ABL 1335 (P238648)
Letter, Neo-Assyrian, Nineveh · c. 911 BCE–612 BCE
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| Designation | ABL 1335 |
|---|---|
| ID | P238648 |
| 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 [0:7] o 1o 1–o 77 | To the king, our lord: your servants Nabû-šuma-lišir and Aqar-Bel-lumur. Good health to the king, our lord! Say to the king, our lord: The king's forts and troops are well. The mood of the people is good. The king, our lord, can be glad. |
| Obverse [7:13] o 88–o 1313 | On the 8th of Kislev (IX), on the eve of the 9th day, a messenger of Šamaš-belu-uṣur, the legate of Der, arrived on a passageway horse. (While) the people [of] Zitta were organizing help, he said: "Go up to the fortified place! The king of Elam is (marching) against you!" |
| Obverse [13:23] o 1414–o 2323 | When we said to him, "Proceed against him! Tell us, why are you organizing help?" he said: "I am under orders to call (people) to arms from wheresoever, and I have called to arms everybody from the trail of Der as far as the [mo]uth of the river of Nergal." When we heard this, we strengthened] the guard [...]; all the people of the country were crowded [toge]ther [......]. |
| Obverse [23:28] o 2424–o 2828 | Silence [...] upon ... [Wh]en we heard (this) [and we]nt into the city, Lulla-Bel, [... Mu]kinni-Aššur and [PN] ...... |
| Obverse [28:30] o 2929– | [......] went with us |
| Reverse [0:1] r 1r 1–r 1r 1 | [......] the people of the country [...] |
| Reverse [1:2] r 22–r 22 | [......] with them to [...] |
| Reverse [2:3] r 33–r 33 | [......] them to Lu[lla-Bel]. |
| Reverse [3:10] r 44–r 1010 | When there [was ......], we [brought [bo]wmen and shieldmen [... into] the king's fort, wrote down [letters] and dispatched them to [the king, our lord]. Lulla-Bel too [......] dispatched letters [......]. |
| Reverse [10:21] r 1111–r 2121 | [On the xth day], the messenger came (back) [...] on horseback, saying: "There is nothing [to worry about]! They have [gon]e up to the territory [of the Elami]tes, taken land as far as Bit-Ha'iri, [and] returned." We sent (word) and had the letters which we had dispatched to the king, our lord, returned, thinking: "Should the king, our lord, read (lit., 'hear') them, he would get startled." In case they bring in the message of Lulla-Bel, the king, our lord, should not believe the content of the message. There is nothing is to worry about; the king, our lord, can be at ease. |
