A Selection from the Cuneiform Historical Texts from Nineveh (1927-32)

R. Campbell Thompson

doi:10.2307/4199521

A Selection from the Cuneiform Historical Texts from Nineveh (1927-32)

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 April 2016

R. Campbell Thompson

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The following article contains new material from the historical texts found at Nineveh during the excavations which I carried on with Messrs. Hutchinson, Hamilton, and Mallowan during the seasons 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931, on behalf of the British Museum. These were financed in the main by Sir Charles Hyde, Bt., but part of the remainder of the funds was provided from the bequest of Miss Gertrude Bell, from the Percy Sladen Fund, from my College, Merton, and from the Society of Antiquaries.

It will be remembered that, although our main excavations were carried on on the mound of Quyunjiq, during some part of the seasons 1927 and 1931 we worked on a small section (within the main, inner walls) on the flats in the fields below (Archaeologia, LXXIX, 1929, 103, and A.A.A. XX, 1933, 75, the latter reference giving its exact position). I was misled, I think, at first by finding here a brick which had come from the house built by Sennacherib for his son, and for this reason called the building ‘SH’ (Sennacherib's House), a term which, in order to avoid confusion, has been retained. From this collection of buildings came the perfect Esarhaddon prism published in P.E. and about 300 more pieces of prisms, some of Sennacherib and Esarhaddon, but the majority of Ashurbanipal, of which I am now publishing here the most interesting (the majority of the rest being well-known duplicates). Besides these will be found herein (also from ‘SH’) a fragment of a syllabary (No. 39), three amulet texts (Nos. 38, 38a 41), and a small, almost meaningless note (No. 42). Why the Hittite texts (A.A.A. ibid., pl. CV) should have been stored here is a problem.

Type: Research Article
Information: IRAQ , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , Autumn 1940 , pp. 85 - 111

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/4199521 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © The British Institute for the Study of Iraq 1940

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^{page 86 note 1} Abbreviations: A.B.L. = Harper, Assyrian and Babylonian Letters; Ann. = Winckler, , Keilschrifttexte Sargons, die Annalen, pp. 2 ff.Google Scholar; Br. = Brünnow, Classified List; Cat. = King, Catalogue of the Cuneiform Tablets, Suppt.; C.E.N. = Thompson and Hutchinson, Century of Exploration at Nineveh C.T. = Cuneiform Texts; D.A.C.G. = Thompson, Dictionary of Assyrian Chemistry; H.P.I.A. = Piepkorn, Historical Prism Inscriptions of Ashurbanipal; I.A. = Bauer, Das Inschriftenwerke Assurbanipals; K.A.H. = Keilschrift texte aus Assurt Historischen Inhalts; K.A.R. = Keilschrifttexte aus Assurt Religiösen Inhalts; P.E. = Thompson, Prisms of Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal; Pr. = Die Prunkinschrift, Winckler, op. cit., pp. 96 ff.; Senn. = Luckenbill, Annals of Sennacherib; St. = Die Inschr. der Stele, Winckler, op. cit., pp. 174ff.; Winckler = Keilschrifttexte Sargons. The tablets are identified by the collections TH (Thompson and Hutchinson, or Thompson and Hamilton) or TM 1931-2 (Thompson and Mallowan, with a provisional, and not British Museum number). The square on the excavation plan on Quyunjiq and depth is marked by a letter and a figure following (for which see plans, Archaeohgia, LXXIX, pls. LXIII-LXV; A.A.A. 1930-1, pl. XXXIX; 1932, pls. XCI-XCII; and for SH, ibid., 1933, pl. CVI.

^{page 86 note 2} Restored from St. i. 9-11. I doubt if there is room for the full restoration of St. i. 13-17.

^{page 86 note 3} St. i. 18-21.

^{page 86 note 4} Cf. Pr. 11-12.

^{page 87 note 1} Cf. Pr. 23.

^{page 87 note 2} Cf. Ann. 415, &c. The variant na for nu on the Pavé des Portes, Winckler, p. 152, 94, is perhaps the reading here.

