 1) I proceeded through the gorges of the streams, the outflows of the mountains, (and) rugged slopes in (my) chair. Where it was too difficult for (my) chair, I leapt forward on my (own) two feet like a mountain goat. I ascended the highest peaks against them. (v 5) Where my knees became tired, I sat down upon the mountain rock and drank cold water from a water skin to (quench) my thirst.

Column v

I pursued them on the peaks of the mountains and defeated them. I conquered, (v 10) plundered, destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire their cities. I turned around (lit. “I turned the front of my yoke”) and took the road against Maniye, the king of the city Ukku (and) an insubmissive mountain-dweller. (v 15) Before my time, none of the former kings of the past had marched through the untrodden paths (and) difficult trails on account of the rugged mountains. I had my camp pitched at the foot of Mount Anara and Mount Uppa, mighty mountains, and I myself, in an armchair, with my crack combat troops, (v 20) entered their narrow passes with great difficulty and ascended with a struggle the steep mountain peaks. He, Maniye, saw the dust cloud (stirred up) by the feet of my troops, then [he abandoned] the city Uk[ku], his royal [city, and] (v 25) fled afar. I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered the city Ukku. I brought out of it every kind of possession (and) property, the treasures of his palace, and I counted (it) [as boo]ty. Moreover, I conquered thirty-three cities on the borders of his [district] and (v 30) carried off [from th]em people, donkeys, oxen, and sheep and goats. (Then) I destroyed (them), devastated (them), (and) burned (them) with fire. From the booty of those lands that I had plundered, I conscripted 20,000 archers (and) 15,000 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. At [that time], Nineveh, the exal[ted] cult center, [the city] loved by the goddess Ištar in which all of [the rit]uals for gods and god[desses] are present; (v 45) the en[during] foundation (and) eternal [ba]se whose plan had been designed [by] the stars (lit. “writing”) of the firmam[ent and whose] arrangement [was made manife]st since time immemorial; a sophisticated place (and) site of se[cret lore in which every kind of] skilled craftsmanship, all [of the rituals], (v 50) (and) the secret(s) of the lalgar (cosmic subterranean water) [are apprehended]; in which since time immemorial [earlier kings], my ancestors, be[fore me] exercised [dominion over Assyria] and rul[ed the subjects of the god En]lil; (but) not one among them had conceived of and put his mind towards [increasing the site of] the city, (v 55) building wall(s), straightening the st[ree]ts, or dredging the river (and) planting or[ch]ards; nor had any (of them) paid heed to (or) shown interest in the palace inside it, the seat of lordly dwelling whose site had become too small (and) whose construction was inexpert: (But) as for me, Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, the performing of this work came to my attention by the will of the gods and I put my mind to it. I forcibly removed the people of Chaldea, Aramean (tribes), the land of the Manneans, the lands Que, Ḫilakku, (and) Philistia, and the city Tyre, who had not submitted to my yoke, then I made them carry baskets (of earth) and they made bricks. The former palace, which was 360 cubits long, 80 cubits wide opposite the zamû-wall of the ziggurrat, 134 cubits wide opposite the tower of the temple of the goddess Ištar, (v 75) (and) 95 cubits wide opposite the tower of the Bīt-Kidmuri; which earlier kings, my ancestors, had had constructed for their lordly dwelling, but whose construction they had carried out inexpertly: They quarried mountain sheep colossi of white limestone in the city Tastiate, which is across the Tigris River, to be their (the palatial halls’) gatekeepers. (vi 1) Throughout their entire land they depleted forests of large trees to have boats built. In the month Ayyāru (II), the time of spring floods, they brought (the colossi) across to this side (of the river) with difficulty in magnificent boats. (vi 5) They sank large boats at the quay dock (and then) made their crews struggle (and) strain. With might and main, they struggled to transport (the colossi) and install (them) in their gates.

Column vi

The Tebilti River, a tempestuous flood (of water) which had flowed from distant days by the side of the palace and which had caused erosion in its foundation when its flood was in full spate (vi 15) (and) had shaken its base: I tore down that small palace in its entirety, then I changed the course of the Tebilti River, repaired (the effects of) the erosion, and directed its outflow. In the hidden depths of its subterranean waters I bonded together, with bitumen, reeds below (and) strong mountain stone above, then [I raised] a plot of land that was 340 cubits long (and) 288 cubits wide out [of the Ḫusur River and] converted (it) to dry land. (vi 25) [I added (it) to] the dimensions of the former terrace. I filled in a terrace of 700 large aslu-cubits along (its) longer side, 176 large aslu-cubits along (its) upper, northern shorter side, 268 large aslu-cubits along the inner, shorter side, (which is) opposite (vi 30) the zamû-wall of the shrine behind (the temple of) [the goddess] Ištar, 443 large aslu-cubits along the other, parallel, inner shorter side, (which is) on the west behind the ziggurrat of the temple of the goddess Ištar, (and) 386 large aslu-cubits (vi 35) along the lower, southern shorter side, (which is) beside the Tigris River. I raised its superstructure 190 courses of brick high. 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 [rev]ealed to me the presence of white limestone [in] the city Balāṭāya. (vi 45) Therein, I quarried mighty [moun]tain [sheep] colossi, [sphi]nxes, and large stone slabs [for] the construction of my lordly palace. In order to prevent the foundation of the terrace from being weakened over the passage [of time b]y cresting flood(s), I surro[und]ed its base with large limestone (slabs and thereby) reinforced its base. I had a palace of [brec]cia, alabaster, elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, musukkannu-wood, (vi 55) cedar, cypress, juniper, and e[lammaku]-wood, (a palace that I named) Egalzagdinutukua (“The Palace Without a Rival”), constructed thereon as my royal residence. I roofed them (the palatial halls) with beams of cedar (and) cypress, whose scent is sweet, product(s) of Mount Amanus (vi 60) (and) the yield of Mount Sirāra, the holy mountains. I fastened bands of shining silver (and) bright copper on magnificent doors of cedar, cypress, (and) juniper and I installed (them) in their gates. (vi 65) I decorated them (the doors) with silver and copper knobbed nails. I adorned the arches, friezes, and all of the copings with baked bricks (glazed in the color of) obsidian (and) lapis lazuli. For my lordly pleasure, I had a portico, a replica of a Hittite palace, (vi 70) which is called bīt-ḫilāni in the language of the land Amurru, constructed inside them. Twelve striding lions of shining copper (and) fierce demeanor, (which were) standing opposite one another, which were skillfully cast through the craftsmanship of the god Ninagal, and which were filled with radiance — upon (those) lion colossi I installed two identical columns that were cast from bronze, (vi 80) together with four large cedar columns, and I positioned cross-beams (upon them) as a cornice for their gates. I covered ten sphinxes of cast bright urudû-copper with shining zaḫalû-silver and (over them), over ten sphinxes of alabaster, (and) over twelve sphinxes of cast ...-metal I erected two magnificent ebony columns, whose inlays are pašallu-gold, and columns of cedar, cypress, (and) daprānu-juniper with ešmarû-silver and bronze inlays, and I positioned the architraves of my lordly palatial halls (on those columns).

Column vii

Moreover, I [made] twelve mountain sheep colossi of cast bright urudû-copper, which are splendid in form (and) perfect in shape, two mountain sheep colossi of alabaster, (and) seventy-two mountain sheep colossi and sphinxes of white limestone suitable for holding the door bolt(s) for leaving and entering. [I engrav]ed on slabs of br[ec]cia (and) alabaster, and on large limestone slabs (images of) the enemy settlements that I had conquered. I surro[unded] their (the palace rooms’) lower courses (with them and) made (them) an object of wonder. I planted alongside it (the palace) a botanical garden, a replica of Mount Amanus, which has all kinds of aromatic plants (and) fruit trees, trees that are the mainstay of the mountains and Chaldea, together with cotton trees (lit. “trees bearing wool”), collected inside it. Nineveh, the site of whose circumference had been 9,300 cubits since former times (and) for which no earlier ruler had had an inner or outer wall built — I added 12,515 (cubits) in the plain around the city to (its) previous measurement and (thus) established its dimensions as 21,815 large cubits. I laid the foundation of its great wall, Badnigalbilukurašušu, (which means) “Wall Whose Brilliance Overwhelms Enemies,” upon limestone and made (it) 40 bricks thick. I raised its superstructure 180 courses of brick high. I had fourteen gates opened up in it in four directions, in front and behind, (and) along both sides, for entering and leaving. “The God Šarur Is the One Who Cuts Down the King’s Enemy”: (this is) the Ḫandūru Gate. (vii 40) “May the Vice-Regent of the God Aššur Endure”: (this is) the Aššur Gate, which (leads to) the Inner City (Aššur). “The One Who Flattens All Enemies”: (this is) the Sennacherib Gate, which (leads to) the land Ḫalzi. “The God Enlil Is the One Who Makes My Reign Firm”: (vii 45) (this is) the Šamaš Gate, which (leads to) the land Gagal. “O Ištar Bless the One Who Provides for You!”: (this is) the Mullissu Gate, which (leads to) the city Kār-Mullissi. “The One Who Exorcises the ‘Flesh’ of the Asakku-demon”: (this is) the Step Gate. “The Choicest of Grain and Flocks (vii 50) Are Constantly Inside It”: (this is) the gate (that leads to) the city Šiba[ni]ba. “The Bearer of the Produce of the Mountains”: (this is) the gate (that leads to) [the land Ḫalaḫḫu. In] total, eight gate[s] (facing) the rising sun, [to]wards [the south] and east, (and) I gave them (these) names. “The God Adad Is the Provider of Prosperity to the Land”: (this is) the Adad Gate, which (leads to) the game preserve. “The God Erra Is the One Who Cuts Down Enemies”: (this is) the Nergal Gate, which (leads to) the city Tarbiṣu. “The God Igisigsig Is the One Who Makes Orchards Flourish”: (vii 60) (this is) the Gate of the Gardens. In total, three gates (facing) towards the nor[th] (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. (vii 65) “The One Who Brings in Income from the Settlements”: (this is) the Quay Gate. “The One Who Regulates Everything”: (this is) the Armory Gate. In total, three gates (facing) towards the west (and) I gave them (these) names. I opened up a foundation pit for the outer wall, Badnigerimḫuluḫa, (which means) “Terrorizer of Enemies,” then I dug down forty-five nindanu and made (it) reach the water table. I bound together strong mountain stone in the water below and above I expertly carried out its construction with large limestone (blocks) up to its copings. I enlarged the site of Nineveh, my capital city. I broadened its squares, making (them) as bright as day. I had an inner (and) outer wall built and I raised (them) as high as mountain(s). So that there would be outflow from the Ḫusur River in the city (and) the passage of water upstream and downstream, I built aqueducts beneath it (the city wall) with baked bricks, ... I had a bridge constructed opposite the Citadel Gate with paving stones of white limestone for the passage of my lordly chariot.

Column viii

Beside the city, in a botanical garden (one) pānu (in size and) a garden (one) pānu (in size) for a game preserve, (viii 5) I gathered every type of aromatic tree of the land Ḫatti, fruit trees of [all lands], (and) trees that are the mainstay of the mountains and Chaldea. Upstream of the city, on newly tilled so[il], (viii 10) I planted vines, every type of fruit tree, and olive tre[es]. For the expansion of orchards, I subdivided the meadowland upstream of the city into plots of two pānu each for the citizens of Nineveh and I handed (them) over (viii 15) 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 Kisiri to the plain of Nineveh. (viii 20) 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. I provided irrigation for 500 seeded field[s] in the high fields of Nineveh with (that) water (and thereby) [I made] grain and cereals grow high and luxuriantly on ... and in furrows. I created [a m]arsh to moderate the flow of water for (those) gardens and had a canebrake planted (in it). I let loose in it herons, wild boars (lit. “pigs of the reeds”), (and) roe deer. By divine will, (viii 35) vines, all kinds of fruit trees, olive trees, and aromatic trees flourished greatly in (those) gardens (planted) on newly tilled soil. Cypress trees, musukkannu-trees, (and) all kinds of trees grew tall and sent out shoots. (viii 40) The marshes thrived gre[atly]. Birds of the heavens, heron(s) whose [home(s)] are far away, [made] nest(s) and wild boars (and) [roe de]er ga[ve birth] in abundance. I cut down musukkannu-trees (and) [cypr]ess trees grown in the orchards (and) marsh [reed]s from the swam[ps] and I used (them) in the work required (to build) my lordly palatial halls. (viii 50) [They picked cot]ton (lit. “[trees] bearing wool”) (and) wove (it) into [clot]hing. [After] I had finished [the work on] my palace, [I invited] inside it [the god Aššur, the] great [lord], (and) the gods and goddesses [living in Assyria, (viii 55) then I made] splendid [offerings and presented] my gift(s). [I made fine] oil [from olives and ar]omatics [from the orchards (planted) on newly] tilled soil. (viii 60) At the inauguration [of] the pa[lace], I had the heads of the subjects of my land drenched (and) I watered their insides with sweet wine. In the future, may one of the kings, my descendants, whom the god Aššur names for shepherding the land and people, renovate its dilapidated section(s) when that wall becomes old and dilapidated. May he find an inscribed object bearing my name, (viii 70) 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.

Date Ex. 1

Abu (V), the third day, eponymy of Aššur-bēlu-uṣur, governor of the city Šaḫuppa (695).

Date ex. 2

Araḫsamna (VIII), the [...th] day, eponymy of Šulmu-[bēli], governor of the city Talmu[su] (696).

Sennacherib 017 — King Prism

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). 5 exemplars. Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 017; CDLI P462825.

Column i

Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters (of the world), capable shepherd, favorite of the great gods, (i 5) 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 (i 10) the insubmissive, (and) the one who strikes enemies with lightning: 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 (i 15) 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. While they were abandoning their settlements, (i 20) they flew away alone like bats (living) in crevices to inaccessible place(s). 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, (i 25) 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 (i 30) that he had abandoned in the thick of battle. I joyfully entered his palace, which is in Babylon, then I opened his treasury and brought out gold, silver, gold (and) silver utensils, precious stones, (i 35) 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, (i 40) and I counted (them) as booty. With the strength of the god Aššur, my lord, I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered 75 of his fortified cities, fortresses of Chaldea, and 420 small(er) settlements in their environs. (i 45) I brought out the auxiliary forces of the Arameans (and) Chaldeans who were in Uruk, Nippur, Kish, Ḫursagkalamma, Cutha, (and) Sippar, together with the guilty citizens, and I counted (them) as booty. On my return march, I defeated all together the Tuʾmūna, Riḫiḫu, Yadaqqu, Ubudu, Gibrê, Malaḫu, Gurumu, Ubulu, (i 55) Damunu, Gambulu, Ḫindaru, Ruʾuʾa, Puqudu, Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, (and) Liʾtaʾu, (i 60) insubmissive Arameans. I carried off into Assyria a substantial booty (consisting of) 208,000 people, young (and) old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats, which were without number. In the course of my campaign, I received a substantial audience gift from Nabû-bēl-šumāti, the official in charge of the city Ḫararatu (Ḫarutu): gold, silver, large musukkannu-trees, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats. 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 (i 75) (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, (i 80) 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. (i 85) 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, (ii 1) and I counted (them) as booty. Moreover, I destroyed, devastated, (and) turned into ruins their small(er) settlements, which w[er]e without number. I burned with fire pavilions (and) tents, [the]ir abodes, and re[duc]ed (them) to ashes.

Column ii

I made that city Bīt-Kilamzaḫ a fortress again (and) I strengthened its walls more than before, then (ii 10) 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 (ii 15) 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 (ii 20) written on it, and I erected (it) in (that) city. I turned around (lit. “I turned the front of my yoke”) and took the road to the land Ellipi. Before my arrival, Ispabāra, their king, (ii 25) 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 Marubištu (and) Akkuddu, cities of his royal house, together with thirty-four small(er) 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, then I brought him (Ispabāra) to nought and (ii 35) made his land smaller. I detached from his land the cities Ṣi(ṣ)ṣirtu (and) Kummaḫlum, fortified cities, together with the small(er) 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, then I changed its former name and (ii 45) 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. On my return march, I received a substantial payment from the distant Medes, of whose land none of the kings, my ancestors, had heard mention. (Thus) I made them bow down to the yoke of my lordship. On my third campaign, I marched to the land Ḫatti. (ii 60) Fear of my lordly brilliance overwhelmed Lulî, the king of the city Sidon, and he fled afar into the midst of the sea and disappeared. The awesome terror of the weapon of the god Aššur, my lord, overwhelmed the cities Great Sidon, Lesser Sidon, Bīt-Zitti, Ṣarepta, Maḫalliba, Ušû, (ii 65) Akzibu, (and) Acco, his fortified cities (and) fortresses, an area of pasture(s) and water-place(s), resources upon which he relied, and they bowed down at my feet. I placed Tu-Baʾlu on the royal throne over them and imposed upon him tribute (and) payment (in recognition) of my overlordship (to be delivered) yearly (and) without interruption. As for Min(u)ḫimmu of the city Samsimuruna, Tu-Baʾlu of the city Sidon, Abdi-Liʾti of the city Arwad, Ūru-Milki of the city Byblos, Mitinti of the city Ashdod, (ii 80) Būdi-il of the city 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. Moreover, (as for) Ṣidqâ, the king of the city Ashkelon who had not bowed down to my yoke, I forcibly removed the gods of his father’s house, himself, his wife, his sons, (ii 90) his daughters, his brothers, (and other) offspring of his father’s house and took him to Assyria. I set Šarru-lū-dāri, son of Rūkibtu, their former king, over the people of the city Ashkelon and imposed upon him the payment of tribute (and) gifts (in recognition) of my overlordship so that he (now) pulls my yoke. In the course of my campaign, I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered the cities Bīt-Daganna, (iii 1) Joppa, Banayabarqa, (and) Azuru, the cities of Ṣidqâ that had not submitted to me quickly.

