CTN 5, ND 2718 (P224474)
Letter, Neo-Assyrian, Kalhu · c. 911 BCE–612 BCE
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| Designation | CTN 5, ND 2718 |
|---|---|
| ID | P224474 |
| Museum no. | IM 064133 |
| Collection | National Museum of Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq |
| Language | Akkadian |
| Period | Neo-Assyrian · c. 911 BCE–612 BCE |
| Genre | Letter |
| Find spot | Kalhu (mod. Nimrūd) |
| Coordinates | 36.1022, 43.3385 |
English translation
By ORACC project saao/saa19 · Via Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC)
| Line | English |
|---|---|
| Obverse [1:2] o 2'2'–o 2'2' | enemy's feet [......] |
| Obverse [2:3] o 3'3'–o 3'3' | should be 6 cubits (3 m) lon[g ......] |
| Obverse [3:4] o 4'4'–o 4'4' | 14 storerooms [......] |
| Obverse [4:5] o 5'5'–o 5'5' | which by force [......] |
| Obverse [5:7] o 6'6'–o 7'7' | The wooden hoops which you are making [......] should be [as] thick [as] those of a chariot; those before [......]. |
| Obverse [7:12] o 8'8'–o 12'12' | Strike down bushes in great numbers and [...] under [...]. 400 limestone blocks of three to four cubits (from 1,5 m to 2 m) lo[n]g [which] will be transported [by carts] and put on the slashed bushes should be at hand (at every) direction. You shall cut trees at the centre of the [c]ity in grea[t numbers] so that the area will become wide (and) the limestone block(s) [can be put in place]. |
| Obverse [12:13] o 13'13'–o 13'13' | You shall make four wooden covers: two (to) the right, two (to) the left of [...]. |
| Obverse [13:18] o 14'14'–o 18'18' | Make tents of ...... for your wo[r]k. You shall make 20 [...... and] shall put half (of them) within the outer city wall [and the other half] within the city wall of the centre of the city. You shall fill its ho[l]es (with) three long [...]. The trees at the c[entre of the city] should be .... |
| Obverse [18:20] o 19'19'–o 20'20' | Send (orders); you shall indicate what is on a cart or placed to the r[ight and] left and have them placed into the ...s at the centre of the city. |
| Obverse [20:22] o 21'21'–o 22'22' | In like manner, [place] the ... of the sinews at the centre of the city and within the lower city wall. |
| Obverse [22:24] o 23'23'–o 24'24' | You shall indicate limestone blocks that are thick enough from the l[ower] city wall [...], and you shall place them [......]. |
| Reverse [1:2] r 2'2'–r 2'2' | who [......] |
| Reverse [2:3] r 3'3'–r 3'3' | What is it that [......] |
| Reverse [3:4] r 4'4'–r 4'4' | Ambatî, t[he ......] |
| Reverse [4:5] r 5'5'–r 5'5' | go/goes to the city [......] |
| Reverse [9:13] r 10'10'–r 13'13' | When [......] the foundations of the tower in front of the threshing floor were laid, it was not finished. [Make] bricks [and] finish building it. You shall attach ...[...] on 10 courses (of bricks) and y[ou shall put] a terrace of up to half a cubit on top of it. |