^{page 87 note 3} Ann. 416.

^{page 87 note 4} Ann. 417 šadû A-ra-al-li ki-niš'-al-du.

^{page 87 note 5} Cf. ‘XIV’, 88, Winckler, 94.

^{page 87 note 6} Ann. 419.

^{page 87 note 7} Cf. ‘XIV’, 27, Winckler, 86.

^{page 87 note 8} St. i. 22, to a-bil.

^{page 87 note 9} For iš-tin, St. i. 25.

^{page 87 note 10} From ‘XIV’ 6 ff., Winckler, 80.

^{page 87 note 11} St. i. 32, pi-ri- …

^{page 87 note 12} St. i. 33.

^{page 87 note 13} St. i. 37.

^{page 87 note 14} St. i. 42 and parallels, see D.A.C.G. 126. The usual word after naglabu is qubû, but it is not improbable that our word [p]aitu here may be a synonym: GI.ŠÚ. A = šuttmku, pattû and qubû (Br. 2535-7), while GI. ˇÚ. BIL. LAL is pattû, perhaps not the same (Br. 2505). The suggestion that it might mean ‘tinder’ has no philological support.

^{page 87 note 15} Cf. St. i. 44.

^{page 87 note 16} St. i. 46.

^{page 87 note 17} St. i. 48.

^{page 87 note 18} St. i. 51.

^{page 87 note 19} St. i. 54.

^{page 87 note 20} St. i. 57.

^{page 87 note 21} St. i. 61.

^{page 87 note 22} Pr. 112.

^{page 87 note 23} Pr. 113.

^{page 87 note 24} Cf. Ann. 224 and Pr. 86.

^{page 87 note 25} Cf. Pr. 114.

^{page 88 note 1} Cf. Pr. 114.

^{page 88 note 2} Probably restore ll. 24-7 from Pr. 114 ff.

^{page 89 note 1} The people of Bit-Iakin were settled in Kummuḫ.

^{page 89 note 2} ‘Eunuch’ appears to be a correct translation from C.T. XXIII. 10, 14 kima šu-ut ri-e-ši la a-li-di ni-il-ka li-bal ‘As a šut rêši bears not (clause dependent On kima), may thy seed be carried away’. Cf. also ibid. 19.

^{page 89 note 3} Cf. Luckenbill, 95, 73 and 103, 45.

^{page 89 note 4} Ibid. 99, 47 (of the Tebilti).

^{page 89 note 5} Ibid. 94, 67.

^{page 90 note 1} Or uš-te-me-da. C.T. has ú-kin man-da-tuš šá dûri-šu rabî(i).

^{page 90 note 2-2} Not in C.T.

^{page 90 note 3} For this line C. T. has ul-la-a ri-ši-šú.

^{page 90 note 4} C.T. ‘15’.

^{page 90 note 5} This gate is included in C.T. as one of the gates facing west.

^{page 90 note 6} C.T. adds ú.

^{page 90 note 7} As in Cat. XXII; C.T. XXVI has li-bur.

^{page 90 note 8} C.T. kin-ni palî-šú.

^{page 90 note 9} See King, in C.T. XXVI (p. 28, n. 1)Google Scholar and Cat. XXII, discussing the variant … -qit a-a-bi-i[a] on K 4492, for C.T. xxvi. vii. 89 šá-a-giš za-ma-ni-ia.

^{page 90 note 10} C.T. XXVI na-ṣir.

^{page 90 note 11} Here C.T. XXVI summarizes ‘in all 3 gates facing north’.

^{page 90 note 12} As on K 4492, C.T. XXVI (p. 28, n. 4)Google Scholar.

^{page 90 note 13} From here to end of l. 32, new.

^{page 90 note 14} From here to end of l. 36, new.

^{page 91 note 1} From here to end of l. 40, new.

^{page 91 note 2} Naburru, Baumgartner, , Z.A. 1925, 226 Google Scholar.

^{page 91 note 3} i.e. = Ninlil: see Meissner, , Bab.-Ass. 11. 411 Google Scholar.