Column iii

(As for) the governors, the nobles, and the people of the city Ekron who had thrown Padî, their king who was bound by treaty and oaths to Assyria, into iron fetters and who had handed him over to Hezekiah of the land Judah in a hostile manner, (iii 10) they became frightened on account of the villainous acts they had committed. They formed a confederation with the kings of Egypt (and) the archers, chariots, (and) horses of the king of the land Meluḫḫa, forces without number, and they came to their aid. 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 (lit. “the sons of the king”), 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 crime(s) (iii 25) 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, (iii 30) (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, then I imposed upon him payment (in recognition) of my overlordship. Moreover, (as for) Hezekiah of the land Judah, who had not submitted to my yoke, (iii 40) I surrounded (and) conquered forty-six of his fortified walled cities and small(er) settlements in their environs, which were without number, by having ramps trodden down and battering rams brought up, (iii 45) 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 (iii 55) 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, (iii 60) Padî, the king of the city Ekron, and Ṣilli-Bēl, the king of the city 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. As for him, Hezekiah, fear of my lordly brilliance overwhelmed him and, after my (departure), he had the auxiliary forces and his elite troops whom he had brought inside to strengthen the city Jerusalem, (iii 70) his royal city, thereby gaining reinforcements, along with 30 talents of gold, 800 talents of silver, choice antimony, large blocks of ..., ivory beds, armchairs of ivory, elephant hide(s), elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, (iii 75) every kind of valuable treasure, as well as his daughters, his palace women, male singers, (and) female singers brought into Nineveh, my capital city, and he sent a mounted messenger of his to me to deliver (this) payment and to do obeisance. On my fourth campaign, the god Aššur, my lord, encouraged me so that I mustered my numerous troops and ordered the march to the land Bīt-Yakīn. (iii 85) In the course of my campaign, I defeated Šūzubu (Mušēzib-Marduk), a Chaldean who lives in the marshes, at the city Bittūtu. As for him, terror of doing battle with me fell upon him and (iii 90) his heart pounded. He fled alone like a lynx and his (hiding) place could not be found. I turned around (lit. “I turned the front of my yoke”) and took the road to the land Bīt-Yakīn. He — Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), whom (iv 1) I had defeated (and) whose forces I had scattered during my first campaign — became frightened by the clangor of my mighty weapons and my fierce battle array. He flew away like a bird to the city Nagīte-raqqi, (iv 5) which is in the midst of the sea. I brought his brothers, the seed of his father’s house, whom he had abandoned at the shore of the sea, together with the rest of the people of his land, out of the land Bīt-Yakīn, which is in the swamps (and) marshes, and I counted (them) as booty.

Column iv

Once again I destroyed (and) devastated his cities, (and) turned (them) into ruins. I poured out awe-inspiring brilliance upon his ally, the king of the land Elam. On my return march, I placed Aššur-nādin-šumi, my first-born son (whom I) raised on my (own) knee, on his lordly throne and entrusted him with the wide land of Sumer and Akkad. On my fifth campaign: The population of the cities Tumurrum, Šarum, Ezāma, Kipšu, (iv 20) Ḫalbuda, Qūa, (and) Qana, whose dwellings are situated like the nests of eagles, the foremost of birds, on the peak of Mount Nipur, a rugged mountain, and who had not bowed down to the yoke — I had my camp pitched at the foot of Mount Nipur. Like a fierce wild bull, with my select bodyguard and my merciless combat troops, I took the lead of them (the soldiers in my camp). I proceeded through the gorges of the streams, the outflows of the mountains, (and) rugged slopes in (my) chair. (iv 30) Where it was too difficult for (my) chair, I leapt forward on my (own) two feet like a mountain goat. I ascended the highest peaks against them. Where my knees became tired, I sat down upon the mountain rock and drank cold water from a water skin to (quench) my thirst. I pursued them on the peaks of the mountains and defeated them. I conquered, plundered, destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire their cities. I turned around (lit. “I turned the front of my yoke”) and took the road against Maniye, the king of the city Ukku (and) an insubmissive mountain-dweller. Before my time, none of the former kings of the past had marched through the untrodden paths (and) difficult trails on account of the rugged mountains. (iv 45) I had my camp pitched at the foot of Mount Anara and Mount Uppa, mighty mountains, and I myself, in an armchair, with my crack combat troops, entered their narrow passes with great difficulty and ascended with a struggle the steep mountain peaks. He, Maniye, saw the dust cloud (stirred up) by the feet of my troops, then he abandoned the city Ukku, his royal city, and fled afar. (iv 55) I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered the city Ukku. I brought out of it every kind of possession (and) property, the treasures of his palace, and I counted (it) as booty. Moreover, I conquered thirty-five cities on the borders of its outskirts and carried off people, oxen, and sheep and goats, (and) donkeys. (Then) I destroyed (them), devastated (them), (and) burned (them) with fire. In the eponymy of Šulmu-bēli, governor of the city Talmusu (696), Kirua — the city ruler of Illubru, a servant who belonged to me, whom his gods had abandoned — (iv 65) incited the population of Ḫilakku to rebel and prepare for battle. The people living in the cities Ingirâ and Tarzu aligned themselves with him, then seized the road through the land Que (and) blocked (its) passage. I sent against them archers, shield and lance bearers, chariots, (and) horses of my royal contingent. In rugged mountain terrain, they defeated the population of Ḫilakku, who had aligned themselves with him. (iv 75) They conquered and plundered the cities Ingirâ (and) Tarzu. As for him (Kirua), they besieged him in the city Illubru, his fortified city, and cut off his escape route. They defeated him by means of bringing up battering rams, siege machines (lit. “nimgallus of the wall”), (iv 80) and siege engines, (and) the assault of foot soldiers, and they took possession of the city. They brought Kirua, the city ruler, together with booty from his cities and the inhabitants of Ḫilakku who had aligned themselves with him, as well as donkeys, oxen, and sheep and goats to Nineveh, before me. I flayed Kirua. Once again, I reorganized the city Illubru (and) settled therein the people of the lands that I had conquered. I installed the weapon of the god Aššur, my lord, inside it. (iv 90) I had a stele of alabaster made and I erected (it) in front of it.

Column v

In the eponymy of Aššur-bēlu-uṣur, governor of the land Katmuḫi (695), I ... against the city Tīl-garimmu, a city on the border of the land Tabal where Gurdî, king of the city Urdutu, (v 5) had mobilized his weapons, then I sent archers, shield and lance bearers, chariots, (and) horses of my royal contingent against it. They besieged that city and (v 10) took possession of the city by means of piling up earth, bringing up battering rams, (and) the assault of foot soldiers. They counted the people, as well as the gods, living inside it as booty. They destroyed (and) devastated that city. They turned (it) into a mound of ruins (lit. “a mound and ruins”). From the booty of those lands that I had plundered, I conscripted 30,000 archers (and) 20,000 shield bearers and added (them) to my royal contingent. (v 20) 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. At that time, Nineveh, the exalted cult center, the city loved by the goddess Ištar (v 25) in which all of the rituals for gods and goddesses are present; the enduring foundation (and) eternal base whose plan had been designed by the stars (lit. “writing”) of the firmament and whose arrangement was made manifest since time immemorial; (v 30) a sophisticated place (and) site of secret lore in which every kind of skilled craftsmanship, all of the rituals, (and) the secret(s) of the lalgar (cosmic subterranean water) are apprehended; in which since time immemorial earlier kings, (v 35) my ancestors, before me exercised dominion over Assyria and ruled the subjects of the god Enlil; (but) not one among them had conceived of and put his mind towards increasing the site of the city, building wall(s), straightening the streets, (v 40) or dredging the river (and) planting orchards; nor had any (of them) paid heed to (or) shown interest in the palace inside it, the seat of lordly dwelling whose site had become too small (and) whose construction was inexpert: (But) as for me, Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, (v 50) the performing of this work came to my attention by the will of the gods and I put my mind to it. I forcibly removed the people of Chaldea, Aramean (tribes), the land of the Manneans, the lands Que and Ḫilakku, (and) Philistia, and the land (of the city) Tyre, who had not submitted to my yoke, then I made them carry baskets (of earth) and they made bricks. The former palace, whose extent was 360 cubits on (its) longer side (and) 95 cubits on (its) shorter side, and (v 60) whose site was too small; which earlier kings, my ancestors, had had constructed for their lordly dwelling, but whose construction they had carried out inexpertly: They quarried bull colossi of white limestone in the city Tastiate, which is across the Tigris River, to be their (the palatial halls’) gatekeepers. Throughout their entire land they depleted forests of large trees to have boats built. (v 70) In the month Ayyāru (II), the time of spring floods, they brought (the colossi) across to this side (of the river) with difficulty in magnificent boats. They sank large boats at the quay dock (and then) made their crews (v 75) struggle (and) strain. With might and main, they struggled to transport (the colossi) and install (them) in their gates. The Tebilti River, a tempestuous flood (of water) which had flowed from distant days by the side of the palace and which had caused erosion in its foundation when its flood was in full spate (and) had shaken its base: I tore down that small palace in its entirety. (v 85) I diverted the course of the Tebilti River from the center of the city and directed its outflow into 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 340 cubits long (vi 1) (and) 289 cubits wide from the Ḫusur River and from the plain of the city (and) added (it) to the dimensions of the former terrace. In its (the terrace’s) entirety, I raised its superstructure 190 courses of brick high.

Column vi

In order to prevent the foundation of the terrace from being weakened over the passage of time by cresting flood(s), (vi 10) I surrounded its base with large limestone (slabs and thereby) reinforced its base. I enlarged the structure of the palace to 700 large cubits along (its) longer side and 440 large cubits along (its) shorter side and (thus) I made its site bigger. I built palatial halls of gold, silver, (vi 15) bronze, ...-stone, breccia, alabaster, elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, musukkannu-wood, cedar, cypress, juniper, elammaku-wood, (and) Indian wood, for my lordly residence, (vi 20) then I had a house with double doors, a replica of a Hittite palace, opposite (its) gates, constructed. I roofed them (the palatial halls) with beams of cedar (and) cypress, whose scent is sweet, product(s) of Mount Amanus (vi 25) and Mount Sirāra, the holy mountains. I fastened bands of silver (and) copper on doors of cedar, cypress, juniper, (and) Indian wood and I installed (them) in their gates. In the corridors that are within the papāḫu-chambers, I made openings for latticed windows. At their gates, I stationed apotropaic figures of alabaster (and) elephant ivory, whose folded hands hold poppies, who are laden with pride (and) allure, (vi 35) (and) who are filled with exuberance, and (thus) I made (them) an object of wonder. The covering of the roof that (hangs) over the corridors — I made their somber atmosphere cheerful, making (them) as bright as day. (vi 40) I decorated them with silver and copper knobbed nails. I adorned the arches, friezes, and all of the copings with baked bricks (glazed in the color of) obsidian (and) lapis lazuli. 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, who love my priestly service (and) who selected me (lit. “who called my name”), revealed to me a source of long trunks of cedar, (vi 50) which since distant days grew tall and very thick as they stood in seclusion in the Sirāra mountain range. In the uplands of Mount Ammanāna (northern Anti-Lebanon), they (Aššur and Ištar) disclosed to me the location of alabaster, which in the time of the kings, (vi 55) my ancestors, was too expensive (even) for the pommel of a sword. Moreover, breccia, as much as is needed (for making) burzigallu-bowls, (a stone) that had never been seen before, (vi 60) revealed itself at Kapridargilâ (“Dargilâ Village”), which is on the border of the city Tīl-Barsip. Near Nineveh, in the territory of the city Balāṭāya, by divine will, white limestone was discovered in abundance, then I created bull colossi and (other) statues with limbs of alabaster that are sculpted from a single stone, (whose) proportions are perfect, (and) who stand high on their own pedestals; sphinxes of alabaster (vi 70) whose features are exquisite (and) whose bodies shine like a brilliant day; (and) magnificent slabs of breccia. I cut (them) free on both sides from their mountains, then, for the construction of my palace, I had (them) dragged into Nineveh. I had bull colossi and sphinxes of white limestone created and their forms perfected through the craft of the deity Ninkura, in the territory of the city Balāṭāya. Since time immemorial, the kings, my ancestors, created copper statues, replicas of their (own) forms, to be erected in temples, and through their manufacture they had exhausted all of the craftsmen. (vi 85) Through ignorance (and) failure to give thought on the matter, they depleted the oil, wax, (and) wool in their lands for the work they desired. (But) as for me, Sennacherib, the foremost of all rulers, expert in every type of work, regarding large columns of copper (and) striding lion colossi, which none of the kings of the past (who came) before me had cast: (vii 1) with the ingenious mind that the prince, the god Ninšiku, had granted to me (and) taking counsel with myself, I intensively pondered how to perform this work. Then, with my (own) ideas and knowledge, I created a cast work of copper and expertly carried out its artful execution.

Column vii

By divine will, I created clay mold(s) of tree trunks and date palm(s), (vii 10) the tree of abundance, (of) twelve raging lions, as well as (of) twelve magnificent bull colossi with perfect features (and) twenty-two sphinxes that are coated in allure (and) charm (and) that have pride (and) exuberance (vii 15) heaped upon them, then I poured copper into it. Just like the cast work of (an object weighing only) a half shekel, I perfected their forms. I made bull colossi with copper features, two of which were overlaid with zaḫalû-silver, (and) bull colossi of alabaster, together with bull colossi and sphinxes of white limestone, hold the door bolts of my palatial halls. I fastened bands of copper and tin on magnificent copper columns, as well as on large cedar columns, which are the product of Mount Amanus, then I installed (them) upon lion colossi and positioned cross-beams (upon them) as a cornice for their gates. Sphinxes of alabaster, as well as sphinxes of cast urudû-copper that were overlaid with zaḫalû-silver, and sphinxes of cast ...-metal, (vii 35) whose features were brilliant: I erected over them columns of ebony, cypress, cedar, daprānu-juniper, juniper, and Indian wood, with pašallu-gold and silver inlays, then (vii 40) I positioned the architraves of the inner rooms of my lordly residence (on those columns). I surrounded their (the palace rooms’) lower courses with slabs of breccia (and) alabaster, and large limestone slabs (and) made (them) an object of wonder. In order to be able to draw water by bucket every day, I had bronze wire chains and bronze cables made and, instead of poles, I had tree trunks and date palm(s) of copper placed over wells. I made those palatial halls beautiful. To be an object of wonder for all of the people, I raised the superstructure of the entire palace. I called it “The Palace Without a Rival.” I planted alongside it (the palace) a botanical garden, a replica of Mount Amanus, which has all kinds of aromatic plants (and) fruit trees, trees that are the mainstay of the mountains and Chaldea, together with cotton trees (lit. “trees bearing wool”), collected inside it. Nineveh, the site of whose circumference had been 9,300 cubits since former times (vii 60) (and) for which no earlier ruler had had an inner or outer wall built — I added 12,515 (cubits) in the plain around the city to (its) previous measurement and (thus) established its dimensions as 21,815 large cubits. I laid the foundation of its great wall, Badnigalbilukurašušu, (which means) “Wall Whose Brilliance Overwhelms Enemies,” upon limestone and made (it) 40 bricks thick. I raised its superstructure 180 courses of brick high. I had fifteen gates opened up in it in four directions, in front and behind, (and) along both sides, for entering and leaving. “May the Vice-Regent of the God Aššur Stay in Good Health”: (this is) the Aššur Gate, which (leads to) the Inner City (Aššur). (vii 75) “The One Who Flattens All Enemies”: (this is) the Sennacherib Gate, which (leads to) the land Ḫalzi. “The God Enlil Is the One Who Makes My Reign Firm”: (this is) the Šamaš Gate, which (leads to) the land Gagal. “Make Sennacherib’s Dynasty as Firm as the Position of the Wagon Constellation!”: (this is) the Mullissu Gate, which (leads to) the city Kār-Mullissi. (vii 80) “The One Who Exorcises the ‘Flesh’ of the Asakku-demon”: (this is) the Step Gate. “The Choicest of Grain and Flocks Are Constantly Inside It”: (this is) the gate (that leads to) the city Šibaniba. “The Bearer of the Produce of the Mountains”: (this is) the gate (that leads to) the land Ḫalaḫḫu. In total, seven gates (facing) the rising sun, (vii 85) towards the south and east, (and) I gave them (these) names. “The God Adad Is the Provider of Prosperity to the Land”: (this is) the Adad Gate, which (leads to) the game preserve. “The God Erra Is the One Who Slaughters Those Hostile to Me”: (vii 90) (this is) the Nergal Gate, which (leads to) the city Tarbiṣu. “The Divine Nannāru Is the One Who Protects My Lordly Crown”: (this is) the Sîn Gate. In total, three gates (facing) towards the north (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. (vii 95) “The One Who Brings in Income from the Settlements”: (this is) the Quay Gate. “The Presents of the People of Sumuʾil and Tēma (viii 1) Enter Through It”: (this is) the Desert Gate. “The One Who Regulates Everything”: (this is) the Armory Gate. “The God Šarur Is the One Who Cuts Down the King’s Enemy”: (this is) the Ḫandūru Gate. In total, five gates (facing) towards the west (and) I gave them (these) names.