| Reverse [21:31] r 2222–r 3131 | As to the work on the river of Bit-Deraya which the king, our lord, ordered to be dammed — the king, our lord, knows that last year and the year before it the people of the country were many, and they were brought out and worked on it like one farmer. But now the people of the country are few and (...), and we have not worked on it earlier. The days have arrived, but all the people are sulky and do not act according to their hearts. The king, our lord, will say, "They shall do the work! They shall have no claim!" (But) they do not obey us, so we cannot do the work. May the king act best as he can. |
| Reverse [31:38] r 3232– | With the Urhulu, Damunu and Aradatu (tribes) [......] ... is not angry. We fear the king, our lord, and shall never place a woe on them! May the king, my lord, act best as he can. |
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 | a-na LUGAL be-li₂-i-ni | |
| 2 | ⸢ARAD-MEŠ⸣-ka {1}{⸢d}AG—MU—SI⸣.SA₂ u {1}KAL—{d}EN—lu-mur | |
| 3 | ⸢lu⸣-u₂ šul-mu a-na LUGAL be-li₂-i-ni | |
| 4 | ⸢um⸣-ma-a a-na LUGAL be-li₂-i-ni-a-ma | |
| 5 | ⸢šul⸣-mu a-na {uru}HAL.ṢU-MEŠ u₃ e-mu-qu | |
| 6 | ⸢ša₂⸣ LUGAL ṭe₃-e-mu ša₂ UN-MEŠ šul-mu | |
| 7 | ⸢ŠA₃⸣-bi ša₂ LUGAL be-li₂-i-ni lu-u₂ ṭa-ab-šu₂ | |
| 8 | {⸢iti}GAN⸣ UD 08-KAM₂ mu-šu₂ ša₂ UD 09-KAM₂ {lu₂}A—KIN {lu₂}A—KIN | |
| 9 | ša₂ {1}{d}UTU—EN—ŠEŠ {⸢lu₂}qi₂⸣-pi ša₂ BAD₃.DINGIR{ki} | |
| 10 | i-na {anše}BAD-HAL-li ⸢dul⸣-ban-nu-ti | |
| 11 | ik-tal-da u₃ ERIM-⸢MEŠ⸣ [ša₂] {1}zi-ta a.a-lu | |
| 12 | il-tak-nu um-ma a-na dan-⸢na⸣-ti | |
| 13 | e-la-a um-ma LUGAL {kur}NIM.MA{ki} | |
| 14 | a-na UGU-hi-ku-nu ⸢ki⸣-i niq-⸢ba-aš₂⸣-šu₂ | |
| 15 | um-ma et-⸢qa-ni⸣-šu₂ qi₂-ban-na-a-ši | |
| 16 | um-ma mi-⸢nam⸣-ma a.a-lu ta-šak-kan | |
| 17 | um-ma ul-⸢tu₂ lu⸣-ka-ni ṭe₃-e-mu | |
| 18 | šak-⸢nak⸣ um-ma šu-um-hi-iṣ um-ma | |
| 19 | ul-tu kib-⸢si⸣ ša₂ BAD₃.DINGIR{ki} a-di | |
| 20 | ⸢KA⸣ ša₂ ⸢ID₂⸣ ša {d}U.GUR gab-bi ul-tam-hi-iṣ | |
| 21 | [a]-⸢ga-a ki⸣-[i] niš-mu-u₂ ma-aṣ-ṣar-ti | |
| 22 | [x x nu-dan]-⸢nin⸣ UN-MEŠ KUR gab-bi | |
| 23 | [a-na UGU a]-⸢ha⸣-meš it-ta-at-ba-ku | |
| 24 | [x x x x x]+⸢x⸣ qu-lu i-na UGU si-si | |
| 25 | [x x x x ki]-⸢i⸣ niš-mu-u₂ a-na ŠA₃-bi URU | |
| 26 | [x x x ni-il]-li-ku {1}lul-la—⸢EN⸣ | |
| 27 | [x x x {1}mu]-kin-ni—aš-šur u₃ {1}{⸢d⸣}[x x x] | |