^{page 91 note 4} The text has ma-as-qí-e as in Cat. XXIV, which should properly be ma-aš-qí-e, it it means ‘watering-places’.

^{page 92 note 1} Note how, when he is building his palace on Quyunjiq, he speaks of ‘the former palace’, which he cleared away: but he also speaks of ‘a former palace’, when he rebuilds the Bit Kutalli on Nebi Yunus. There can, however, hardly be a confusion between the two in the descriptions of the gates, as in every case ‘the former palace’ must surely apply to that on Nebi Yunus.

^{page 92 note 2} For mušalum as ‘stairway’ see Andrae, , Das wiedererstandene Assurt 214 Google Scholar; Archaeohgia, ibid. 112. The ‘Gate of the Mušlalunm’ in the NE. wall was also a stairway, connected with the asakku-disease perhaps because of the road leading to a sulphur spring (see Archaeologia, ibid.).

^{page 93 note 1} Senn. 115, 46, has a-lak-ti here, but the upright wedge on our text is certain.

^{page 94 note 1} Cf. at-tag-giš in the campaign against the Kassites, Senn. 26, 71.

^{page 94 note 2} The reference is to Merodach-Baladan; cf. Nebi Yunus slab 11.

^{page 94 note 3} Cf. ibid. II.

^{page 94 note 4} For šadî(i) marṣi of ibid. 16 for which there may be room in the next line.

^{page 94 note 5} Variant for uabbit, ibid. 17.

^{page 95 note 1} A proper name ?

^{page 96 note 1} Cf. Prism of Esarhaddon, I R 47, 36 and preceding for restoration.

^{page 97 note 1} Not at present available, except so far as the copy in Cat. 3.

^{page 97 note 2} V. me.

^{page 98 note 1} Cf. the Prism ‘D’ of H.P.I.A. ii. 24, ll. 1-21 to end of column.

^{page 98 note 2} Cf. Streck, 11. 376, ii. 1.

^{page 98 note 3} ‘D’.

^{page 98 note 4} Piepkorn's restoration from P.E., p. 33, iv. 10-11.

^{page 99 note 1} Taken from K 2867, 13, Streck, II. 210, which it also restores.

^{page 99 note 2} See H.P.I.A. 39, n. 12, and for the reading, ibid., p. 37, n. 7.

^{page 101 note 1} Instead of ú-šáḫ-ri-bu, III R 29, r. 8.

^{page 101 note 2} III R 29 omits these two lines.

^{page 101 note 3} III R 29, 10, áš-šú.

^{page 101 note 4} Ibid. ti.

^{page 101 note 5} Ibid. im-da-ḫa-ru-m-ma.

^{page 101 note 6} Ibid. omits this line, having eli-šú-nu instead.

^{page 101 note 7} From here on to the end of the column is new.

^{page 103 note 1} Cf. A, col. i. 114, ik-šu-du.

^{page 103 note 2} Cf. A, col. i. 115 ú-dan-nin.

^{page 103 note 3} In B.

^{page 103 note 4} Variation from B here.

^{page 104 note 1} Variants from No. 24: omits;

^{page 104 note 2} šûr;

^{page 104 note 3} ša;

^{page 104 note 4} conjectural.

^{page 104 note 5} Probably, or áš.

^{page 104 note 6} Probably, but perhaps dan.

^{page 105 note 1} See H.P.I.A. 87, n. 45.

^{page 105 note 2} Down to here restore from H.P.I.A. 88, and then hereafter both from this and pp. 90, 92, and from Prism B, Streck, Assurb. 11. 136 Google Scholar. For uṣar-ramu in l. 2 cf. I.A. 29, T. 6.

^{page 106 note 1} Cf. C.T. XVIII. 29, 46 a = Nin-gal, but I have not been able to examine the prism with this possible reading in mind.

^{page 107 note 1} Prism A, col. vi, l. 123.

^{page 107 note 2} Prism C, col. x, l. 65.