Column viii

I opened up a foundation pit for the outer wall, Badnigerimḫuluḫa, (which means) “Terrorizer of Enemies,” then I dug down forty-five nindanu and made (it) reach the water table. (viii 10) I bound together strong mountain stone in the water below and above I expertly carried out its construction with large limestone (blocks) up to its copings. I enlarged the site of Nineveh, my capital city. I broadened its squares, making (them) as bright as day. I had an inner (and) outer wall built and I raised (them) as high as mountain(s). I had gardens cultivated upstream and downstream of the city. I gathered in them fruit trees of the mountains and of all lands (and) every type of aromatic tree of the land Ḫatti. On newly tilled soil, which is beside the game preserve, (viii 20) I planted in great number all (types) of mountain vine, every type of fruit tree from all over the world, (including) spice and olive trees. The Ḫusur River, whose waters since time immemorial had been deep and which none of the kings, my ancestors, had confined (i.e., made its water flow through a canal) so that they (the waters of the Ḫusur) poured into the Tigris River: To make (those) planted areas luxuriant, I dug with picks a canal straight through high ground (and) low ground, from the border of the city Kisiri. (Thus) I provided a regular supply of those waters to the plain of Nineveh and (viii 30) I made (them) gush through small canals into those gardens. I mounted an expedition to search for water at the foot of Mount Muṣri, then I climbed high and marched with difficulty to the city Elmunaqinnû. I found sources of water in front of the cities Dūr-Ištar, Šibaniba, and Sulu, then (viii 35) I made their narrow openings bigger and turned (them) into springs. For a course for those waters, I cut through rugged mountains, confined areas, with picks and directed their outflow into the plain of Nineveh. I strengthened their channels like the base of a mountain. (viii 40) I provided a regular supply of those waters in them. (Thus) I forever added (them) as an addition to the waters of the Ḫusur River. In summer, I enabled all of the orchards to be irrigated. In winter, I annually had water provided to 1,000 seeded fields in the plains upstream and downstream of the city. I created a marsh to moderate the flow of those waters and planted a canebrake in it. I let loose in it herons, wild boars (lit. “pigs of the reeds”), (and) roe deer. (viii 50) By divine will, vines, all kinds of fruit trees, olive trees, (and) aromatic trees flourished greatly in (those) gardens (planted) on newly tilled soil. Cypress trees, musukkannu-trees, (and) all kinds of trees grew tall and (viii 55) sent out shoots. The marshes thrived greatly. Birds of the heavens, heron(s) whose home(s) are far away, made nest(s) and wild boars (and) roe deer gave birth in abundance. I cut down musukkannu-trees (and) cypress trees grown in the orchards (and) marsh reeds from the swamps and I used (them) in the work required (to build) my lordly palatial halls. They picked cotton (lit. “trees bearing wool”) (and) wove (it) into clothing. After I had finished the work on my palace, I invited inside it the god Aššur, the great lord, (and) the gods and goddesses living in Assyria, then I made splendid offerings and (viii 70) presented my gift(s). I made fine oil from olives and aromatics from the orchards (planted) on newly tilled soil. At the inauguration of the palace, (viii 75) I had the heads of the subjects of my land drenched (and) I watered their insides with sweet wine. In the future, may one of the kings, my descendants, whom the god Aššur names for shepherding the land and people, (viii 80) renovate its dilapidated section(s) when that wall becomes old and dilapidated. May he find an inscribed object bearing my name, anoint (it) with oil, (viii 85) make an offering, (and) return (it) to its place. The god Aššur and the goddess Ištar will (then) hear his prayers.

Date

Abu (V), eponymy of Ilu-ittīya, governor of the city Damascus (694).

Sennacherib 018

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). 2 exemplars. Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 018; CDLI P462826.

Column i

(Lacuna) fav[orite of the great gods, guardian of truth] who lo[ves justice, renders assistance], goes to [the aid of the weak], (and) strives af[ter good deeds], (i 5´) per[fect] man, [virile warrior], foremost of [all rulers], the bridle that cont[rols the insubmissive], (and) the one who strikes [enemies] with lightn[ing]: (Lacuna) ... [...] I received [a sub]stantial [audience gift from Nabû-bēl-šumāti], the official in charge of [the city Ḫararatu (Ḫarutu): gold, silver, large] musukkannu-trees, [donkeys, camels], oxen, and sheep [and goats]. [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 10´´) 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, (i 15´´) 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 20´´) 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, (i 25´´) their fortified walled cities. I brought [out] of them people, horses, mules, [donkey]s, oxen, and sheep and [goats, and] I counted (them) [as booty]. Moreover, (i 30´´) I destroyed, [devastated, (and) tu]rned into ruins [their small(er) settlements, which] were without [num]ber. I bu[rned] with fire pavilions (and) te[nts], their [ab]odes, [and] reduced (them) [to] ashes. I made [that city] Bīt-Kilamzaḫ a fortress a[gain] (and) I strengthened its walls more than [before], then [I settled] there[in the people of the lands] that I had conquered. [I brought down from the mountains] the people of the land of the Kas[sites]

Column ii

(Lacuna) He (Ispabāra) [abandoned his fortified cities] (and) his [treasury and] fled [far awa]y. I overwhelmed all of [his wide land l]ike a fog. I surrounded, conquered, [destroyed], devastated, (and) burned with fire the cities [Maru]bištu (and) Akkuddu, (ii 5´) [cities of] his [roy]al [house], together with thirty-four small(er) 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, then [I brought him (Ispabāra) to nought] and made his land smaller. I detached [from] his land [the cities Ṣi(ṣ)ṣir]tu (and) Kummaḫlum, [fortifi]ed [cities], together with the small(er) settlements (ii 15´) [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 (ii 20´) [and a fortress for] that [dist]rict, then I changed [its former name] and [called it Kār-Senn]acherib. [I sett]led [therein the people] of the lands that [I] had conquered. (ii 25´) [I placed] (it) under the authority of [a eunuch of mine, the gov]ernor of the city Ḫarḫar, [and (thus) enlarg]ed [my] lan[d]. [On my return] ma[rch, ...] ... [...] (Lacuna) [Moreover, (as for) Ṣidqâ], the king of the city Ashke[lon who had not bowed down] to my yoke, I forcibly removed [the gods of his father’s house, himself], his wife, his sons, [his] daughter[s, his brothers], (and other) offspring of his father’s house [and] took him [to Assyria]. [I set] Šarru-lū-dāri, [son of Rūkibtu], their forme[r] king, [over the people of] the city Ashkelo[n and] imposed upon him the payment of tribute (and) gift[s (in recognition) of my overlordship] so that he (now) pul[ls my yoke]. In the course of [my] cam[paign], I surrounded, conquered, (and) [plundered the cities Bīt-Daganna], Joppa, [Banayabarqa], (and) Azuru, [the cities of Ṣidqâ] that [had not submitted] to me [quickly]. (As for) the governor[s, the nobles, and the people of the city Ekron] ... [...] (Lacuna) [I]n the thick of battle, I captured [alive the] Egypt[ian charioteers and pri]nces (lit. “the sons of the king”), [together with the charioteer]s of the king of the land Meluḫ[ḫa].

Column iii

[I surrounded, conquered, (and) plunder]ed [the cities Eltekeh (and) Tamnâ]. I approached [the city Ekron] and [I killed the governors (and) nobles] who [had committed] crime(s) [and (iii 5) hung] their corpses on towers [around the city; I cou]nted the citizens who had committed the crim]inal 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 Pad]î, their king, [from the city Jerusal]em [and placed (him) on the] lordly [throne over them, then I imposed upon him pay]ment (in recognition) of [my] lo[rdship]. Moreover, (as for) He[zekiah of the land Judah], who had not sub[mitted to my yoke, I surrounded (and) conquered] forty-six of his [fortified] cities, [fortresses], and [small(er)] settlements [in their environs], which [were] without number, [by having] (iii 20) 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], horse[s, mules, donkeys, camels], (iii 25) oxen, [and sheep and goats, which were without number, and I counted] (them) as boo[ty]. [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 (iii 30) made him dread] exiti[ng his city gate. I detached from his land] the cit[ies of his that I had plundered] (Lacuna) [On] my [fourth campaign], the god Aššur, my lord, [encouraged me] so that [I mustered] my [numerous] troops and [ordered the march] to the land Bīt-Yakīn. In the course of my campaign, (iii 5´) I defeated [Šūzubu] (Mušēzib-Marduk), a Chaldean who lives in the marshes, [at the city Bi]ttūtu. [As for him], terror of doing battle with me [fell] upon him and his heart pounded. He fled alone [like] a lynx and his (hiding) place could [not] be found. [I] turned around (lit. “[I] turned the front of my yoke”) and took the road to the land Bīt-Yakīn. He — Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), [whom] I had [de]feated and whose forces I had scattered during my first campaign — (iii 15´) [be]came frightened by [the cl]angor of my mighty weapons and my fierce battle array, then [dis]lodged the gods of the (full) extent of his land from their abodes, and loaded (them) onto boats. He flew away [like a] bird [to the city] Nagīte-raqqi, which is in the midst of the sea. (iii 20´) [I brought] his brothers, the seed of his father’s house, [whom he had aban]doned at the shore of the sea, together with the rest of [the people of] his [land, out] of the land Bīt-Yakīn, [which is in the] swamps and marshes, and I counted (them) as booty. [Once again] I destroyed (and) devastated his [cit]ies, (and) [turned (them) into ruins]. I poured out [awe-inspiring] brilliance upon his ally, [the king of the land Elam]. [On my return march, I] placed Aššur-nādin-šumi, [my first-born son (whom I) raised on] my (own) knee, [on his lordly throne] and (Lacuna) [On my fifth campaign: The population of the cities Tumurrum, Šarum, Ezāma], Kipšu, [Ḫalbuda, Qūa, (and) Qana, whose dwellings are situated] like the nests of [eagles, the foremost of birds, on the peak of Mount] Nipur, a rugged mountain, [and who had not] bowed down to the yoke — (iii 5´´) I had [my camp] pitched [at the foot of Mount Nipur]. [Like a fierce wild bull, with my] select [bodyguard and my] merci[less combat troops], I took [the lead of] them (the soldiers in my camp). [...] ... [...] (Lacuna) ... [...]

Column iv

[I pursued them] on the peaks of the mountains [and] defeated them. [I conquered], plundered, [destroyed, devastated], (and) burned with fire [their cities]. I turned [around] (lit. “I turned [the front of my yoke]”) and took the road against [Maniye], the king of the city Ukku (and) an [insubmissive] mountain-d[weller]. Before [my] time, none of [the former kings of the past] had mar[ched through the untrodden paths] (and) difficult trails [on account of the] rugged [mountains]. (Lacuna) [...] ... [... I bound him (Nergal-ušēzib) with] tethering ropes and [iron fetters, and brought him] to Assyria. I defea[ted the king of the land Elam], who had aligned himself with him [and come to] (iv 5´) his aid. I dispersed [his forces] and scatte[red his assembled host]. On my seventh campaign, [the god Aššur, my lord], encouraged me and I marched to [the land Elam]. In [the course of] my campaign, I conquered and plundered the cities Bīt-Ḫaʾiri (and) [Raṣā], (iv 10´) cities on the border of [Assyria] that the E[lamites] had taken away by force in the time of my ancestors. I had my garrisons stationed (iv 15´) inside them. I brought (those cities) back inside the border of Assyria and placed (them) under the authority of the garrison commander of Dēr. The cities Bubê, Dunni-Šamaš, Bīt-Risiya, Bīt-Aḫlamê, Dūru, (iv 20´) Dannat-Sulāya, Šilibtu, Bīt-Aṣusi, Kār-Zēra-iqīša, Bīt-Giṣṣi, Bīt-Katpalāni, Bīt-Imbiya, Ḫamānu, Bīt-Arrabi, Burutu, (iv 25´) Dimtu-ša-Sulāya, Dimtu-ša-Mār-bīti-ēṭir, Ḫarri-ašlakê, Rabbāya, Rāsu, Akkabarina, Tīl-Uḫuri, Ḫamrānu, Naṭītu, together with the cities of the passes, namely Bīt-Bunakku, Tīl-Ḫumba, Dimtu-ša-Dumeli, Bīt-Ubiya, Baltī-līšir, [Ta]qab-līšir, Alu-ša-nāqidāte, (iv 35´) [Massūtu]-šaplītu, Sarḫu-Dēri, [Ālum-ša-Bēlet-bīti], Bīt-Aḫḫē-iddina, (Lacuna) [...] ... [... Kudur-Naḫundu (Kudur-Naḫḫunte)], the Ela[mite], heard about [the conquest of his cities and fear fell upon him. He brought] (the people of) the rest of [his cities into fortresses]. (iv 5´´) He [abandoned] the city Ma[daktu, his royal city, and] took the road to the city Ḫayda[la (Ḫidālu), which is in the distant mountains]. I ordered the march [to the city Madaktu, his royal city]. In the month Tam[ḫīru, bitter cold] set in and a [severe] rainst[orm sent down] (iv 10´´) its [rain. I was afraid] of the rain [and snow ...] ... [...] ... [...] (Lacuna)

Column v

(Lacuna) [The dust of their feet covered the] wide [heavens like a heavy cloud] in [the deep of winter]. While drawing up a bat[tleline before me] at the city Ḫa[lulê], which is [on the bank of the Tigris River] (and) keeping [me from the water source, they sharpened their weapons]. I myse[lf] prayed [to] the deities Aššur, Sîn, [Šamaš, Bēl, Nabû], Ne[rgal], Ištar of Nineveh, (and) Ištar of [Arbela], the gods who support me, for victory [over] (my) strong enemy and (v 10´) they immediately heeded my prayers (and) came to my aid. I raged up like a lion, then put on armor (and) placed a helmet suitable for combat on my head. (v 15´) In my anger, I [rode quickly] in [my] exalted battle chariot, which lays enem[ies] low. I took in my hand the mighty bow that [the god Aššur had granted to me] (and) I grasped [in my hand] an arr[ow that cuts off] life. I roa[red loud]ly like a storm (and) thundered like the god Adad against all of the troop[s of the] wicked [enemies]. By the command of the god [Aššur], the great lord, [my lord, I blew like the onset of a] severe [stor]m against the enemy [o]n (their) flanks and front lines. (v 25´) [With] the weapons of the god Aššur, my lord, [and] my fierce battle [array, I] turned [them] back and [made] them retreat. I shot [the troops of the en]emy with uṣṣu-arrows (and) [mulmul]lu-[arrows], and pierc[ed all of their corpses like ...]. [I quickly slaughtered and defeated] Ḫumban-un[dāša, (...)] (Lacuna)

Column vi

[...] I made [their blood] flow [over the br]oad [earth ...] ... (Lacuna) [I cut off (their) li]ps [and (thus) destroyed their pride. I cut off] their hands [like the st]ems of cucumbers [in season]. [I received gold] (and) shining silver [sling straps as their wrist-trappings] (and) slashed off [their belts w]ith [sharp] swords. I took away [gold (and) silver (decorated) belt-daggers as] their [waist-trappings]. [(As for) the rest of his magnates, in]cluding Nabû-šuma-iškun, [a son of Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), (vi 10´) who had raised the]ir [arms be]cause [they were terrified o]f doing battle with me, I [capt]ured them alive [in the thick of battle]. [I brought ba]ck [all together the chariots along with their horses, whose drivers] had been killed [i]n the thick of (that) [mighty battle] and [which had themselves been released so that they galloped about on] their [ow]n. (Lacuna) [...] the city Nine[veh ... which] from [distant] days [...], whose site [was too sm]all [... its extent was] 330 cubits (vi 5´´) [on (its) longer side (and) ...] cubits on (its) shorter side, [and] whose construction was [in]expert. [...] that went out [throu]gh the city [...] ... its foundation [...] to its rear (vi 10´´) [...] ... when its flood (the Tebilti’s) was in full spate [...] ... the people living in [...] ... annually, the city, the gods [...] where[in] the kings, my ancestors, received [the tribute of the rulers of] the (four) quarters (of the world); (vi 15´´) [...] ... of the entire world [...] ... the strength of gods [...] very frightening, annually, [...] they brought their [substantial] payment [i]nto Nineveh, [my capital city]. [...] small settlement [...] ... [...] of the city was filled [...] ... were set [...] was not suitable [for p]assage (vi 25´´) [...] ... borders of the city [...] ... and vegetation [... which] had been turned into wastelands [without] water [... we]re woven over with spider webs [...] were bound [w]ith ropes (vi 30´´) [...] standing at its sides; [...] are not ... [...] newly tilled soil before the city [...] cold and thirst [...] seeds, thorns (vi 35´´) [...] ..., the young man [...] rose up above it [... f]or his drink allowance [...] his desire (No translation possible) (Lacuna) ... [...] ... [...] their ... [... ea]rlier [kings, my ancestors who from] (vi 5´´´) distant [days], befo[re me], had exercised [dominion over Assyria] and r[uled the subjects of the god Enlil; (but) not] one among [them had conceived of and put his mind towards building] a magnificent palace, [...] or increasing [the site of the city, ...] and ... [...] ... [...] (Lacuna)

