CT 54, 025 (P238083)
Letter, Neo-Assyrian, Nineveh · c. 911 BCE–612 BCE
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| Designation | CT 54, 025 |
|---|---|
| ID | P238083 |
| Museum no. | BM — |
| Collection | British Museum, London, UK |
| Language | Akkadian |
| Period | Neo-Assyrian · c. 911 BCE–612 BCE |
| Genre | Letter |
| Find spot | Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) |
| Coordinates | 36.3582, 43.1621 |
English translation
By ORACC project saao/saa17 · Via Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC)
| Line | English |
|---|---|
| Obverse [0:3] o 1o 1–o 33 | [Your servant Bel-iqiša. I would gladly die for the king of the world! May Nabû] and Mardu[k bl]es[s the king, my lord! S]ay to the k[ing, my lord]: |
| Obverse [3:8] o 44–o 88 | (As to) the ... of the city conquered [by the ki]ng, my lord, [...], may the king, my lord, command: "[Let] Ana-Na[bû-taklak ...] and steadfastly [... befo]re the king. Stay [...] with them like these men, and [...] with them!" |
| Obverse [8:9] o 99–o 99 | I shall write the king's [...] according to the comma[nd of the kin]g, my lord. |
| Obverse [9:10] o 1010–o 1010 | [...] their brother [...] |
| Obverse [11:12] o 1212–o 1212 | [...] the king [...] |
| Obverse [12:13] o 1313–o 1313 | [...] ... and to [...] of Sargon |
| Obverse [13:14] o 1414–o 1414 | k[ing of the universe, m]y [lord], I shall speak [...]... |
| Obverse [15:16] o 1616–o 1616 | and [...] ... [...] |
| Obverse [16:17] o 1717–o 1717 | [...] ... of [...] |
| Obverse [17:18] o 1818–o 1818 | to [...] sent [...] |
| Obverse [18:19] o 1919–o 1919 | and [NN ...] let them [...]. |
| Obverse [19:23] o 2020–o 2323 | Now for this [...] .... [...]. Their men, who are devoted to nobody, will follow our commands. The king will handle them easily; the king's name is settled upon them. [...]. |
| Obverse [23:24] o 2424–o 2424 | And just as the last nine years the servant [...] |
| Obverse [24:25] o 2525–o 2525 | the knowledge of the king, my lord, [...] |
| Obverse [25:26] o 2626–o 2626 | As [......] a message, [...] is present. |
| Obverse [26:27] o 2727–o 2727 | If a nobleman [...] |
| Obverse [27:28] o 2828–o 2828 | [which] I didn't see, the house [...] |
| Obverse [28:30] o 2929– | of the king, my lord, [...] |
| Reverse [0:7] r 1r 1–r 77 | Now, after I have been twice to the audience of the mighty king, I am beginning to regain my dignity again. My lord will perhaps say: "For destruction, we need not be renewed." Now Šulâ, the haruspex in Dur-Šarrukin, and Aqar-Nabû, (both) servants of the king, (my) lord, know all our affairs from the beginning. The king may ask them if I wasn't always a ser[f of the king], my lord, (both when) small and (when) big. |