^{page 107 note 3} Prism A, col. x, 1. 65.

^{page 107 note 4} Maḫir, in the indefinite state after a negative, cf. my On Traces of an Indefinite Artide, p. 20.

^{page 107 note 5} See No. 36 and A.A.A. XX, 1933, p. 106.

^{page 107 note 6} Cf. Prism B, col. iii, l. 102. Mat-a-a (so Streck; but Mad-a-a is a possible reading); the form ^mâtu Ma-ta-a-a, however, actually occurs as early as Shamshi-Adad V, col. iii, l. 33.

^{page 107 note 7} Cf. A.A.A. XX, 1933, p. 105 Google Scholar.

^{page 107 note 8} ‘Gave his word with him’: cf. Prism A, col. iii, l. 106.

^{page 107 note 9} Cf. Prism A, col. iii, l. 125.

^{page 107 note 10} Cf. Prism A, col. iv, l. 82.

^{page 108 note 1} Cf. Tigl. Pil. III, Ann. 12, Rost, Keils. Tig. 4.

^{page 108 note 2} Cf. Prism A, col. iii, l. 81.

^{page 108 note 3} Cf. Prism A, col. iv, l. 62.

^{page 108 note 4} Cf. Prism A, col. iv, l. 59.

^{page 108 note 5} In Prism C.

^{page 108 note 6} In Prism A.

^{page 109 note 1} Is this character e? or šarru? (I am unable at present to re-examine the text.) Cf. A.A.A. XX. 96 Google Scholar.

^{page 109 note 2} A.A.A. XX, 1933, p. 106 Google Scholar.

^{page 110 note 1} K.A.R. qabli.

^{page 110 note 2} K.A.R. ú.

^{page 110 note 3} K.A.R. adds e.

^{page 110 note 4} K.A.R. ti.

^{page 110 note 5} K.A.R. li-lu.

^{page 110 note 6} K.A.R. ana or ina.

^{page 110 note 7} K.A.R. pa-an.

^{page 110 note 8} Rec. for this line ^iṣ KU.DINGIR (see Weidner, loc. cit., 207, n. 2) šá ina pân maš-ku: K.A.R. omits^iṣ before me-ṭu.

^{page 110 note 9} K.A.R.j Rec., and No. 38 a du-ru.

^{page 110 note 10} K.A.R. te-bu-ú.

^{page 110 note 11} K.A.R. (without blank) annanna.

^{page 110 note 12} On No. 38 a a name ^m Kur-ṣab: on Rec. another name. Cf. col. ii on Rec.

^{page 110 note 13} No. 38 a, mâr.

^{page 110 note 14} K.A.R, annanna = Rec. another name.

^{page 110 note 15} K.A.R. adds qa.

^{page 110 note 16} K.A.R.: LÙ.ZI.ZI LÙ.ZI.ZI: Rec. LU.ZI. LU.ZI.

^{page 110 note 17} K.A.R., Rec., and No. 38 a add E.

^{page 110 note 18} Weidner, loc. cit. ‘Sein Name (šum-šu) (ist) Stärker des Kampfes' (or, alternatively ‘Erleuchter des Kampfes')o Ebeling for these two lines has ‘der den Kampf bringt, fortführt' (reading mu-bil for MU.NE).

^{page 110 note 19} Weidner, me-ṭu ša ana pa-an maš(!)-ku, comparing me-ṭu = miṭṭu, Thureau-Dangin, , Sargon 58, n. 8Google Scholar and Langdon, , R.A. xii. 78, n. 4Google Scholar, i.e. ‘die Götterwaffe, welche vor dem Bösewicht dräuend sich erhebt’.

^{page 110 note 20} Sic, not ZI: cf. KIN. ZI. G1, Virolleaud, , Babyloniacat 1. 50 Google Scholar.

^{page 111 note 1} Šibbu = [ḫa(?)]maṭu, Scheil, , Z.A. x. 208, 19Google Scholar.

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A Selection from the Cuneiform Historical Texts from Nineveh (1927-32)

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