Column vii

[I took ...] as an additional plot of land. [I] added (it) to the three hundred [and ... cubits long (and) ...] hundred and eighty cubits [wide ... I enlarged] the structure of the pa[lace] to nine hundred [and ... large cubits along (its) longer side (vii 5) and ...] hundred and sixty [large] cubits [along (its) shorter side and (thus) I made its site bigger]. Upon it, I filled in [a terrace 1]90 courses of brick h[igh]. For [my] lordly residence [in the citadel] of Nineveh I built anew [a palace (...)] that [...] in the fou[r] quarters (of the world). I made [...] larg[er] than before, had [...] built, and rais[ed (it) as high as a mountain]. (As for) its ..., which [...] baked bricks, (vii 15) I had (it) expertly made through the craft of [well-trained] master builder[s]. In order to [prevent] its foundations fr[om being weakened by rain] and snow, [I had] its base [built] with [large] limest[one] (blocks and thereby) reinforced [its] base. I widened its moat [100 large cubits. ...] ... [...] ... [...] (Lacuna) [...] ... I laid the foundation of [its] great [wall, Badnigalbi]lukurašušu, (which means) “Wall Whose Bril[liance] Overwhelms Enemies,” upon lime[stone] and (vii 5´) made (it) 40 bricks thick, measured by [my] large brick mold. Upwards (to the north) and downw[ards] (to the south), I enlarged its battlements to (a width of) 39 bricks, [then] I raised its superstructure up high, to its copings, to (a height of) 200 courses of brick, (each of) whose thickness was one-third of a cubit, and (thus) raised (it) as high as a mountain. I had eighteen gates opened up in it in four directions, in front and behind, (and) along both sides, for entering and leaving. “The God Šarur Is the One Who Cuts Down the King’s Enemy”: (this is) the Ḫandūru Gate. “May the Vice-Regent of the God Aššur Endure”: (vii 15´) (this is) the Aššur Gate, which (leads to) the Inner City (Aššur). “The One Who Flattens All Enemies”: (this is) the Sennacherib Gate, which (leads to) the land Ḫalzi. “The God Enlil Is the One Who Makes My Reign Firm”: (this is) the Šamaš Gate, which (leads to) the land Gagal. “May Sennacherib’s Dynasty Be as Firm as the Position of the Wagon Constellation!”: (this is) the Mullissu Gate, which (leads to) the city Kār-Mullissi. (vii 20´) “The One Who Exorcises the ‘Flesh’ of the Asakku-demon”: (this is) the Step Gate. “The Choicest of Grain and Flocks Are Constantly Inside It”: (this is) the gate (that leads to) the city Šibaniba. “The Bearer of the Produce of the Mountains”: (this is) the gate (that leads to) the land Ḫalaḫḫu. In total, eight gates (facing) the rising sun, towards the south and east, (and) I gave them (these) names. “The God Adad Is the Provider of Prosperity to the Land”: (this is) the Adad Gate, which (leads to) the game preserve. “The God Erra Is the One Who Cuts Down My Enemies”: (this is) the Nergal Gate, which (leads to) the city [Tar]biṣu. “The Divine Nannāru Is the One Who Makes Firm My Lo[rd]ly Crown”: (this is) the Sîn Gate. “The God Ea Is the One Who Properly Directs (Water Flow into) My Cist[erns]”: (vii 30´) (this is) the Mašqû Gate. “May Its Buil[der] Endure”: (this is) the Step Gate of the Palace. “The God Igisigsig Is the One Who Makes Orchards Flourish”: (this is) the Step Gate of the Gardens. “The One Who Brings in Income from the Settlements”: (this is) the Quay Gate. “May Its Builder Live Forever”: (vii 35´) (this is) the Step Gate of the Armory. “The God Anu Is the Protector of My Life”: (this is) the gate of the section assigned to the land Barḫalzu. “The Presents of the People of Tēma and Sumuʾil Enter Through It”: (this is) the Desert Gate. In total, ten gates (facing) towards the north (vii 40´) and west (and) I gave them (these) names. [I opened up] a foundation pit for the outer wall, Badnigerimḫuluḫa, (which means) “Terrorizer of Enemies,” then [...] ... [...] ... [...]. (vii 45´) Until I [had (it) reach] the water table, I dug down [into] the water [forty-five nindanu, then] I bound together strong mountain stone [below and above I expertly carried out its construction] with large limestone (blocks) [up to its copings]. I enlarged [the site] of Nineveh, [my capital] city. For the course of a [royal] ro[ad, I made its streets] fifty-two [large cubits wide and] (thus) I made (the city) as bright as [day. ...] (Lacuna)

Column viii

(Lacuna) I cut [with] iron picks [a can]al [straight through mountain and valley, from the border of the city Kisiri to] the [plain] of Nineveh. (Thus) [I] provided for eternity a regular supply of water from the Ḫusur River [to the plain of Nineveh] and I made (it) gush through small canals into the gardens (planted) [on newly tilled soil]. [...] ..., the city Girmua, [...] ..., the city Ālum-labir [...] which since time immemorial [...] ... took water (viii 10´) [...] took water [...] review [...] like a gallû-demon (Lacuna) ... [...] the people liv[ing in ...] distant ... [...] constantly ... [...]. I [annually provided irrigation for] 600 fields seeded with grain [and cereals (located) upstream] and downstream of the city. I created [a marsh] to moderate the flow [of those waters] and [planted] a can[ebrake in it]. (viii 10´´) I [let loose] in it herons, [wild boars (lit. “pigs of the reeds”), (and) roe deer. By divine will, vines, all kinds of fruit trees], olive trees, (and) aromatic [trees flourished greatly] in (those) gardens (planted) [on newly tilled soil. (Cypress trees, musukkannu-trees, and)] all kinds of trees [grew tall and sent out] shoots. The ma[rshes thrived greatly]. (viii 15´´) Birds of the heavens, her[ons whose home(s) are far away], made nest(s) and [wild boars (and) roe deer] ga[ve birth] in abundance. I cut down [musukkannu-trees (and) cypress trees] grown in the orchards (and) [marsh reeds from the swamps] and [I used (them) in the work required] (to build) my lordly [palatial halls]. I [...] both [...] flourished, [...] within [...] set, gra[in ...]. After [I had finished] the work on [my palace, (viii 25´´) I invited inside it] the god Aššur, the grea[t] lord, (and) [the gods and goddesses] living in [Assyria, then I made splendid] offerings [and] presented [my gift(s). I made fine oil from olives] and aroma[tics]. (viii 30´´) At the inauguration [of the palace], I had [the heads of the subjects of my land] dren[ched (and) I watered their] insides [with sweet wine]. [...] (Lacuna) (No translation possible) [...] ... palace [...] have [...] the people of cities, [...] ... expressions of humility (lit. “stroking the nose”) [...] ... to Nineveh (viii 10´´´) [...] ... between [...] ... which is inside [...] they march along [the ro]ad [...] they made [...] smell pleasant [...] their [...]. In the futu[re], may [one of the kings], my descendants, whom the god Aššur nam[es for shepherding] the land and people, renovate its [dilap]idated section(s) [wh]en that wall becomes old and [dilapidated]. May he find [an inscribed object bearing] my name, (viii 20´´´) [anoint (it) with oil], make [an of]fering, (and) [ret]urn (it) [to its place]. The god Aššur [and the goddess Ištar] will (then) [he]ar his [praye]rs.

Date

[The month ..., ... day, eponymy of Bēl-ēmurann]i, [governor of the city Carchem]ish (691).

Sennacherib 019

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 019; CDLI P462827.

Column i

(Lacuna) [I added ... pay]ment [and] imposed (it) [upon them]. [As for him, He]zekiah, [fear of] my lordly [brilliance (i´ 5´) overwhelmed him and he had] the auxiliary forces [and his] elite [troops whom he] had brought [inside the city Jeru]salem, [his royal city, along with 30 talents of gold], 800 talents of silver, (i´ 10´) [every kind of treasure] of his palace, [as well as his daughters], his palace [women, male singers, (and) female singers brought in]to Nineveh and he sent a moun]ted messenger of his to me [to deliver (this) pay]ment. [On my fourth campaign, I marched to the land Bīt]-Yakīn. [In the course of] my [campaign], (Lacuna)

Column ii

(Lacuna) ... [... no] king of the past (who came) before me [...] I had [my camp] pitched [at the foot of Mount Anara] and Mount Uppa, mighty mountains, and I myself, in an armch[air, with] my fighting troops, [ascended] with a struggle the steep mountain peaks. He, [Ma]niye, heard about the advance of my expeditionary force, then he abandoned the city Ukku, his royal city, and fled afar. I entered his palace and, (ii´ 10´) as his substantial audience gift, I carried off every kind of possession (and) property, (which) were without number. I destroyed, devastated, (and) bur[ned] with fire his cities, (and) made (them) like ruin hill(s) (created by) the Deluge. From the booty of those [lands], I con[scripted] 20,400 archers (and) 20,200 shi[eld bearers and] a[dded (them) to] my royal [contingent]. (Lacuna)

Sennacherib 020

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 020; CDLI P462828.

[...] I ordered [the] march against them [to the land Nagītu. I settled in Nineveh the people of the land Ḫatti plu]ndered by my bows [and th]ey skillfully built magnif[ic]ent ships, (i´ 5´) [a product characteristic to their land(s). I gave] orders [to sailors of] the cities Ty[r]e (and) [Sidon, (and) the land Io]nia, [whom I had captured. They (my troops) let (them) sail down the Tigris River with] them [downstream to the city] Opis. [Then, from the city Opis, they lifted th]em (the boats) [up onto] dry land and [dragged them on rollers to Sip]par. (Lacuna)

Sennacherib 021

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 021; CDLI P462829.

Column i

(Lacuna) [... they became frightened on acc]ount of the vill[ainous acts they had committed. They formed a confederation with] the kings of [Egypt (and) the archers, c]hariots, (and) hors[es of the king of the land Meluḫḫa], forces without number. In the plain of [the city Elteke]h, [I fought] with them [and] defeated them.

Column ii

(Lacuna) [...] ... [... He] — Marduk-apla-[iddina] (II) (Merodach-baladan), whom I had defeated during my fir[st] campaign — (ii´ 5´) became frightened by the clangor of [my] mighty weapon[s] and fl[ed] to (the city) Nagī[te]-raqqi, which is in the midst of the sea. [I brought] his brothers, the seed of his father’s house, whom he had aband[oned] at the shore of the sea, together with the rest of the people [of his land, out of the land Bīt-Yakīn], (Rest of the inscription is missing)

Sennacherib 022 — Chicago/Taylor Prism

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). 14 exemplars. Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 022; CDLI P462830.

Column i

Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters (of the world), capable shepherd, favorite of the great gods, guardian of truth (i 5) 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: 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. (i 15) 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. While they were abandoning their settlements, they flew away alone like bats (living) in crevices to inaccessible place(s). 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 25) I seized the chariots, horses, wagons, (and) mules that he had abandoned in the thick of battle. I joyfully entered his palace, which is in Babylon, then I opened his treasury and brought out gold, silver, gold (and) silver utensils, (i 30) 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. With the strength of the god Aššur, my lord, I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered 75 of his fortified cities, fortresses of Chaldea, and 420 small(er) settlements in their environs. I brought out the auxiliary forces of the Arameans (and) Chaldeans (i 40) who were in Uruk, Nippur, Kish, Ḫursagkalamma, Cutha, (and) Sippar, together with the guilty citizens, and I counted (them) as booty. On my return march, I defeated all together the Tuʾmūna, Riḫiḫu, Yadaqqu, Ubudu, (i 45) Gibrê, Malaḫu, Gurumu, Ubulu, Damunu, Gambulu, Ḫindaru, Ruʾuʾa, Puqudu, Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, (and) Liʾtaʾu, insubmissive Arameans. (i 50) I carried off into Assyria a substantial booty (consisting of) 208,000 people, young (and) old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats, which were without number. In the course of my campaign, I received a substantial audience gift from Nabû-bēl-šumāti, the official in charge of the city Ḫararatu (Ḫarutu): gold, silver, large musukkannu-trees, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats. I put to the sword the population of the city Ḫirimmu, a dangerous enemy, and I did not spare a single one. (i 60) 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 (i 70) 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, (i 75) mules, donkeys, oxen, and sheep and goats, and I counted (them) as booty. Moreover, I destroyed, devastated, (and) turned into ruins their small(er) 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, then (ii 1) 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 (ii 5) 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.

Column ii

I turned around (lit. “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. (ii 15) I overwhelmed all of his wide land like a fog. I surrounded, conquered, destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire the cities Marubištu (and) Akkuddu, cities of his royal house, together with thirty-four small(er) 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, then I brought him (Ispabāra) to nought and made his land smaller. I detached from his land the cities Ṣi(ṣ)ṣirtu (and) Kummaḫlum, fortified cities, together with the small(er) settlements in their environs (ii 25) (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, then I changed its former name and (ii 30) 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. On my return march, I received a substantial payment from the distant Medes, (ii 35) of whose land none of the kings, my ancestors, had heard mention. (Thus) I made them bow down to the yoke of my lordship. On my third campaign, I marched to the land Ḫatti. Fear of my lordly brilliance overwhelmed Lulî, the king of the city Sidon, and (ii 40) he fled afar into the midst of the sea and disappeared. The awesome terror of the weapon of the god Aššur, my lord, overwhelmed the cities Great Sidon, Lesser Sidon, Bīt-Zitti, Ṣarepta, Maḫalliba, Ušû, Akzibu, (and) Acco, his fortified cities (and) fortresses, an area of pasture(s) (ii 45) and water-place(s), resources upon which he relied, and they bowed down at my feet. I placed Tu-Baʾlu on the royal throne over them and imposed upon him tribute (and) payment (in recognition) of my overlordship (to be delivered) yearly (and) without interruption. As for Min(u)ḫimmu of the city Samsimuruna, Tu-Baʾlu of the city Sidon, Abdi-Liʾti of the city Arwad, Ūru-Milki of the city Byblos, Mitinti of the city Ashdod, (ii 55) 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. Moreover, (as for) Ṣidqâ, the king of the city Ashkelon who had not bowed down 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. I set Šarru-lū-dāri, son of Rūkibtu, their former king, over the people of the city Ashkelon and imposed upon him the payment of tribute (and) gifts (in recognition) of my overlordship so that he (now) pulls my yoke. In the course of my campaign, I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered the cities Bīt-Daganna, Joppa, (ii 70) Banayabarqa, (and) Azuru, the cities of Ṣidqâ that had not submitted to me quickly. (As for) the governors, the nobles, and the people of the city Ekron who had thrown Padî, their king who was bound by treaty and oaths (ii 75) to Assyria, into iron fetters and who had handed him over to Hezekiah of the land Judah in a hostile manner, they became frightened on account of the villainous acts they had committed. They formed a confederation with the kings of Egypt (and) the archers, chariots, (and) horses (ii 80) of the king of the land Meluḫḫa, forces without number, and they came to their aid. In the plain of the city Eltekeh, they sharpened their weapons while drawing up in battleline before me. (iii 1) 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 (lit. “the sons of the king”), together with the charioteers of the king of the land Meluḫḫa.

Column iii

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 crime(s) and (iii 10) 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, then I imposed upon him payment (in recognition) of my overlordship. Moreover, (as for) Hezekiah of the land Judah, who had not submitted to my yoke, I surrounded (and) conquered forty-six of his fortified cities, (iii 20) fortresses, and small(er) 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, (iii 25) 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 (iii 30) 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, Padî, the king of the city Ekron, and Ṣilli-Bēl, the king of the city Gaza, and (thereby) made his land smaller. (iii 35) To the former tribute, their annual giving, I added the payment (of) gifts (in recognition) of my overlordship and imposed (it) upon them (text: “him”). As for him, Hezekiah, fear of my lordly brilliance overwhelmed him and, after my (departure), he had the auxiliary forces and his elite troops whom (iii 40) he had brought inside to strengthen the city Jerusalem, his royal city, thereby gaining reinforcements, along with 30 talents of gold, 800 talents of silver, choice antimony, large blocks of ..., ivory beds, armchairs of ivory, elephant hide(s), elephant ivory, (iii 45) ebony, boxwood, every kind of valuable treasure, as well as his daughters, his palace women, male singers, (and) female singers brought into Nineveh, my capital city, and he sent a mounted messenger of his to me to deliver (this) payment and to do obeisance. On my fourth campaign, the god Aššur, my lord, encouraged me so that I mustered my numerous troops and ordered the march to the land Bīt-Yakīn. In the course of my campaign, I defeated Šūzubu (Mušēzib-Marduk), a Chaldean who lives in the marshes, at the city Bittūtu. (iii 55) As for him, terror of doing battle with me fell upon him and his heart pounded. He fled alone like a lynx and his (hiding) place could not be found. I turned around (lit. “I turned the front of my yoke”) and took the road to the land Bīt-Yakīn. He — Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), whom (iii 60) I had defeated and whose forces I had scattered during my first campaign — became frightened by the clangor of my mighty weapons and my fierce battle array, then dislodged the gods of the (full) extent of his land from their abodes, and loaded (them) onto boats. (iii 65) He flew away like a bird to the city Nagīte-raqqi, which is in the midst of the sea. I brought his brothers, the seed of his father’s house, whom he had abandoned at the shore of the sea, together with the rest of the people of his land, out of the land Bīt-Yakīn, which is in the swamps and marshes, and I counted (them) as booty. Once again I destroyed (and) devastated his cities, (and) turned (them) into ruins. I poured out awe-inspiring brilliance upon his ally, the king of the land Elam. On my return march, I placed Aššur-nādin-šumi, my first-born son (whom I) raised on my (own) knee, on his lordly throne and entrusted him with the wide land of Sumer and Akkad. On my fifth campaign: The population of the cities Tumurrum, Šarum, Ezāma, Kipšu, Ḫalbuda, Qūa, (and) Qana, whose dwellings are situated like the nests of eagles, the foremost of birds, on the peak of Mount Nipur, a rugged mountain, and who had not bowed down to the yoke — (iii 80) I had my camp pitched at the foot of Mount Nipur. Like a fierce wild bull, with my select bodyguard and my merciless combat troops, I took the lead of them (the soldiers in my camp). I proceeded through the gorges of the streams, the outflows of the mountains, (and) rugged slopes in (my) chair. (iv 5) Where it was too difficult for (my) chair, I leapt forward on my (own) two feet like a mountain goat. I ascended the highest peaks against them. Where my knees became tired, I sat down upon the mountain rock and drank cold water from a water skin to (quench) my thirst.