| Reverse [7:10] r 88–r 1010 | [Perhaps my lord] will say: "Knowledg[e ...]." The house of your father [...]. |
| Reverse [10:12] r 1111–r 1212 | And what my lord sai[d to me — the gods have achieved] his wish. [...] will give you everything. |
| Reverse [12:15] r 1313–r 1515 | What is [your] wish that has not been achieved? When the king, our lord, came, the city wa[s dea]d. In a proverb it is said: "A carpenter should take [...] your pine-wood chips from your poor property." |
| Reverse [15:19] r 1616–r 1919 | [...] When I for the second time went [to the audience of the mi]ghty king, he did not discuss [my case with] me. [The king] may act as [he sees fit]. His wish [...]. How (is it), if you have done everything and [...]? |
| Reverse [19:20] r 2020–r 2020 | Now then I am writing to my lord: |
| Reverse [20:23] r 2121–r 2323 | Doesn't the Series of the Fox say: "After Enlil had let you whisper your [w]ish, [...] and bread [...]"? |
| Reverse [23:24] r 2424–r 2424 | [...] ... water that in [...] with me. |
| Reverse [24:25] r 2525–r 2525 | I did [not] take away. When the [...] gave [...] to me, I we[nt ...] on [...]. |
| Reverse [25:28] r 2626– | May my lord command that a donkey should be presented [... be]cause of that! |
| Right [0:1] r.e. 28r.e. 28–r.e. 28r.e. 28 | [......] in the name of Nabû |
| Right [1:2] r.e. 2929–r.e. 2929 | [...] ... of the river |
| Edge [0:1] e. 1e. 1–e. 1e. 1 | said an insult: "May [......]." |
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 | [ARAD-ka {1}{d}EN—BA-ša₂ a-na di-na-an] | |
| 2 | [LUGAL kiš-ša₂-ti be-li₂-ia lul-lik] | |
| 3 | [d.AG] u {d}AMAR.⸢UTU⸣ [a-na LUGAL be-li₂-ia lik]-⸢ru-bu⸣ | |
| 4 | [um]-⸢ma⸣-a a-na ⸢LUGAL⸣ [be-li₂-ia-a-ma x x x]-at ša₂ ⸢URU⸣ kal-du | |
| 5 | [ša₂] ⸢LUGAL⸣ EN-ia₂ [x x x x] ⸢LUGAL⸣ EN ⸢liq-bi⸣ | |
| 6 | [um]-ma {1}a-na—{d}⸢AG⸣—[tak-lak x x x]-ma ina ⸢kun-nu⸣ | |
| 7 | [x]+⸢x⸣ i da [x x ina pa]-⸢ni⸣ LUGAL ki-i [ERIM]-⸢MEŠ⸣ an-nu-tu₂ | |
| 8 | [lu]-⸢u₂⸣ it-⸢ti⸣-[šu₂-nu x x u₂]-šu-za-ta u ⸢it⸣-[ti]-šu₂-nu | |
| 9 | [x x x]+⸢x⸣ LUGAL ša₂ pi-[i] ⸢LUGAL⸣ EN-ia₂ a-šap-[pa]-⸢ra⸣ | |
| 10 | [x x] as [x x x] ŠEŠ-šu₂-nu it-[x x x]-⸢ti⸣ | |
| 11 | [x x x x x x]-nu-u₂ [x x x]-⸢ta⸣ | |
| 12 | [x x x x x x x] LUGAL [x x x]-⸢na⸣ | |
| 13 | [x x x x x x x]-u₂ u a-⸢na⸣ [x x] ša₂ LUGAL—GIN | |
| 14 | ⸢LUGAL⸣ [kiš-ša₂-ti be-li₂]-⸢ia⸣ a-dab-⸢bu⸣-[ub x]-bi-niš | |
| 15 | ⸢x⸣+[x x x x x] | |
| 16 | ⸢u₃⸣ [x x x x]-⸢ni⸣-i [x x x x]-ia₂ | |
| 17 | ⸢ti⸣-[x x x x]-ta ša₂ [x x x x] | |
| 18 | a-⸢na⸣ [x x x x iš]-pu-⸢ru⸣ [x x]-⸢lu⸣ | |
| 19 | u {1}[x x] lu-[x x]-u₂-šu₂-⸢nu⸣-[ti x x] ⸢en⸣-na | |