| 28 | [x x x x].⸢RA⸣{ki} hu-lu ⸢x⸣+[x x x x] | |
| 29 | [x x x x x] ⸢it⸣-ti-ni il-⸢li⸣-[ku (x)] | |
| r | ||
| 1 | [x x x x x]-ki UN-MEŠ KUR i-[x x] | |
| 2 | [x x x x] ⸢it⸣-ti-šu₂-nu a-⸢na⸣ [x x] | |
| 3 | [x x x x x]-šu₂-nu-ti a-na {1}⸢lul⸣-[la—EN] | |
| 4 | [x x x x x]+⸢x⸣-ma ki-i i-ba-⸢aš₂⸣-[šu₂-u₂] | |
| 5 | [x ERIM-MEŠ—{giš]}⸢BAN⸣ ERIM-MEŠ—{giš]}⸢BAN⸣ u₃ {giš}a-ri-⸢ti⸣ [x x] | |
| 6 | [x x a-na ŠA₃] {uru}HAL.ṢU ša₂ LUGAL nu-[ul-te-li] | |
| 7 | [ši-pir-e-ti ki]-i ni-iš-ṭu-ru a-na ⸢UGU⸣ | |
| 8 | [LUGAL be-li₂-i-ni nu]-⸢ul⸣-te-bi-la u₃ {1}lul-la—⸢EN⸣ | |
| 9 | [x x x x x]-ni ši-pir-e-ti-ma | |
| 10 | [x x x x x x]+⸢x⸣ ul-te-bi-la | |
| 11 | [x x x x x x]+⸢x⸣ {lu₂}A—KIN {lu₂}A—KIN i-na {anše}BAD-HAL-la | |
| 12 | [a-na {uru}x x]+⸢x⸣ ki-i il-li-ka | |
| 13 | [um-ma hi-ṭu ia]-ʾa-an um-ma ša₂ A.ŠA₃-šu₂-nu | |
| 14 | [ša₂ {kur}NIM.MA]{ki}a.a a-di E₂—{1}ha-a-i-ri | |
| 15 | [x x x x]+⸢x⸣-lu-ni A.ŠA₃ it-ta-šu₂-u₂ | |
| 16 | [x it]-te-⸢eh⸣-su ki-i niš-pu-ru ši-pir-e-ti | |
| 17 | ⸢ša₂ a⸣-[na] ⸢LUGAL⸣ be-li₂-i-ni nu-še-bi-la nu-ti-e-ra | |
| 18 | um-ma LUGAL BE-ni i-šem-me-e-ma ŠA₃-ba-šu₂ ⸢i-šah⸣-hi-ṭa | |
| 19 | min₃-de-e-ma ši-pir-ti ša₂ {1}lul-la—EN i-na-aš₂-šu-ni | |
| 20 | ša₂ pi-i ši-pir-ti LUGAL BE-ni la i-qa-pa hi-⸢ṭu⸣ ia-ʾa-an | |
| 21 | ŠA₃-bi ša₂ LUGAL be-li₂-i-ni lu-u₂ ṭa-ab-šu₂ | |
| 22 | aš₂-šu₂ dul-lu ša₂ ID₂ ša₂ E₂—{1}⸢de⸣-ra-a.a ša₂ LUGAL BE-ni | |
| 23 | ṭe₃-e-mu iš-kun-an-na-ši um-ma li-is-ki-ru | |
| 24 | LUGAL BE-ni i-di ⸢ina šad-da⸣-qad₃ šal-⸢la-šat⸣-ti UN-MEŠ KUR ma-aʾ-du | |
| 25 | u₃ a-ki ša₂ 01-en {lu₂}ENGAR šu₂-ṣu-nim-ma ina UGU-hi iz-zi-iz-zu | |
| 26 | u₃ en-na UN-MEŠ KUR i-ṣu u | |
| 27 | u₃ ul ni-ih-ru-up-ma ⸢ina UGU⸣-hi ul ni-iz-ziz | |
| 28 | UD-MEŠ iq-tir-ba-ni u₃ ⸢UN⸣-MEŠ ma-la ša₂-šu₂-nu | |
| 29 | ⸢ŠA₃⸣-ba-šu₂-nu ul pa-ṭir-ma a-ki ŠA₃-bi-šu₂-nu ul ip-pu-šu₂ | |
| 30 | LUGAL BE-ni i-qab-bi um-ma dul-lu ip-pu-šu₂ ra-ga-ma ⸢ul i-šu-u₂⸣ | |
| 31 | ul i-šem-mu-na-ši-ma dul-lu ul ni-ip-pu-uš a-ki ša₂ LUGAL | |
| 32 | i-le-ʾu-u₂ li-⸢pu-uš⸣ it-ti {uru}ur-hu-la-a.a | |
| r.e. | ||
| 33 | {uru}da-mu-na-a.a u₃ {uru}a-ra-da-ta-a.a | |
| 34 | x x x x x-šu₂-nu mi KUR-e tu ši | |
| 35 | x a di x x ul sa-⸢bu⸣-us la—pa-an LUGAL | |
| 36 | ⸢be-li₂-i-ni pal-ha⸣-nu-ma u₂-a ina ŠA₃-bi-šu₂-nu | |
| 37 | ⸢la ni-šak-kan⸣ LUGAL BE-ni a-ki ša₂ i-le-ʾu-u₂ | |
| 38 | li-pu-uš | |
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.