Column iv

I pursued them on the peaks of the mountains and defeated them. I conquered, plundered, destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire their cities. I turned around (lit. “I turned the front of my yoke”) and took the road against Maniye, the king of the city Ukku (and) an insubmissive mountain-dweller. (iv 15) Before my time, none of the former kings of the past had marched through the untrodden paths (and) difficult trails on account of the rugged mountains. I had my camp pitched at the foot of Mount Anara and Mount Uppa, mighty mountains, and I myself, in an armchair, (iv 20) with my crack combat troops, entered their narrow passes with great difficulty and ascended with a struggle the steep mountain peaks. He, Maniye, saw the dust cloud (stirred up) by the feet of my troops, then he abandoned the city Ukku, his royal city, and fled afar. I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered the city Ukku. I brought out of it every kind of possession (and) property, the treasures of his palace, and I counted (it) as booty. Moreover, I conquered thirty-three cities on the borders of his district and carried off from them people, donkeys, oxen, and sheep and goats. (Then) I destroyed (them), devastated (them), (and) burned (them) with fire. On my sixth campaign: The rest of the people of the land Bīt-Yakīn, who had groveled like onagers before my mighty weapons, dislodged the gods of the (full) extent of their land from their abodes, (iv 35) then crossed the Great Sea of the Rising Sun and set up their residences in the city Nagītu of the land Elam — I crossed over the sea in boats of the land Ḫatti. I conquered the cities Nagītu (and) Nagītu-diʾbina, together with the lands Ḫilmu, Pillatu, and Ḫupapanu, districts of the land Elam. I carried off the people of the land Bīt-Yakīn, together with their gods and the people of the king of the land Elam, and I did not leave a (single) escapee. I loaded (them) onto boats and brought (them) to this side (of the sea), then I made (them) take the road to Assyria. I destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire the cities that are in those districts. I turned (them) into a mound of ruins (lit. “a mound and ruins”). On my return march, in a pitched battle, I defeated Šūzubu (Nergal-ušēzib), a citizen of Babylon who had taken the lordship of the land of Sumer and Akkad for himself during the confusion in the land. (iv 50) I captured him alive, bound him with tethering ropes and iron fetters, and brought him to Assyria. I defeated the king of the land Elam, who had aligned himself with him and come to his aid. I dispersed his forces and scattered his assembled host. On my seventh campaign, the god Aššur, my lord, encouraged me and (iv 55) I marched to the land Elam. In the course of my campaign, I conquered (and) plundered the cities Bīt-Ḫaʾiri (and) Raṣā, cities on the border of Assyria that the Elamites had taken away by force in the time of my ancestor(s). I had my garrisons stationed inside them. (iv 60) I brought (those cities) back inside the border of Assyria and placed (them) under the authority of the garrison commander of Dēr. The cities Bubê, Dunni-Šamaš, Bīt-Risiya, Bīt-Aḫlamê, Dūru, Dannat-Sulāya, Šilibtu, Bīt-Aṣusi, Kār-Zēra-iqīša, Bīt-Giṣṣi, Bīt-Katpalāni, Bīt-Imbiya, (iv 65) Ḫamānu, Bīt-Arrabi, Burutu, Dimtu-ša-Sulāya, Dimtu-ša-Mār-bīti-ēṭir, Ḫarri-ašlakê, Rabbāya, Rāsu, Akkabarina, Tīl-Uḫuri, Ḫamrānu, Naṭītu, together with the cities of the passes, namely Bīt-Bunakku, Tīl-Ḫumba, Dimtu-ša-Dumeli, Bīt-Ubiya, Baltī-līšir, Taqab-līšir, Alu-ša-nāqidāte, Massūtu-šaplītu, Sarḫu-Dēri, Ālum-ša-Bēlet-bīti, (iv 75) Bīt-Aḫḫē-iddina, (and) Ilteuba — I surrounded, conquered, plundered, destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire (those) thirty-four fortified cities, together with the small(er) settlements in their environs, which were without number. I made the smoke from their conflagration cover the wide heavens like a heavy cloud. Kudur-Naḫundu (Kudur-Naḫḫunte), the Elamite, heard about the conquest of his cities and fear fell upon him. He brought (the people of) the rest of his cities into fortresses. He abandoned the city Madaktu, his royal city, and (v 5) took the road to the city Ḫaydala (Ḫidālu), which is in the distant mountains.

Column v

I ordered the march to the city Madaktu, his royal city. In the month Tamḫīru, bitter cold set in and a severe rainstorm sent down its rain. I was afraid of the rain and snow in the gorges, the outflows of the mountains, (so) I turned around (lit. “I turned the front of my yoke”) and took the road to Nineveh. At that time, by the command of the god Aššur, my lord, Kudur-Naḫundu (Kudur-Naḫḫunte), the king of the land Elam, did not last three months and suddenly died a premature death. After him, Umman-menanu (Ḫumban-menanu), (v 15) who does not have sense or insight, his younger brother, sat on his throne. On my eighth campaign, after Šūzubu (Mušēzib-Marduk) had rebelled and the citizens of Babylon, evil gallû-demons, had locked the city gates, they plotted to wage war. (v 20) Arameans, fugitives, runaways, murderers, (and) robbers rallied around Šūzubu (Mušēzib-Marduk), a Chaldean, a person of lowly status, a coward (lit. “who has no knees”), (and) a servant who belonged to the governor of the city Laḫīru, and they went down into the marshes and incited rebellion. I besieged him and put him in dire straits. On account of fear and hunger, he fled to the land Elam. When there were conspiracy and treachery against him, he hurried out of the land Elam and entered Šuanna (Babylon). The Babylonians inappropriately placed him (back) on the throne (and) entrusted him with the lordship of the land of Sumer and Akkad. They (the Babylonians) opened the treasury of Esagil and took out the gold (and) silver of the god Bēl (Marduk) and the goddess Zarpanītu, the property of the temple of their gods. They sent it as a bribe to Umman-menanu (Ḫumban-menanu), the king of the land Elam, who does not have sense or insight, (saying): (v 35) “Gather your army, muster your forces, hurry to Babylon, and align yourself with us! Let us put our trust in you.” That Elamite, whose cities I had conquered and turned into ruins during a previous campaign to the land Elam, (v 40) accepted the bribe from them without thinking, then gathered his troops (and) his forces, inspected (his) chariots (and) wagons, (and) checked his teams (of) horses (and) mules. The lands Parsuaš, Anzan, Paširu, (and) Ellipi, the people of Yasiʾil, (v 45) Lakab(e)ra, Ḫarzunu, Dummuqu, Sulāya, (and) Samʾuna, (who was) a son of Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), the lands Bīt-Adini, Bīt-Amukkāni, Bīt-Šilāni, Bīt-Sāla (Bīt-Saʾalli), Larak, the city Laḫīru, the people (of the tribes of the) Puqudu, Gambulu, Ḫallatu, Ruʾuʾa, (v 50) Ubulu, Malaḫu, Rapiqu, Ḫindaru, (and) Damunu, a large host, formed a confederation with him. In their multitude, they took the road to Akkad and, as they were advancing towards Babylon, they met up with Šūzubu (Mušēzib-Marduk), a Chaldean (who is) the king of Babylon, and banded their forces together. Like a spring invasion of a swarm of locusts, they were advancing towards me as a group to do battle. The dust of their feet covered the wide heavens like a heavy cloud in the deep of winter. While drawing up in battleline before me at the city Ḫalulê, which is on the bank of the Tigris River, (and) keeping me from the water source, they sharpened their weapons. I myself prayed to the deities Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Bēl, Nabû, Nergal, Ištar of Nineveh, (and) Ištar of Arbela, the gods who support me, (v 65) for victory over (my) strong enemy and they immediately heeded my prayers (and) came to my aid. I raged up like a lion, then put on armor (and) placed a helmet suitable for combat on my head. (v 70) In my anger, I rode quickly in my exalted battle chariot, which lays enemies low. I took in my hand the mighty bow that the god Aššur had granted to me (and) I grasped in my hand an arrow that cuts off life. I roared loudly like a storm (and) thundered like the god Adad against all of the troops of the wicked enemies. By the command of the god Aššur, the great lord, my lord, I blew like the onset of a severe storm against the enemy on (their) flanks and front lines. With the weapons of the god Aššur, my lord, and my fierce battle array, I turned them back and made them retreat. (v 80) I shot the troops of the enemy with uṣṣu-arrows (and) mulmullu-arrows, and pierced all of their corpses like ... I quickly slaughtered and defeated Ḫumban-undāša, the herald of the king of the land Elam, a trusted man who leads his troops, his main support, together with his magnates, who wear gold (decorated) belt-daggers and have reddish gold sling straps fastened to their forearms, like fattened bulls restrained with fetters.

Column vi

I slit their throats like sheep (and thus) cut off their precious lives like thread. Like a flood in full spate after a seasonal rainstorm, I made their blood flow (vi 5) over the broad earth. The swift thoroughbreds harnessed to my chariot plunged into floods of their blood (just) like the river ordeal. The wheels of my war chariot, which lays criminals and villains low, were bathed in blood and gore. (vi 10) I filled the plain with the corpses of their warriors like grass. I cut off (their) lips and (thus) destroyed their pride. I cut off their hands like the stems of cucumbers in season. I received gold (and) shining silver sling straps as their wrist-trappings (and) slashed off their belts with sharp swords. I took away gold (and) silver (decorated) belt-daggers as their waist-trappings. (As for) the rest of his magnates, including Nabû-šuma-iškun, a son of Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), who had raised their arms because they were terrified of doing battle with me, I captured them alive in the thick of battle. I brought back all together the chariots along with their horses, whose drivers had been killed in the thick of (that) mighty battle and which had themselves been released so that they galloped about on their own. When the second double-hour of the night had passed, I stopped their slaughter. (As for) him, Umman-menanu (Ḫumban-menanu), the king of the land Elam, along with the king of Babylon (and) the sheikhs of Chaldea who marched at his side, terror of doing battle with me overwhelmed them like alû-demons. They 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. I ordered my chariots (and) horses to pursue them. Wherever they caught (them), they killed with the sword the runaways amongst them, who had fled for (their) lives. At that time, after I had completed the palace in the citadel of Nineveh for my royal residence (and) had filled it with luxuriousness to be an object of wonder for all of the people: The Rear Palace that earlier kings, my ancestors, had had built for the proper running of the military camp, (vi 40) the care of horses, (and) the overseeing of everything — its terrace did not exist, its site had become too small, and its construction was inexpert. With the passage of time, its base had fallen into disrepair, then its foundations had become loose (and) its superstructure had collapsed. I tore down that palace in its entirety. I took much fallow land from the meadow and plain of the city as an addition (and) I added (it) to (the site). I abandoned the site of the former palace and filled in a terrace in the area of the meadow that I had taken from the river bank. I raised its superstructure 200 courses of brick high. In a favorable month, on an auspicious day, upon that terrace, with my innate expertise, I had a palatial wing of limestone and cedar in the style of the land Ḫatti and (vi 55) a magnificent palatial wing of Assyrian workmanship, which greatly surpassed the previous one in size and expertise, built through the craft of well-trained master builders, for my lordly residence. I roofed them with magnificent beams of cedar grown on Mount Amanus, the holy mountain. I fastened bands of bright copper on doors of white cedar and I installed (them) in their gates. I had magnificent bull colossi fashioned from white limestone that was discovered in the territory of the city Balāṭāya and on the right and left I made (them) hold their door bolts. I greatly enlarged its outer courtyard for the proper administration of the black-headed (people), the inspection of thoroughbred horses, mules, agālu-donkeys, military equipment, chariots, carts, wagons, quivers, bows, and uṣṣu-arrows, every type of implement of war, (and) the submission of teams of horses (and) mules, which have great strength, to the yoke. I built (and) completed that palace from its foundations to its battlements. I deposited in it inscribed objects bearing my name. In the future, one of the kings, my descendants, whom the god Aššur and the goddess Ištar name for shepherding the land and people — when that palace becomes old and dilapidated, may a future ruler renovate its dilapidated section(s). 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. (As for) the one who alters my inscription or my name, may the god Aššur, the great lord, the father of the gods, become angry with him as if (he were) an enemy. May he take away (his) scepter and (his) throne from him and overthrow his dynasty.

Date ex. 1

Duʾūzu (IV), eponymy of Gaḫilu, governor of the city Ḫatarikka (689).

Date ex. 2

Addaru (XII), twentieth day, eponymy of Bēl-ēmuranni, governor of the city Carchemish (691).

Sennacherib 023 — Jerusalem Prism

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). 2 exemplars. Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 023; CDLI P462831.

Column i

Sennacherib, great king, [strong] king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the fou[r] quarters (of the world), capable shepherd, favorite of the grea[t] gods, guar[dian of truth] who lov[es] justi[ce, (i 5) renders assis]tance, goes to the aid of the w[eak], (and) str[ives 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: 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. (i 15) Thus did recalcitrant rulers come to fear battle with me. While they were abandoning their settlements, they flew away alone like bats (living) in crevices to inaccessible place(s). 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 [al]lies, (i 20) in the plain of Kish. [I]n the midst of that batt[le] he abandoned his camp, [f]led alone, and (thereby) saved his life. I seized the [chariots], horses, wagons, (and) mules that he had abandoned in the thick of battle. I joyfully entered his palace, which is in Babylon, then I opened his treasury and brought out gold, silver, gold (and) silver utensils, precious stones, all kinds of possessions (and) property with[out] number, a substantial tribute, (together with) his palace women, courtiers, attendants, male singers, female singers, [all] of (i 30) the craftsmen, as many as there were, (and) his palace attend[ants], and I counted (them) as booty. With the strength of the god Aš[šur], my lord, I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered 75 of his fortified cities, fortresses of Chaldea, and 420 small(er) settlements in their environs. (i 35) I brought out the auxiliary forces of the Arameans (and) Chaldeans who were in [Uruk], Nippur, Kish, Ḫursagkalamma, Cutha, (and) Sippar, together with the guilty citizens, and [I cou]nted (them) [as bo]oty. On my return march, I defeated [all toget]her the Tuʾmūna, [Riḫi]ḫu, Yadaqqu, Ubudu, Gib[rê], (i 40) Malaḫu, Gurumu, [Ubulu], Damunu, Gambulu, [Ḫ]in[daru], Ruʾuʾa, Puqudu, Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, (and) Liʾtaʾu, insubmissive Arameans. (i 45) I carried off into Assyria a substantial booty (consisting of) 208,000 people, young (and) old, [male] and female, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats, which were without number. In the course of my campaign, I received a substantial audience gift from Nabû-bēl-šumāti, the official in [charge of the city] Ḫararatu (Ḫarutu): gold, silver, (i 50) large mu[sukkannu]-trees, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats. I pu[t to the sword the popul]ation of the city Ḫirimmu, a dangerous enemy, [and] I did not spare a single one. I hung their [corp]ses on poles and (i 55) placed (them) [aro]und the city. I reorganized that district (and) imposed for eternity [on]e ox, ten sheep, ten homers of wine, (and) twenty homers of [dat]es as his first-fruits offerings to the gods of Assyria, my lords. On my second campaign, the god Aš[šur], my [lor]d, 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 kin]gs, my ancestors. I[n the] high [mountai]ns, difficult terrain, I rode on [horseback] and had my personal chariot carried on (men’s) necks. (i 65) In very rugged terrain I roamed about on foot like a wild bull. I surrounded (and) conquered the cities Bīt-Kilamzaḫ, Ḫar[diš]pu, (and) Bīt-Kubatti, their fortified walled [cit]ies. I brought out of th[e]m people, horses, mule[s], donkeys, oxen, [and] sheep and goats, and (i 70) I counted (them) [as bo]oty. Moreover, I destroyed, deva[stated, (and) tu]rned into ruins [their] small(er) settlements, which were with[out] number. I burned with fire pavilions (and) tents, their ab[odes], and reduced (them) to a[shes]. I made that city Bīt-Kilamza[ḫ] a fortress again (and) I strengthened its [wall]s more [than be]fore, then I settled therein the people of the la[nds] that I had conquered. I brought [down] from the mountains the people of the land of the Kassites (ii 1) and the land of the Yasubigall[ians] who had fl[ed] from my weapons [and] I made (them) dwell [in the] cities Ḫardišpu (and) Bīt-Kubatti. (ii 5) I placed them [un]der 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.

