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Administrative Tablets from the North-West Palace, Nimrud

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 August 2014

Barbara Parker
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Extract

The group of tablets here published was excavated at Nimrud in 1952 in the administrative wing of the North-West palace, an area given the site name of ZT. Six tablets come from ZT.14, 16, and 17, and were found with tablets of a commercial nature dating to the later half of the 7th century B.C. The rest of the group was found in ZT.4 with the Nimrud letters. This room ceased to be used at some date not precisely determined and was filled up with earth containing tablets dated to the period from Tiglath-pileser III to Sargon. The dated tablets, among those from ZT.4 described below, are from the reign of Sargon, with one exception which mentions a limmu hitherto unknown. ZT.14, 16 and 17, continued to be used until the final destruction of Nimrud and the tablets were lying on the floor in a deep pile of burnt debris.

The main group from ZT.4 are typical products of the Assyrian civil service, whose scribes are shown on the monuments laboriously noting down loot and captives on the field of battle. A list of treasure; vessels and utensils in gold, silver, copper and iron (ND. 2490) could be of this category, and there is a whole group of lists dealing with captives and subject people which are an echo of the extensive transportation and resettlement schemes for which the Assyrians were first notorious. ND. 2497 gives a register of people according to their profession or age; ND. 2485 is a list of people which gives the number missing, no doubt on the road to Calah, and ND. 2443 is a list of captives with the names of their captors or masters. Two other tablets of this kind can be connected with historical episodes; ND. 2619 is a list of horsemen and chariot drivers recruited mostly in Babylonian towns and amongst the Aramean tribes in the area. This points to the end of Sargon's thirteenth campaign, when his annals relate that chariotry, cavalry and footsoldiers from Bit-Iakin were drafted into the Assyrian army. ND. 2646 is only a fragment, but mentions Hamath people, as well as other nationals, being allocated to various commands, and could be connected with Sargon's reduction of Hamath, after which contingents of Hamathite troops were incorporated into the Assyrian army.

Type
Research Article
Information
IRAQ , Volume 23 , Issue 1-2 , 1961 , pp. 15 - 67
Copyright
Copyright © The British Institute for the Study of Iraq 1961

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References

1 Iraq XV, Pt. 1, pp. 31 ffGoogle Scholar and Iraq XVI, Pt. 1, pp. 66 ff.Google Scholar

2 Iraq XVI, Pt. 1, pp. 29 ff.Google Scholar

3 Published by Saggs, H. W. F. in Iraq XVII, Pt. 1, p. 21Google Scholar and subsequent issues.

4 The exception is ND. 2612. Dated tablets are: 719 B.C. (ND. 2374), 713 B.C. (ND. 2650) and 707 B.C. (ND. 2451). A label found north of the ZT building bears a date of 724 B.C. (ND. 2303).

5 Assyrian Sculptures in the British Museum, II, pl. XLVII.

6 Lie, A. G., Annals of Sargon, p. 73, ll. 11-12Google Scholar.

7 L.A.K. II, 55Google Scholar.

8 namurtu (ND. 2727, 2393) a tax on the upper class, sibtu (ND. 2451) a tax on the young of animals and iskaru (ND. 2788, 2727) some other kind of produce tax. For madatu see ND. 2672, 2754.

9 Muttallu of Kummuḫ sent tribute which included ivory, Lie, ibid., pp. 71–72.

10 Saggs, , Iraq XXI, Pt. 2, p. 179Google Scholar.

11 Saggs, , Iraq XXI, Pt. 2, p. 177Google Scholar.

12 Several of Sargon's letters were found in the fill of the Burnt Palace (Wiseman, , Iraq XIV, Pt. 1, p. 61Google Scholar).

13 Inscription on the wall of room U (L.A.R. II, §§ 136–138Google Scholar).

14 Mallowan, , Iraq XVI, Pt. 1, p. 67Google Scholar.

15 Wiseman, , “Nimrud Tablets, 1953” in Iraq XV, Pt. 2, pp. 148 ff.Google Scholar

16 Wiseman, , “Assyrian Writing Boards” in Iraq XVII, Pt. 1, pp. 3–13Google Scholar.

17 The precative form is used instead of the imperative.