| Reverse [13:15] r 14'14'–r 15'15' | You shall measure the width (and) length of the earlier tower (and) the width (and) length [o]f the [...] which has been added to it. [......] |
| Reverse [15:16] r 16'16'–r 16'16' | height of the outer wall is [x] cubits. ...[......] |
| Reverse [16:17] r 17'17'–r 17'17' | like those of the city of [D]ahina in [......] |
| Reverse [17:18] r 18'18'–r 18'18' | whose position [......] |
| Reverse [18:19] r 19'19'–r 19'19' | should not be looke[d upon with ......] |
| Reverse [19:20] r 20'20'–r 20'20' | you shall make. The one who [......] |
| Reverse [20:21] r 21'21'–r 21'21' | like those of the country [......] |
| Reverse [21:22] r 22'22'–r 22'22' | which in the outer wal[l ......] |
| Reverse [22:23] r 23'23'–r 23'23' | four cubits (2 m) [......] |
| Reverse [23:24] r 24'24'–r 24'24' | to A[mbatî ......] |
| Reverse [25:27] r 26'26'–r 27'27' | yo[u shall make ......] |
Transliteration (ATF)
From Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC default); per-file JSON license fields say: This data is released under the CC0 license (133618)
| Line | ATF | Machine English (draft) |
|---|---|---|
| o | ||
| 1' | ⸢x⸣+[x x]+⸢x⸣ ib ⸢x⸣+[x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 2' | {lu₂vy}KUR₂\d-MEŠ GIR₃\m.2 ⸢x⸣+[x] gu [x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 3' | 06 ina 01 KUŠ₃\m li\d-⸢ri-ku⸣ [x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 4' | 14 ka-da\d-am-me ⸢x x⸣+[x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 5' | ša\ddm ša\ddm—da\d-ʾa-ni ⸢x⸣ [x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 6' | {giš}ra-pa-a-ni\d ⸢ša\ddm⸣ te-pa-šu-u-ni [am—mar x x x x x x] | |
| 7' | ša\ddm {gišy}GIGIR\t lu\d ka-bu-ru ša\ddm pa-nat ⸢x x⸣+[x x x x x x] | |
| 8' | ⸢ma\d⸣-aʾ-da\d {giš}gup-ni ma-hi-ṣi ina šap-⸢la⸣ [x x x x x x] | |
| 9' | 04 me {na₄d}pu-la-a-ni\d ša\dd 03 ša\ddm 04 ina 01 KUŠ₃ ⸢GID₂.DA\d ša⸣ [ina tal-lak-MEŠ] | |
| 10' | i-ma-tah\d-u-ni\d ina UGU {giš}gup-ni\d ma-hi-ṣi i-ka-⸢ra-ru⸣-[u-ni o] | |
| 11' | ba\y-ši ša₂-a\d-ru lu qur-bu GIŠ-MEŠ ša\dd MURUB₄ ⸢URU⸣ ma-aʾ-[da o] | |
| 12' | ta-šar-ri\d-me kaq\d-⸢qa⸣-ru i-ra-piš-ka pu-u-lu ⸢lik⸣-[ru-ru] | |
| 13' | 04 {gišy}ka-tam-a\d-ti <$te$>-pa-aš₂ 02-ta ZAG 02-ta KAB ša\ddm ⸢x⸣+[x x] | |
| 14' | ⸢ma-si⸣-ki ša\ddm gi-in\d-⸢da-di x x x x x an⸣-ni [o] | |
| 15' | a-na\d ⸢dul-li⸣-ka\d ⸢e⸣-pu-uš\d 20 ⸢x⸣+[x x x x x x x] | |
| 16' | te-pa-⸢aš₂ mi-šil⸣ ina ŠA₃ BAD₃ ša\dd qa\d-ni\d ⸢ta⸣-[šak-kan mi-šil-ma] | |
| 17' | ina ŠA₃ ⸢BAD₃⸣ ša\d MURUB₄ URU ta-šak-kan 03 ⸢x⸣ [x x x x] | |
| 18' | GID₂.DA\d-MEŠ hu\d-⸢ra-te⸣-MEŠ-šu₂ tu₂-mal\d-la GIŠ\y-MEŠ ⸢ša\ddm MURUB₄⸣ [URU x x] | |
| 19' | lu\d ša\ddm MAR-ma šu-pur ša\dd {giš}tal-lak-ti lu\d ša\ddm ⸢ZAG⸣ [u] | |
| 20' | KAB ka-ru-⸢u⸣-ni\d a-na sal\d-[x]-na-a-⸢ti⸣ ina MURUB₄\m URU [x x x] | |
| 21' | tu₂-ša₂\m-ʾa-⸢da\d⸣ ta-šak-⸢kan⸣ [ša] ⸢x⸣-a-ti ša\d ⸢SA-MEŠ⸣ [x x] | |