Column ii

I turned around (lit. “I turned the front of my yoke”) and took the road to the land Ellipi. Before my arrival, Ispabāra, their [king, ab]andoned 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 fi[re] the cities [Mar]ubištu (and) Akkuddu, cities of (ii 15) his royal house, together with thirty-four small(er) settlements in their en[vir]ons. I carried off people, young (and) old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, oxen, and [sheep] and goats without number, then (ii 20) I brought him (Ispabāra) to nought and made his land smaller. I detached from his land the cities Ṣi(ṣ)ṣirtu (and) [Kumm]aḫ[lum], fortified cities, together with the small(er) settlement[s] in their environs (and) [the district] of the land Bīt-Barrû in its [entire]ty, and I added (this area) to the terri[tory of As]syria. [I took] the city Elenzaš as a [roy]al city and a fortress for that district, then I changed its former name and called it Kār-Sennacherib. I settled therein the people of the lands that [I] had conquered. [I pla]ced (it) under the authority of a eunuch of mine, the governor of the city Ḫarḫar, and (thus) enlarged my land. On my return march, I received a substantial payment from the distant Medes, of whose land none of the kings, my ancestors, had heard mention. (Thus) I made them bow down to the yoke of my lordship. On my [third] campaign, I marched [t]o the land Ḫatti. Fear of my lordly brilliance overwhelmed Lulî, the king of the city Si[d]on, [and] he fled afar into the midst of the sea and disappeared. The awesome terror of the weapon of the god Aššur, my lord, [overwhelmed] the cities [Great] Sido[n], Lesser Sidon, Bīt-[Z]itti, (ii 40) Ṣarepta, Maḫalliba, Ušû, Akzibu, (and) Acco, his fortified cities (and) [fort]resses, an area of pasture(s) and [wat]er-place(s), resources upon which he relied, and they bowed down at my feet. I placed Tu-Ba[ʾlu on the royal throne] over th[em] and im[posed upon him] tribute (and) [payment (in recognition) of my overlordship] (to be delivered) year[ly] (and) with[out] interruption. [As for M]in(u)ḫ[im]mu of the city Samsi[muruna], Tu-Baʾlu [of] the city Sidon, Abdi-Liʾ[ti of] the city Arwad, (ii 50) [Ūru]-Mil[ki] of the city Byblos, [Mit]inti of the city Ashdod, Būdi-il of the land Bīt-Ammon, Kammūsu-na[d]bi of the land Moab, Aya-rāmu of [the land] Edom, (ii 55) all [of] the kings of the land Amurru, [they br]ought extensive gifts, four [times] (the normal amount), as their substantial [audience g]ift before me and kissed my feet. [Moreover, (as for) Ṣ]idqâ, the king of the city Ashkelon who had not bowed down [to my yoke], I forcibly removed the gods of his father’s house, himself, his wife, his sons, [his daughters], (ii 60) his brothers, (and other) offspring of his father’s house and took him to As[syria]. I set Šarru-lū-dāri, son of Rūkibtu, their former king, over the people of the city Ashkelon and imposed upon him the payment of tribute (and) gifts (in recognition) of my overlordship so that he (now) pulls my yoke. In the course of my campaign, I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered the cities Bīt-Daganna, Joppa, Banayabarqa, (and) Azuru, the cities of Ṣidqâ that had not submitted to me quickly. (As for) the governors, the nobles, and the people of the city Ekron (ii 70) who had thrown Padî, their king who was bound by treaty and oaths to Assyria, into iron fetters and who had handed him over to Hezekiah of the land Judah in a hostile [manner, t]hey became frightened on account of the villainous acts they had committed. They formed a confederation with the kings of Egypt (and) the archers, ch[ariots], (ii 75) (and) horses of the king of the land Meluḫḫa, forces [without number], and they came to their aid. In the plain of the city Eltekeh, they sharpen[ed] their weapons while drawing up in battleline [bef]ore me. (iii 1) [Wi]th the support of the god Aššur, [my] lord, [I fo]ught [with them] and de[feated them]. In the thick of battle, I captured alive [the Egyptian] charioteers and prin[ces (lit. “the sons of the king”), to]gether with the [charioteers of] the king of [the land Meluḫḫa].

Column iii

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 crime(s) and hung their corpses on towers around the city; I counted the citizens who had committed (iii 10) the criminal acts as booty; (and) I com[manded] 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] pla[ced] (him) on the lordly throne over them, [then] I imposed up[on h]im payment (in recognition) of my overlordship. Moreover, (as for) Hezekiah of the land Judah, who had not [sub]mitted to my yoke, I surrounded (and) conquered forty-six of his fortified cities, fortresses, and small(er) settlements in their environs, which were without num[ber], by having ramps trodden down and battering rams brought [up], (iii 20) the assault of foot soldiers, sapping, breaching, [and sie]ge engines. I brought out [of] them 200,150 people, young (and) ol[d, male] and female, horses, mules, donkeys, c[amel]s, 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 m]ade 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, Pa]dî, the king of the city Ekron, (iii 30) and Ṣilli-[Bēl, the king of the city Ga]za, and (thereby) made his land smaller. To the for[mer] tribute, their annual [gi]ving, I added the payment (of) gifts (in recognition) of [my] overlord[ship] and imposed (it) upon them. As for him, Hezeki[ah, fea]r of my lordly brilliance overwhelmed him and, after [my] (departure), [he had] the [auxiliary forces] and his elite troops (iii 35) whom he had brought inside to strength[en the city Jeru]salem, his royal city, thereby ga[ining reinfor]cements, along with 30 talents of gold, 800 talents of silver, ch[oice an]timony, large blocks of ..., ivory beds, arm[chairs] of ivory, elephant hide(s), elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, every kin[d of] valuable [trea]sure, as well as his daughters, (iii 40) his palace women, male singer[s], (and) female singers [bro]ught into Nineveh, my capital city, and he sent a mounted messenger of his to me to deliver (this) payment and to do [obeisan]ce. On my fourth campaign, [the god Aššur], my lord, encouraged me so that [I mus]tered my numerous troops and (iii 45) ordered the march to the land Bīt-Yakīn. In the cou[rse of] my campaign, I defea[ted] Šūzubu (Mušēzib-Marduk), a Chaldean who [lives in the] marshes, at the city Bittūtu. [As for him, terror] of doing battle with me fell upon him [and] his [he]art [pounded]. He [fled] alone like a lynx [and] his (hiding) place could [not] be found. I [turned] around (lit. “I [turned] the front of my yoke”) and took the road to the land Bīt-Yakīn. He — Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), whom I had defeated and [whose] forces I had scattered during my first campaign — became frightened by the clangor of my mighty weapons and my fierce battle array, then (iii 55) dis[lodged] the gods of the (full) extent of his land from their abodes, [and] loaded (them) [onto] boats. [He flew away] like a bird [to the city Nagīte-raqqi, which is in the midst of] the sea. [I br]ought [his brothers, the seed of his father’s house, whom he had abandoned at the] shore of the sea, [together with the rest of the people of his land, out of the land Bīt-Yakīn, which is in] the sw[amps and marshes], and I counted (them) [as bo]oty. On[ce again] I destroyed (and) devastated [his cities], (and) turned (them) into ruins. I po[ured out] awe-inspiring brilliance upon his ally, the king of the land Elam. [On] my return march, I placed Aššur-nādin-šumi, my [first-born] son (whom I) raised on my (own) knee, on [his] lo[rdly] throne and entrusted him with the wide land of Su[mer and Akka]d. On my fifth campaign: The population of the cities Tumurrum, Šarum, [Ezā]ma, Kipšu, Ḫalbuda, Qūa, (and) Qana, whose dwellings [are] situ[ated] like [the nes]ts of eagles, the foremost of birds, [on] the peak of Mount [Ni]pur, a rugged mountain, [and] who had not bowed down to the yoke — I had my camp pitched [at the foot of Mount Nipur]. [Like a] fierce [wild bull, with] my select [body]guard [and] my merciless combat [troops], I took the lead of them (the soldiers in my camp). I proceeded through the gorges of the str[eams], the outflows of the mountains, (and) rugged slopes in (my) chair. (iv 1) [Where it was too difficult for (my) chair, I leapt forw]ard [on my (own) two feet like a mountain goat. I ascended the highest peaks against them. Where my knees became tired, I sat down upon the mountain rock] and [drank cold] water from a water skin [to (quench) my thirst].

Column iv

I pu[rsu]ed them on the peaks of the mountains and defe[at]ed them. I conquer[ed], plundered, destroyed, [devastated], (and) burned with fire their cities. I turned around (lit. “I turned the front of my yoke”) [and] took the road against Maniye, the king of the city Ukku (and) an insubmissive mountain-dweller. (iv 10) Before my time, none of the former kings of the past had marched through the untrodden paths (and) difficult trails on account of the rugged mountains. I had my camp pitched at the foot of Mount Anara and Mount Uppa, mighty mountains, and I myself, in an armcha[ir], (iv 15) with my [cra]ck com[bat] troops, entered their narrow passes with great difficulty and ascended with a struggle the steep mountain [pe]aks. He, Ma[ni]ye, saw the dust cloud (stirred up) [by] the feet of my troops, then he abandoned the city Ukku, his [roy]al [city], and fled afar. (iv 20) I [surrounded, conquer]ed, (and) plundered the city Ukku. [I brought] out [of it] every kind of [possession (and) property, the tre]asures of his palace, and I counted (it) as booty. Moreover, I conquered thirty-three cit[ies on the borders] of his district and carried off from them people, donkeys, [oxen, and] sheep and goats. (Then) I destroy[ed] (them), devastated (them), (and) burned (them) with fire. On [my] sixth campaign: The rest of the people of the land Bīt-Yakīn, who had groveled like onagers before my mighty weapon[s], dislodged the gods of the (full) extent of their land from their abodes, then crossed the Great Sea [of] the Rising Sun and (iv 30) set up their residences in the city Nagītu of the land Elam — I crossed over the sea in boats of the land Ḫat[ti]. I conquered the cities Nagītu (and) Nagītu-d[iʾbi]na, together with the lands Ḫilmu, Pillatu, and Ḫupapanu, districts of the land Elam. I carr[ied] off the people of the land Bīt-Yakīn, [together with] their gods and the people (iv 35) of the king of the land Elam, and I did not leave a (single) escapee. I loaded (them) onto boats and brought (them) to this side (of the sea), then I made (them) [ta]ke the road to Assyria. I destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire the cities that are in those distr[ict]s. I turned (them) into a mound of ruins (lit. “a mound and ruins”). On my re[turn ma]rch, i[n] a pitched battle, I defeated Šūzubu (Nergal-ušēzib), a citizen of Babylon who had taken the lor[ds]hip of the land of Sumer and Akkad for himself during the [confusion in] the land. I captured [him] alive, bound him with tethering ropes and iron fetters, and [broug]ht him to Assyria. I defeated the king of the land Elam, (iv 45) who had aligned himself with him and co[me to] his aid. I dispersed his forces [and] scattered his assembled host. On my seventh campaign, the god Aš[šur], my [lor]d, encouraged me and I marched to the land Elam. In the course of my campaign, I conquered and plundered the cities [Bīt]-Ḫaʾiri (and) Raṣā, cities on the border of Assyria [that] (iv 50) the Elamites had taken away by force [i]n the time of my ancestor(s). I had my garrisons stationed inside them. I brought (those cities) back inside the border of Assyria and [pla]ced (them) under the authority of the garrison commander of Dēr. The cities Bubê, Dunni-Šamaš, Bīt-Risiya, Bīt-Aḫlamê, (iv 55) Dūru, Dannat-Sulā[ya], Šilibtu, Bīt-Aṣusi, Kār-Zēra-iqī[ša], Bīt-Giṣṣi, Bīt-[Katpa]lāni, Bīt-Imbiya, Ḫamā[nu], Bīt-Arrabi, Burutu, Dimtu-ša-Su[lāya, D]imtu-ša-Mār-bīti-ēṭir, Ḫarri-ašlak[ê], (iv 60) Rabbāya, Rāsu, Akkabarina, Tīl-Uḫuri, Ḫamrānu, Naṭītu, together with the cities of the passes, namely Bīt-Buna[kku], Tīl-Ḫumba, Dimtu-ša-Dume[li], Bīt-Ubiya, Baltī-līšir, Taqab-līšir, (iv 65) Alu-ša-nāqidāte, Massūtu-šaplī[tu], Sarḫu-Dēri, Ālum-ša-Bēlet-[bīti], Bīt-Aḫḫē-iddina, (and) Ilte[uba] — I surrounded, conquered, plun[dered], destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire (those) thirty-four fortified cities, together with the small(er) settlements in [th]eir en[virons], which were without number. [I] made the smoke from [their] co[nfl]agration cover the wide heavens like a heavy cloud. Kudur-[Na]ḫundu (Kudur-Naḫḫunte), the Elamite, heard about the conquest of his cities and fear fell upon him. He brought (the people of) the rest [of] his cities into fortresses. He abandoned the city [Ma]daktu, his royal city, and took the road to the city Ḫa[y]dala (Ḫidālu), which is in the distant mountains. I ordered the [ma]rch to the city Madaktu, his royal city. In the month Tamḫīru, bitter cold [set] in and (v 1) a severe rainstorm sent down its rain. [I] was afraid of the rain and snow in the gorges, the outflows of the mounta[ins], (so) I turned around (lit. “I turned the front of my yoke”) and to[ok] the road to Nineveh.

Column v

At that time, by [the com]mand of the god Aššur, my lord, Kudur-Naḫundu (Kudur-Naḫḫunte), the king of the land Elam, did not last three months and suddenly died a premature death. After him, Umman-menanu (Ḫumban-menanu), who does not have sense or insight, his younger brother, sat on his throne. On my eighth campaign, after Šūzubu (Mušēzib-Marduk) had rebelled and (v 10) the citizens of Babylon, evil gallû-demons, had locked the city gates, th[ey] plotted to wage war. Arameans, fugitives, runaways, [mu]rderers, (and) robbers rallied around Šūzubu (Mušēzib-Marduk), a Chaldean, [a per]son of lowly status, a coward (lit. “who has no knees”), (and) a servant [who] belonged to the governor of the city Laḫīru, and they went down into the marshes and incited rebellion. I besieged him and put him in dire straits. On account of fear and hunger, he fled to the land Elam. When there were conspiracy [and treache]ry against him, [he hurried] out of the land Elam [and] (v 20) entered Šuanna (Babylon). The Babylonians inappropriately placed him (back) on the throne (and) entrusted him with the lordship of the land of Sumer and Akkad. They (the Babylonians) opened the treasury of Esagil and took out the gold (and) silver of the god Bēl (Marduk) (and) the goddess Zarpanītu, the property of the temple of their gods. (v 25) They sent it as a bribe to Umman-menanu (Ḫumban-menanu), the king of the land Elam, who does not have sense or insight, (saying): “Gather your army, muster your forces, hurry to Babylon, and align yourself with us! Let us put our trust in you.” That Elamite, whose cities I had conquered and turned into ruins during a previous campaign to the land Elam, accepted the bribe from them without thinking, then gathered his troops (and) his forces, inspected (his) chariots (and) wagons, (and) checked his teams (of) horses (and) mules. The lands Parsuaš, Anzan, Paširu, (and) Ellipi, the people of Yasiʾil, Lakab(e)ra, Ḫarzunu, Dummuqu, Sulāya, (and) Samʾuna, (who was) a son of Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), the lands Bīt-Adini, Bīt-Amukkāni, Bīt-Šilāni, Bīt-Sāla (Bīt-Saʾalli), Larak, the city Laḫīru, (v 40) the people (of the tribes of the) Puqudu, Gambulu, Ḫallatu, Ruʾuʾa, Ubulu, Malaḫu, Rapiqu, Ḫindaru, (and) Damunu, a large host, formed a confederation with him. In their multitude, they took the road to Akkad and, as they were advancing towards Babylon, they met up with Šūzubu (Mušēzib-Marduk), a Chaldean (who is) the king of Babylon, and banded their forces together. Like a spring invasion of a swarm of locusts, they were advancing towards me as a group to do battle. The dust of their feet covered the wide heavens like a heavy cloud in the deep of winter. While drawing up in battleline before me at the city Ḫalulê, (which is) on the bank of the Tigris River, (and) keeping me from the water source, they sharpened their weapons. I myself prayed to the deities Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Bēl, Nabû, Nergal, Ištar of Nineveh, (and) Ištar of Arbela, the gods who support me, (v 55) for victory over (my) strong enemy and they immediately heeded my prayers (and) came to my aid. I raged up like a lion, then put on armor (and) placed a helmet suitable for combat on my head. (v 60) In my anger, I rode quickly in my exal[ted] battle chariot, which lays enemies low. I took in my hand the mighty bow that the god Aššur had granted to me (and) I grasped in my hand an arrow that cuts off life. I roared loudly like a storm (and) thundered like the god Adad against all of the troops of the wicked enemies. (v 65) By the command of the god Aššur, the great lord, my lord, I blew like the onset of a severe storm against the enemy on (their) flanks and front lines. With the weapons of the god Aššur, my lord, and my fierce battle array, I turned [them] back and made them retreat. I shot [the troops of] the enemy with uṣṣu-arrows (and) mulmullu-arrows, and pierced all of their corpses like ... I quickly slaughtered and defeated Ḫumban-undāša, his field marshal, a trusted man who leads his troops, his main support, together with his magnates, who wear gold (decorated) belt-daggers and (v 75) have reddish gold sling straps fastened to their forearms, like fattened bulls restrained with fetters. I slit their throats like sheep (and thus) cut off their precious lives like thread. (vi 1) Like a flood in full spate [after] a seasonal rainstorm, I made their blood flow [over] the broad earth. The swift [thoroughbr]eds harnessed to my chariot plunged [into floo]ds [of their blood] (just) like the river ordeal. (vi 5) The wheels of my war chariot, [which lays] criminals and villains low, were bathed in blood and gore. I filled the plain with the corpses of their warriors like [grass]. I cut off (their) lips and (thus) destroyed their pride. I cut off their hands like the stems of cucumbers in season.