| 20 | a-⸢na⸣ an-ni-i en [x x]-⸢uš⸣ an [x x] ⸢ERIM⸣-MEŠ-šu₂-nu | |
| 21 | ša₂ a-⸢na⸣ UGU-hi mim-mu ⸢la am⸣-mar ina ⸢UGU⸣-hi dib-bi-nu | |
| 22 | ⸢it⸣-ta-na-lak LUGAL ša₂-lam i-tab-⸢bal⸣-šu₂-nu-tu | |
| 23 | ⸢šu-um⸣ ša₂ LUGAL ina UGU-hi-šu₂-nu šak-[nu x x x] ku | |
| 24 | u₃ ⸢ki⸣ ša₂ 09 MU-MEŠ a-⸢ga⸣-[a x x x x x x] ARAD | |
| 25 | man-[di]-⸢ti⸣ LUGAL EN-ia₂ [x x x x x x x]-lik | |
| 26 | a-⸢ki⸣ na-aš₂-par-⸢ta⸣ [x x x x x x x x u₂]-šu-za | |
| 27 | ⸢ki⸣-i {lu₂}DUMU—DU₃ {lu₂}DUMU—DU₃ [x x x x x x x x]-mi | |
| 28 | ⸢la⸣ a-mur E₂ [x x x x x x x x x x x]+⸢x⸣ | |
| 29 | ⸢LUGAL⸣ EN-ia₂ [x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| b.e. | ||
| 30 | [x]+⸢x⸣ [x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| r | ||
| 1 | en-na 02-šu₂ a-na pa-ni LUGAL dan-nu ki-i al-lik | |
| 2 | ina bu-ul-ti-ia₂ a-na-ah-⸢hi⸣-si min₄-de-e-ma | |
| 3 | be-li₂ i-qab-bi um-ma a-⸢na ha⸣-ra-bu ul ni-di-iš | |
| 4 | a-du-u₂ {1}šu-la-a {lu₂}HAL ina BAD₃—LUGAL—GI.NA | |
| 5 | u {1}a-qar—{d}AG ARAD-MEŠ ša₂ LUGAL ⸢EN⸣ ul-tu re-eš | |
| 6 | dib-bi-i-ni gab-bi i-⸢du-u₂⸣ LUGAL liš-ʾa-al-šu₂-nu-tu₂ | |
| 7 | ki-i ul-tu re-eš la-⸢mu⸣-[ta-nu ša₂ LUGAL] ⸢EN⸣-ia₂ a-na-ku | |
| 8 | ṣa-har u GAL-u₂ [min₄-de-e-ma be-li₂] i-⸢qab-bi⸣ | |
| 9 | um-ma man-di-⸢ti⸣ [x x x x x x x x x x x]+⸢x⸣ | |
| 10 | E₂ ša₂ AD-ka [x x x x x x x x x x x]-⸢tak⸣ | |
| 11 | u₃ ša₂ be-li₂ iq-[ba-a DINGIR-MEŠ ṣi]-⸢bu⸣-us-su | |
| 12 | ik-tal-du mim-⸢ma⸣ [x x x]+⸢x⸣ [x x i]-⸢nam⸣-dak-ka | |
| 13 | mi-nu-u₂ ṣi-⸢bu⸣-[ut-ka] ša₂ la kal-du UD-mu LUGAL EN-a-ni | |
| 14 | it-tal-ka URU ⸢mi⸣-[i]-⸢ti⸣ ina til-ta ša₂-kin um-ma {lu₂}NAGAR | |
| 15 | [x x] ⸢x x⸣ [x x]-da gi-bi-li-ka i-di-ka lu TUK | |
| 16 | [x x a-na pa-ni LUGAL] ⸢dan⸣-nu 02-šu₂ ki-i al-lik | |
| 17 | [x di-i-ni it-ti]-⸢ia⸣ ul id-bu-ub ki-i ša₂ | |
| 18 | [LUGAL i-le-ʾu-u₂ le]-e-pu-šu ṣi-bu-us-su | |
| 19 | [x x x x ak]-⸢ka⸣-a-i ki-i mim-mu te-pu-⸢uš-ma⸣ | |
| 20 | [x x x x] a-du-u₂ a-na EN-ia₂ al-⸢tap⸣-[ra] | |
| 21 | ⸢ul⸣ iš-ka-ri KA₅.A i-qab-bi ⸢um⸣-ma | |
| 22 | [e]-ri-iš-ka {d}EN.LIL₂ ki-i ⸢u₂-šar⸣-ṭin | |
| 23 | [x]+⸢x⸣-zi-it [x] ⸢x x⸣ u NINDA-HI.A [x x]-⸢ti⸣-ba ša₂ | |
| 24 | [x]-a-ni A-MEŠ ša₂ ⸢ina⸣ [x x x x] it-ti-ia₂ | |
| 25 | [o] ⸢a⸣-bu-uk {lu₂}[x x x x ki]-i id-din-am-ma | |
| 26 | [ina] UGU-hi al-[x x x x x x] be-li₂ liq-bi-ma | |
| 27 | [x]-⸢na⸣ ANŠE a-⸢ki⸣-[i x x a-na] ⸢UGU⸣-hi lu-qar-ri-bi-an-ni | |
| r.e. | ||
| 28 | [x x]-a lu [x x x x x x] a-na MU ša₂ {d}AG | |
| 29 | [x x]+⸢x⸣ [x x x x x x x x] a-di ša₂ ID₂ | |
| 30 | [x x x x x x x x x x x]-⸢iq⸣ | |
| e. | ||
| 1 | tu-uš-šu₂ iq-bi um-ma lu-u₂ ba-[x x x x x x x x] | |
| 2 | lu-u₂ ih-[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.