| 22' | ki-i ha-ni\d-ma ina ⸢MURUB₄⸣ URU ina ⸢BAD₃⸣ šap-le\d-e [ta-šak-kan] | |
| 23' | pu-la-a-⸢ni⸣ ki-i ku-bi\d-ri\d TA\m ⸢BAD₃ šap⸣-[le-e x x x] | |
| 24' | tu₂-ša₂-⸢ʾa-da ta⸣-šak-⸢kan x x⸣ [x x x x x x] | |
| r | ||
| 1' | ⸢x⸣+[x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 2' | ša\pd ⸢u₂⸣-[x x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 3' | mi-i-nu ša\pd ⸢x⸣+[x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 4' | {1}am\d-ba-ti-i ⸢LU₂~v⸣ [x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 5' | ina UGU URU il\y-la-⸢ka⸣ [x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 6' | pu-tu₂-hu\d ša\dm MURUB₄ URU ⸢i-na⸣-[aš₂-ši x x x x x] | |
| 7' | ⸢TA@v\m⸣ {lu₂vy}GAL—bir-ti {lu₂vy}GAL—bir-ti ina BAD₃ šap-⸢le⸣-[e x x x] | |
| 8' | ša\d a-na {1}am-ba-ti-i i-⸢šak-kan⸣-nu-⸢ni x⸣+[x x x x] | |
| 9' | i—ku-mu-šu i—ku-mu-šu u₂-ša₂-ba pu-tu₂-hu\d ša\dp MURUB₄ ⸢URU⸣ [i-na-aš₂-ši o] | |
| 10' | uš\d-še ša\dd e-si-ti ša\dd pu\d-ut ad-ri\d ki ša\dd ⸢x⸣+[x x x] | |
| 11' | ik\y-ra-ru-u-ni la\d u₂-ga-me-ru-u-ni SIG₄-⸢MEŠ⸣ [x x] | |
| 12' | ri\d-iṣ~y-pa ga-me-ra-ši ina UGU 10 ti-ik\d-pi hu\d-ur-[x x x] | |
| 13' | tu₂-ra-ka-sa am—mar 1/2 KUŠ₃ tam-la-a ina UGU-hi ⸢ta⸣-[šak-kan] | |
| 14' | DAGAL GID₂.DA\d ša\dd e-si-ti pa-ni\d-ti DAGAL\d GID₂\d.⸢DA\d ša⸣ [x x] | |
| 15' | ina UGU-hi u₂-ra\d-du-u-ni\d ta-ma-da\d-da\d [x x] šu₂ [x x] | |
| 16' | ⸢x⸣+[x ina] 01 KUŠ₃\m mu-lu-u ša\dd šal-he-e ⸢x x x x⸣+[x x x x]+⸢x⸣ [x x] | |
| 17' | ki-i ⸢ša\d⸣ {uru}⸢da\dd⸣-hi-na ina ⸢ŠA₃ x⸣ [x x x x x x] | |
| 18' | ša\dd ma-za-li-ti-⸢šu₂ x x⸣ [x]+⸢x⸣ [x x x x x x x] | |
| 19' | lu\d la ⸢i⸣-da\d-gi-⸢lu⸣ [x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 20' | te-⸢pa-aš₂ ša\dd⸣ [x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 21' | ⸢ki⸣-i ša\d KUR [x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 22' | ša\d ina šal-he-[e x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 23' | 04 KUŠ₃ [x x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 24' | a-na {1}⸢am⸣-[ba-ti-i x x x x x x x x] | |
| 25' | u₂-⸢x⸣+[x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 26' | ⸢te⸣ [x x x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 27' | ⸢x⸣+[x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
Sources & licences
- Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI: reuse of catalogue/transliteration data with citation of CDLI; images restricted (not fetched) · Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI), https://cdli.earth/ ; cite CDLI and the P-number
- Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC default); per-file JSON license fields say: This data is released under the CC0 license (133618) · ORACC project editions, https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ ; cite the individual project (see texts.extra_json.project)
Cite the original edition and translator. Page generated by Unread Atlas from the public corpus export of 2026-10-11.