Column vi

I received gold (and) shining silver sling straps as their wrist-trappings (and) slashed off their b[el]ts with sharp swords. I took away gold (and) silver (decorated) belt-daggers as their waist-trappings. (As for) the rest of his magnates, who had raised their arms because they were terrified of doing battle with me, I captured them alive in the thick of battle. I brought back all together the chariots along with their horses, whose drivers had been killed i[n] the thick of (that) mighty battle and which had themselves been released so that they galloped ab[out] on their own. When the second double-hour of the night had pas[sed], I stopped their [slaug]hter. (As for) him, Umman-[menanu (Ḫumban-menanu), the king of the land Elam], along with the king of Babylon (and) [the] sheikhs [of Chaldea who marched at] his side, terror of doing bat[tle with me over]whelmed [them like alû-demons. They abandoned] their tents [and, in order to save th]eir [lives], they tra[mpled] the corpses of their troops [as they pushed on]. [Their hearts throbbed] like the pursued young of pigeons, they passed their urine hot[ly], (and) released their excrement [inside] their [chariot]s. I [ordered] my chariots (and) horses t[o pur]sue them. Wherever they caught (them), they ki[ll]ed with the sword the runaways amongst them, who had fled for (their) li[ve]s. At that time, the Rear Palace of Nineveh that earlier kings, my ancestors, had had built for the proper running of the military camp, the care of horses, (and) the overseeing of everything — its [ter]race did not exist and (vi 35) its site had become too small. With the passage of time, its base had fallen into disrepair, then its foundations had become loose (and) its superstructure had collapsed. I tore down that palace in its entirety. As an addition, I took m[u]ch land from the meadow and plain of the city (and) I added (it) to (the site). (vi 40) I abandoned the site of the former palace and filled in a terrace in the area that I had taken from the mead[ow]. I raised its superstructure 200 courses of brick high. In a favorable month, on an auspicious day, [upon] that terrace, I [had] a large palatial wing, which greatly surpassed the previ[ou]s one, [built] for my royal residence. I roofed it with magnificent beams of cedar. I fastened bands of bright copper on doors of white cedar and I installed (them) in its gates. I had bull colossi (text “a bull colossus”) fashioned (from) white limestone that was discovered in the territory of the city Balāṭāya and on the right and left I made (them) hold its door bolt(s). I built (and) completed that palace from its found[ations] to its battlements. I deposited in it inscribed objects bearing my name. In the future, one of the kings, my descendants, whom the god Aššur and the goddess Ištar [n]ame for shepherding the land and (vi 55) people — when th[at] palace becomes old and dilapidated, may [a future ruler] reno[vate] its [dilap]idated section(s) when th[at] palace becomes old and dilapidated. May he [fin]d an inscribed object bearing my name, ano[int] (it) with oil, make an offering, (and) [return] (it) to its [pl]ace. The god Aššur and the goddess Iš[tar] will (then) he[ar] his prayers.

Date ex. 1

[The month ..., (...th day,) eponymy of] Bēl-ēmuranni, [governor of] the city Carchemish (691).

Date ex. 2

Intercalary Adda[ru (XII₂), (...th day,) eponymy of ...], governor of [...].

Sennacherib 024

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). 2 exemplars. Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 024; CDLI P462832.

Column i

[Sennacherib], great king, [strong] king, [king of the world, king of Assyria], king of [the four quarters (of the world), capable shepherd], favorite of the [great] gods, [guardian of truth who lov]es ju[stice, (i 5) renders assistance, goes to] the aid of [the weak, (and) strives after good deeds, perfect] man, [virile warrior, fore]most of all [rulers, the bridle that controls] the insub[missive, (and) the one who strikes enem]ies [with lightning]: The god Aššur, the [great] mounta[in, gran]ted to [me unrivalled sovereignty and] made my weapons gr[eater than (those of) all who sit on (royal) dais]es. He made [all] of the black-headed (people) [from the] Upp[er S]ea of the Setting Sun [to] the Lower Sea of the Rising Su[n] bow down at [my] feet. (i 15) Thus did [recalcitrant] rulers come to fear battle with me. While they were abandoning their settlements, they flew away alone like bats (living) in crevices to inaccessible place(s). On my first campaign, I brought [about] the defeat of Marduk-apla-iddi[na] (II) (Merodach-baladan), king of Karduniaš (Babylonia), [toge]ther with the troops of (the land) Elam, his allies, in the plai[n of Kish]. In the midst of that bat[tle he abandoned his] ca[mp], fl[ed] alone, [and (thereby) saved his life. I seized the chariots], hors[es, ...] (i 25) ... [...] ... [...] (Lacuna)

Column ii

(Lacuna) ... [... I called it] Kār-Sennac[herib. I settled therein] the people of the lands that [I] had conquer[ed]. I placed (it) under the authority of a eun[uch of mine, the governor of the city Ḫarḫar], and (thus) en[larged my land]. [On my return march, I received] a [substantial] payme[nt] from the [distant] Mede[s, of whose land] no[ne of the kings], my ancestors, [had heard mention. (Thus) I made them bow down] to the yo[ke of my lordship]. (Lacuna)

Column vi

(Lacuna) [The god Adad (and) the goddess Šala, god]s [of the city Ekallātum whom Marduk-nādin-aḫḫē, king of Ak]kad, [had taken and] br[ought to Babyl]on [during the reign of Tiglath-pil]eser (I), [king of Assyria] — I had (them) [brought out of] Babylon [after 418 years and] I returned them [to the city Ekallātum, th]eir (proper) [place]. [I destroyed, devastated, (and) bur]ned [with fire the city, and (its) buildings, from its foundations t]o its crenellations. [I removed bricks] and earth, as much as there was, [from] the inner (and) outer walls, [the temples, (and) the ziggurrat, and] (vi 10´) I threw (it) [into the A]raḫtu [River]. I dug a canal [into the center of that city] and (thus) [lev]eled [their site with water. I destroyed] the outline of its foundations [and (thereby) made] its destruction [surpass that of the] Deluge. [So that in the futu]re, the site of that city [and (its) temples] will be unrecognizable, [I dissolved] it (Babylon) [in water] and annihilated (it), (making it) like a meadow. [...] ... who preceded/goes before [...] ... [...] (Lacuna)

Sennacherib 025

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 025; CDLI P462833.

Column i

(Lacuna) [...] ... [(...) (As for) the rest of his magnates, including Nabû]-šuma-iškun, [a son of Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), who had raised their arms because they were terrified of] doing battle with me, I [captured them ali]ve [in the thick of battle]. [I b]rought back [all together the chariots along with their horses, whose drivers had been killed i]n the thick of (that) [mighty battle and which had themselves been released so that they galloped about on] their [ow]n. [When the second double-hour of the night had passed], I stopped [their slaughter]. [(As for) him, Umman-menanu (Ḫumban-menanu), the king of the land El]am, [along with the king of Babylon (and) the sheikhs of Chal]dea (Lacuna)

Column ii

(Lacuna) I [fastened bands of bright copper on doors of white cedar and I installed (them) in their gates]. I [had] magnificent [bull colossi fashioned] from [white limestone that was discovered in the territory of] the city Balā[ṭāya and on the right and left] I made (them) h[old their door bolt(s)]. [I greatly enlarged its outer courtyard] for the proper administration of [the black-headed (people), the inspection of thoroughbred horses], mules, a[gālu-donkeys, military equipment, chariots], carts, [wagons, quivers], bows, and [uṣṣu-arrows, every type of] (ii´ 10´) implement of war, (and) the submission of te[ams of horses] (and) mules, which [have great] stren[gth], to the yoke. (Lacuna)

Sennacherib 026

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 026; CDLI P462834.

Column i

(Lacuna) [...] ... [... I conquered his (Marduk-apla-iddina II’s) entire land] and I coun[ted] (his people) as booty. [I destroyed, devas]tated, (and) burned with fire [his cities. ... in the city Na]gītu, where he was residing, [fear of (my lordly) brilliance] overwhelmed him and he (Marduk-apla-iddina II) disap[peared]. [I ruined the city Ḫirimmu] and (the land of) the Yasubigallians, [...d]ānu, (and) the dista[nt] Medes [and I destr]oyed their settlements. I took away the kingship of [Lulî, the king of] the city Sidon. (i 10´) I placed [Tu-Baʾlu] on his throne and imposed upon him [payment (in recognition) of] my [overlordship]. [I ruined the wide dis]trict of the land Judah (and) imposed the yoke on [Hezekiah, its king]. I put [to] the sword [the people of the city Tumurru]m, who live on Mount Nipur, [a rugged mountain]. I swept over [the city Ukku, together with every] last one of its settlements, (so that they looked) [like a ruin hill (created by) the Deluge]. [I struck down with the sword the people of the land Ḫilakku], who live [in the mountains].

Column ii

(Lacuna) ... [...] who/which ... [...]. In a pitched battle, [they captured him (Nergal-ušēzib) alive (and) brought him] before [me]. (ii 5´) At the Citadel Gate of Nineveh, [I bound him] with a bear [...]. (As for) the king of the land Elam, who had come to [his] (Šūzubu’s) a[id, I marched] to his land. [I surrounded, conquered, pl]under[ed, destroyed, devastated], (and) burned [with fi]re his fortified cities, [his] tre[asury], and small(er) settlements of his in [their] en[virons], as far as the pass of (the land) Bīt-Bunak[ku]. (Rest of the inscription is missing)

Sennacherib 027

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). 4 exemplars. Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 027; CDLI P462835.

Column i

[Senn]acherib, [great] king, strong [king, king of] the world, (i 5) [king of] Assyria, [king of] the [fou]r quarters (of the world), [cap]able [she]pherd, (i 10) [favo]rite of the [great] gods, [guardian of] truth [who love]s [justi]ce, (i 15) [renders assistance, goes to the aid of the wea]k, (i 20) (and) [st]rives after [goo]d deeds, [perfect] man, [virile] war[rior], fo[remost of] all rul[ers], (ii 1) the bri[dle] that con[trols] the insub[missive], (and) the one who strikes enem[ies with lightning]:

Column ii

The god Aššur, the [great] mountain, granted [to me] unrival[led] sovereig[nty and made my weapons greater] than (those of) a[ll] who sit on (royal) dais[es]. (Lacuna) [He made] al[l of the black-headed (people) from the Upper Sea of the Setting Sun] t[o the] Lo[wer Sea of the] Ris[ing Sun bow down at my feet]. (Lacuna)

Column iii

(Completely broken away)

Sennacherib 028

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 028; CDLI P462836.

[I brought out] and I coun[ted] (them) as booty. [Once again] I destroyed (and) [devastated] his [cit]ies, (Lacuna)

Sennacherib 029

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 029; CDLI P462837.

(Lacuna) I forcibly remo[ved the gods of] his father’s house, himself, [his] wife, [his sons, his daughters], his [brother]s, (and other) offspring of his father’s house [and t]ook him [to Assyria. I s]et Šarru-lū-dāri, son of [Rūkibtu, th]eir former [king, over the people of the city Ashke[lon] (i´ 5´) and [imposed upon hi]m the payment of tribute (and) gifts (in recognition) of [my] overlords[hip] so that he (now) pulls [my] yok[e]. [In the course of] my campaign, I surrounded, conquered, (and) [plundered] the cities Bīt-Daganna, [Jopp]a, Banayabarqa, (and) [Azuru, the cities] of Ṣidqâ [that had not sub]mitted [to me quickly. (As for) the governors], the nobles, [...] (Lacuna)

Sennacherib 030

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 030; CDLI P462838.

[He (Lulî) f]led afar into the midst of [the sea] and disapp[eared]. (Lacuna)

Sennacherib 031

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 031; CDLI P462839.

Column i

(Lacuna) [...] ... [... who lo]ves justice, [renders as]sistance, [goes to the aid of the w]eak, (i 5´) (and) [strives after] good deeds, [perfect man, viri]le warrior, [foremost of all rul]ers, [the bridle that controls the in]submissive, (and) [the one who strikes en]emies [with lightning]: [The god Aššur, the great mountain, granted to] me [unriv]alled sovereig[nty] and [...] ... [...] (Lacuna)

Column ii

(Lacuna) [I surrounded (and) conquered ... their] for[tified] wa[lled cities. I brought] out of th[em] people, hor[ses, mules], donkeys, ox[en, and sheep and goats, and I counted (them) as booty]. (ii 5´) Moreover, I destroyed, devas[tated, (and) turned into ruins their small(er)] settlements, [which were without number. I burned] with fi[re] pavilions (and) [tents, their abodes, and reduced (them) to ashes]. (Lacuna)

Sennacherib 032

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 032; CDLI P462840.

Column i

(Lacuna) [...] ... [I took ... as ... and a fortress for] th[at] district, then I chan[ged] its former name [and (i´ 5´) ca]lled it Kār-Sennache[rib]. I [settled] therein the people of [the lands that] I [had co]nquered. I pla[ced (it) under the authori]ty of a eu[nuch of mine], the gover[nor of] the city Ḫarḫar, [and (thus) en]larged [my] la[nd]. On my return march, I received a substantial [payment] from the distant Medes, of whose land [no]ne [of] the kings, my ancestors, had heard mention. (Lacuna)

Column ii

(Lacuna) [I fou]ght [with them] and [defeated them]. I[n the thick of battle, I captured] alive [the Egyptian cha]rioteers and [princes (lit. “the sons of the king”), tog]ether with the charioteer[s of the king of the land Meluḫḫa]. [I surrounded, conquered], (and) plundered the cities Eltekeh (and) Ta[mnâ]. I approached [the city Ekron and I killed] the [governors (and) nobles] who had [committed] crime(s) [and hung their corpses] on towers arou[nd the city]; ... [...] (Lacuna)

Sennacherib 033

Prism; clay; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 033; CDLI P462841.

(This text was not available for study so no transliteration is available.)

Chapter Three. Tablets and the Royal Road Inscription

Sennacherib 034 — Nebi Yunus Inscription

Tablet; stone; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 034; CDLI P462842.

Palace of 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, wise prince, circumspect ruler, shepherd of people, (and) leader of a widespread population, I: The god Aššur, father of the gods, looked steadfastly upon me among all of the rulers and made my weapons greater than (those of) all who sit on (royal) daises. He gave me a just scepter that widens borders (and) he put in my hand a merciless rod to fell enemies. In a pitched battle, I overwhelmed like the Deluge Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), the king of Karduniaš (Babylonia), Chaldeans and Arameans, together with the troops of the land Elam, his allies. He (Marduk-apla-iddina II) fled alone to the Sealand, then he collected the gods of the (full) extent of his land, together with the bones of his forefathers from (their) tomb(s), (10) loaded (them and) his people onto boats, and crossed over to the city Nagītu, which is on the other side of the Bitter Sea. In that place, he disappeared. I conquered his entire land and I counted (his people) as booty. I destroyed, devastated, burned with fire, (and) conquered his cities. I ruined the city Ḫirimmu and the land of the Yasubigallians, (and) the land Ellipi, and I destroyed its settlements. I took away the kingship of Lulî, the king of the city Sidon. I placed Tu-Baʾlu on his throne and imposed upon him payment (in recognition) of my overlordship. I ruined the wide district of the land Judah (and) imposed my yoke on Hezekiah, its king. I put to the sword the people of the city Tumurrum, who live on a rugged mountain (Mount Nipur). I destroyed the city Ukku, together with every one of its settlements, (so that they looked) like a ruin hill (created by) the Deluge. I struck down with the sword the people of the land Ḫilakku, who live in the mountains. I destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire their cities. I conquered the city Tīl-garimmu, which is on the border of the land Tabal, and turned (it) into ruins. 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 — who because of my mighty weapons had dislodged the gods of their land from their abodes (and) had crossed over the sea — had taken up residence inside: I crossed over the sea in boats of the land Ḫatti, which I had built in Nineveh and the city Tīl-Barsip. (25) I conquered and burned with fire the cities in those districts. 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. Afterwards, the Babylonians, who had gone forth with Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan) (and) had fled to (the land) Elam, brought the king of the land Elam to Babylon and he (the king of Elam) placed Šūzubu (Nergal-ušēzib), son of Gaḫul (Gaḫal), on the royal throne over them. I ordered archers, chariots, (and) horses of my royal contingent to confront (30) the king of the land Elam. They killed many troops, including his son, and he (the king of Elam) retreated. They marched to Uruk (and) carried off the deities Šamaš of Larsa, the Lady of the Rēš-Temple, the Lady of Uruk, Nanāya, Uṣur-amāssa, Bēlet-balāṭi, Kurunam, Kaššītu, (and) Palil, the gods who live in Uruk, together with their property (and) possessions, which are without number. On their return march, in a pitched battle, they captured Šūzubu (Nergal-ušēzib), the king of Babylon, alive. (35) They threw him into a neck-stock (and) fetters and brought him before me. At the Citadel Gate of Nineveh, I bound him with a bear. (As for) the king of the land Elam, who had come to the aid of the Babylonians, I marched to his land. I surrounded, conquered, plundered, destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire his fortified cities, his treasury, and the small(er) settlements in their environs, as far as the pass of the land Bīt-Bunakku. The king of the land Elam heard about the conquest of his cities and fear fell upon him. (40) He made the rest of the people of his land go up into fortresses. He abandoned the city Madaktu, his royal city, and set out for the city Ḫaydala (Ḫidālu), which is in the mountains. I ordered the march to the city Madaktu, his royal city. In the month Ṭebētu (X), bitter cold set in and continuous rain fell, and I was afraid of the snow in the gorges, the outflows of the mountains, (so) I turned around and took the road to Assyria. Afterwards, the king of the land Elam, the lands Parsuaš, Anzan, (45) Paširu, (and) Ellipi, the entirety of Chaldea, (and) all of the Arameans, a large host, formed a confederation with him. They met up with the king of Babylon and marched towards me to do battle. With the strength of the god Aššur, my lord, I fought with them on the plain of the city Ḫalulê (and) defeated them. I put to the sword 150,000 of their combat troops. I took away from them chariots, wagons, (and) their royal tents. I captured alive in the midst of (that) battle their magnates, including Nabû-šuma-iškun, a son of Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), who were standing in silver (decorated) chariots, bedecked with gold ..., wear gold (decorated) belt-daggers, and have gold rings fastened to their forearms. Terror of doing battle with me overwhelmed the king of Babylon and the king of the land Elam. They released their excrement inside their chariots, fled alone, and ran away to their (own) land(s). At that time, the Rear Palace, which is inside Nineveh, that earlier kings, my ancestors, had had built for the proper running of the military camp, the care of horses, and the overseeing of everything — a terrace for that palace did not exist and its site had become too small, (and its) outer courtyard was not wide enough to have horses show (their) mettle. With the passage of time, its base had fallen into disrepair and its superstructure was tottering. I tore down that palace in its entirety. (60) As an addition, I took much fallow land from the meadow (and) I added (it) to it. I abandoned the site of the former palace and filled in a terrace in the fallow land that I had taken from the meadow. I raised its superstructure 200 courses of brick high, measured by my large brick mold. I laid the foundation of my palatial halls upon that terrace. I had a palatial hall of limestone (and) cedar, a replica of a palace of the land Ḫatti, (65) and a magnificent palatial hall of Assyrian workmanship, which greatly surpassed (the previous one) in size and splendor, built for my royal residence. I greatly enlarged its outer courtyard for making my thoroughbred horses submissive to the yoke and for reviewing the substantial enemy booty that the god Aššur had given to me. With the exalted strength of the gods, my lords, I sent orders to all the kings of the land Amurru whom they (the gods) had made bow down at my feet. (70) They cut down large beams of cedar on Mount Amanus. They dragged (them) to Nineveh and I roofed them (the palatial halls). I fastened bands of copper on doors of cypress (and) white cedar and I installed (them) in their gates. I had pendû-stone — whose appearance is as finely granulated as cucumber seeds, considered valuable enough to be an amulet, a stone for speaking (and) being accepted, as well as making storms pass by, (and) keeping illness away from a man, (and) which was brought from the foot of Mount Nipur — and white limestone, which was discovered at the city Balāṭāya, (75) fashioned into bull colossi and I made (them) hold their door bolts. I erected cedar columns over sphinxes of pendû-stone and I positioned the architraves of that palatial hall of limestone (on those columns). With the ingenious mind that the lord of wisdom, the god Ninšiku, had granted to me, by divine will, I created clay molds for all of the bronze works that I intended to cast in Nineveh for the requirements of my palatial halls, then I poured copper into them (text “it”) and (80) my handiwork succeeded. Furthermore, I had twin lamassu-colossi of copper bear slabs of pendû-stone. I stationed (them) between the sphinxes, made (them) like battlements, and made (the façade) beautiful. In the great courtyard below the palatial hall of limestone, I had a pedestal of pendû-stone, breccia, and sābu-stone made for my royal residence. I placed on it four bronze columns that were alloyed with one-sixth tin and I roofed it with cedar crossbeams that were plated with silver. I made (that) armory extremely large, perfect, (and) splendid. I filled it with luxuriousness to be an object of wonder for all of the people. The surplus payment of all of the lands, (including) that of the distant Medes — from whom none of the kings, my ancestors, had received tribute — together with the wagons, chariots, vehicles of the king of the Elamites, the king of Babylon, and Chaldea that I had captured, along with the countless equipment (90) that I had accumulated: I had (all of these things) carried to the treasury of that palace and brought inside it. By the command of the god Aššur, father of the gods, and the goddess Mullissu, the queen, may I spend a long time (and) attain very old age in that palace in good health, happiness, and contentment. May my descendants be established therein forever, into the distant future. May the šēdu-spirit(s) who protect life, the god(s) who preserve well-being day and night, never leave it.

Sennacherib 035 — Ungnad/Winckler Fragments

Tablet; stone; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). 2 exemplars. Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 035; CDLI P462843.

Obverse

[...] ... [... I carried off the people of the land Bīt-Yakīn and their gods, together with sol]diers of [the king of the land Elam, and I brought (them) to Assyria]. Afterwards, the [Babylonians — ..., who along with Mar]duk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan) [had gr]oveled [in the face of] my mighty [we]apons dur[ing the course of a previous campaign of mine, ...] ..., had gone out, and had fled to (the land) Elam — brought [..., the E]lamite, to Babylon [and] he (the king of Elam) pla[ced Šūzubu (Nergal-ušēzib), son of Gaḫul (Gaḫal), o]n the royal throne over them. [I ordered archers, chariots], (and) horses of my royal contingent to confront (10´) [the king of the land Elam]. They killed many of his troops, including his son, and [he (the king of Elam) retreated. They] marched [to] Uruk (and) carried off the god Šamaš of Larsa (and) [the goddess the Lady of] Uruk, the go[ds] living inside it, together with their property (and) [possessions, which are without numb]er. On their return march, [in a] pitched [battle], they took Šūzubu (Nergal-ušēzib), [the king of Babylon], alive and [brought him] before me. [At the] Citadel [Gat]e of Nineveh, I bound him with a bear. (As for) the king of the land [Elam, who] had come [to the ai]d of the Babylonians, [I marched to his land]. I surrounded, conquered, pl[undered, des]troyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire (his) fortified cities, his treasury, and the small(er) settlements [in their environs, as far as] the pass of the land Bīt-Bunakku. [The king of the land Elam hea]rd about [the conquest of his cities] and fear fell upon him. [He made] the rest of the people of his land [go] up [into fortresses]. He abandoned the city Madaktu, his royal city, and set out for the city Ḫaydala, which is [i]n the mountains. I ordered the march [to the city Madaktu], his [roy]al [city]. In the month Ṭebētu (X), bitter cold [set in so I turned] around (lit. “I turned [the front of m]y [yoke]”) and took the road to Assyria. [After my (departure) h]e (the king of Elam), in order to (re)settle his district, [...] on ruin hills. [He bro]ught [the rest] of the people of his land, who had fled before my weapons, down fr[om ...] and settled (them) on the alluvium. [...] ... I captured the people of his land and counted (them) as booty. [I destroyed, devastated], (and) burned [with] fire [his cities]. The Babylonians [...] aligned themselves with the king of the land Elam and bowed down at his feet. [...] I ordered the march [to] Šuanna (Babylon). [...] ... in lamentation. Fear fell upon them. [They open]ed [the treasury of Esagil, sent] gold, silver, (and) precious stones [as a bribe] to the king of the land Elam (Umman-menanu), (and) [wr]ote to him as follows: “[Hurry to Babylon and align yourself with us]! Let us put our trust in you.”

Reverse

He, [the king of] (the land) Elam — [the people of whose land I had captured] and carried off (and) whose cities I had destroyed, [devastated], (and) burned [with fire] — had no [sense or insight] in him (lit. “in his ear”). He accepted [the br]ibe of the Babylonians and [...] ... He did not order their work, (but) gathered [his army (and) forces]. The lands Parsuaš, Anzan, Paširu, (and) [Ellipi, the entirety of Chaldea], (and) all of the Arameans, a large host, [formed a confederation with him. They met up with the king of B]abylon (and) the citizens of Babylon (and) Borsippa [and] they marched towards me [t]o do battle. [With the strength of the god Aššur, my lord, I fought] with them [on] the plain of the cit[y Ḫalul]ê (and) [defeated them. I put to the sword] 150,000 of their [comb]at t[roops]. I took away from them [chariots, w]agons, (and) their [roy]al tents. I [cap]tured alive [in the midst of (that) battle their magnates, including N]abû-šuma-iškun, a son of Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), who [were stan]ding [in silver (decorated) chariots], bedecked with gold ..., wear gold (decorated) belt-daggers, [and have gold rings fa]stened to their forearms. [Terror of doing battle with me over]whelmed the king of Babylon and the king of the land Elam. They released [their excrement] inside their chariot(s), [fle]d [alone], and ran away to their (own) land(s). [... Teʾelḫu]nu, queen of the Arabs, in the middle of the desert [...] I took away [...] thousand camels from her. She [...] with Hazael. [Terror of doing battle wi]th me overwhelmed them. They abandoned their tents and fled for (their) lives [to the city ...] and the city Adummatu. [(As for) the city... and the city Ad]ummatu, which are located in the desert, [... a place of thirst in whi[ch] there is no pasture (or) watering-place, [...] ... (Lacuna) [... by having] ramp[s] trodden down [...] ... and [I received] their sub[stantial] payment [...] ... to me. (As for) the cities Kapānu, ... [...] its secret place, (which is) in [... (5´´) ... I carried] off [Teʾelḫunu, que]en of the Arabs, together with [her] god[s, ...] ..., pappardilû-stones, pappar[mīnu]-stone[s, ...] ḫašūru-wood, all types [of] aromatics, [...] ... and kings ... [... I destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire] those cities. [At that time, my] heart [prompted me to ... the Rear Palace, which is] inside Nineveh. [... alabas]ter, limesto[ne ... b]eams of cyp[ress ...] silver, bronze, ... [... for review]ing [substantial enemy] booty, [...] ... [...] (Lacuna)

Sennacherib 036

Tablet; stone; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 036; CDLI P462844.

Obverse

[The god] Aššur, the great mountain, father of the gods, the one who decrees [fates, ..., who deli]berates (only) with himself; the gods Anu, Enlil, (and) E[a, ...] the designs of heaven and earth, who designates ... [...; the god Sîn (...)], the one who constantly renews himself, the pure god whose signs are inscrutab[le, ...], (5) the one who makes decisions, the one who makes [ast]rological signs [known; the god Šamaš, ...], great judge of the great gods, whose [lordly] splendor [overwhelms all of] the lands everywhere; the god Adad, canal inspector of heaven (and) earth, [...], the one who brings barley and flax into being, who makes sat[tukku-offerings] abundant, [...]; the god Šamaš, his signs, without whom ... [...] (10) (and) no ruler is named; the god Nabû, [... of heaven and] earth, controller of harmony, [...]; the god Ninurta, heir of the god Enlil, ... [...] the one who breaks up mountains ... [...; the goddess Ištar, ...] for her gre[at] divinity, [...; (and) the Sebetti], (15) the supr[eme] gods [who] stand [at the side of the king who reveres them] and [make his weapons prevail over all enemies]: Sennac[herib, ...] (Lacuna)

Reverse

(Lacuna) [I received a substantial] payment [from the distant Medes, of whose land none of] the king[s, my ancestors, had heard mention. (Thus) I made them bow down to the yoke of my lordship]. At that time, the temple of ... [...], the temple of the god Sîn, the temple of the goddess Nin[gal, the temple of the god Šamaš, the temple of the goddess Aya, ...], (rev. 5´) the temple of the goddess the Lady of Nineveh, the gr[eat] lady, [(...) which Ashurnasirpal (II), king of Assyria], son of Tukultī-Ninurta (II), king of Assyria, [... had built] — with the passage of time those [temples ...]. I tore them down and [reached their] foundation pit(s). I secured [their foundations (...) like] solid [bed]rock and [I built] (and) completed (them) fr[om their foundations to their crenellations]. The great gods, [...], my lords, [...] into [their] shrines [...]. I graciously settled (them) on the[ir] daises [... I offered] fattened bulls (and) fattened sheep as sacrifice[s ...]. I presented m[y] gift(s) to them and [...] before [them]. I had [all] the victorious conquests that [I achieved] over all of (my) enemies [(...)] with the sup[port of (...) the great gods], my lords, written upon inscribed objects and for [the kings (...)], my descendants, I deposited (them) [for ever after]. In the future, may a future ruler, when [these] temple[s] become old and dilapidated, [see] my inscribed objects, [anoint (them) with oil], make [an offering], (and) place (them) with inscribed objects bearing his name. [The god Aššur will (then) hear his prayers].

Sennacherib 037

Tablet; stone; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 037; CDLI P462845.

Obverse

Palace of Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters (of the world), (and) favorite of the great gods: The god Aššur, father of the gods, looked steadfastly upon me among all of the rulers and he made my weapons greater than (those of) all who sit on (royal) daises. He gave me a just scepter that widens borders (10) (and) he put in my hand a merciless rod to fell enemies. [He] made rulers of the four quarters (of the world), from east to west, bow down at my feet and they (now) pull my yoke. [The akītu-house which] from the very distant past [...] ... (Lacuna)

Reverse

(Lacuna) [...] ... [... the] Nergal [Gate], which is opposite [...] justice, who opens its gate. I built [E]šaḫulezenzagmukam, “House of Joy and Gladness for the Festival of the Beginning of the Year.” At the time of the festival of the akītu-house (New Year’s house), I celebrate annually [i]nside it with prayer and expressions of my humility (lit. “stroking my nose”) before god and goddess and for my [lord]ly pleasure. Month Araḫsamna (VIII), eleventh day, eponymy of Nabû-kēnu-uṣur (690).

Sennacherib 038 — Royal Road Inscription

Stele; stone; Kuyunjik (Nineveh). 3 exemplars. Reign of Sennacherib, 704-681 BC. Sennacherib 038; CDLI P462846.

Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters (of the world), (and) favorite of the great gods: The god Aššur and the goddess Ištar granted me a weapon without equal and gave me the strength (lit. “opened my arms”) to destroy those hostile to Assyria. With their great support, (10) I constantly directed my troops in safety from east to west and I made all of the rulers who sit on (royal) daises throughout the four quarters (of the world) bow down at my feet and they (now) pull my yoke. At that time, I enlarged the site of Nineveh, my capital city. I broadened its streets for the course of a royal road and (thus) I made (the city) as bright as day. I had an inner and outer wall skillfully built and I raised (them) as high as mountain(s). I widened its moat 100 large cubits. So that in the future there would be no diminution of the royal road, I had steles made and they stood on each side, opposite one another. I measured the width of the royal road, as far as the Gate of the Gardens, as fifty-two large cubits. At any time, when (anyone of) the people living in this city tears down his old house and builds a new one — if the foundation of his house encroaches upon the royal road, he will be hung (lit. “they will hang him”) on a stake over his house.

Colophon

Source and license. This edition reproduces the English translation published by the Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period (RINAP) project's online edition (oracc.org/rinap/rinap3/), the digital edition of A. Kirk Grayson and Jamie Novotny, The Royal Inscriptions of Sennacherib, King of Assyria (704–681 BC), Part 1 (The Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period 3/1; Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2012), created 2012 and lemmatized by Jamie Novotny, 2011, as part of the University of Pennsylvania-based RINAP Project (2008–), fetched 2026-08-08. RINAP's own volume page states its content is "released under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license"; the project's machine-readable data files carry the further statement "This data is released under the CC0 license" (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). Both statements are recorded here; this edition credits RINAP, A. Kirk Grayson, and Jamie Novotny regardless of which license term governs a given file, per academic courtesy and the Good Work Library's own attribution practice.

What this edition is. The English text above is RINAP's own published translation of the thirty-eight inscriptions edited in Grayson and Novotny's Part 1, reproduced complete and verbatim from the project's HTML reading editions and reformatted from an interlinear line-by-line display into continuous reading prose. The three-chapter division (cylinders; prisms; tablets and the Royal Road Inscription) follows the objects' own type, as RINAP's catalogue records it; each inscription's obverse, reverse, edges, and columns are marked where the source itself marks them, and a small number of exemplar-specific date formulas are marked exactly as RINAP's own edition marks them, in bold. No word has been altered, paraphrased, or supplied by this library. Brackets, ellipses, and parenthetical notes such as "(Lacuna)," "Completely broken away," and "Ruling line and date missing" are RINAP's own, recording damaged, restored, or illegible cuneiform and the physical state of the object. Three of the thirty-eight texts below — Sennacherib 6, 14, and 33 — were not available for RINAP's editors to study directly; RINAP publishes no transliteration or translation for them, and that absence is disclosed in place of an invented text.

Composite identification. Each inscription above is given by its RINAP designation, its object type, material, and known findspot, its popular name where RINAP's catalogue gives one, its number of known exemplars, and its RINAP text ID (an Oracc Q-number), under which the full transliteration, lemmatization, and further exemplar detail can be studied at RINAP's own site.

Prepared for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted research, transcription, and editorial work.

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