CT 53, 118 (P313533)
Letter, Neo-Assyrian, Nineveh · c. 911 BCE–612 BCE
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| Designation | CT 53, 118 |
|---|---|
| ID | P313533 |
| 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/saa16 · Via Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC)
| Line | English |
|---|---|
| Obverse [0:3] o 1o 1–o 33 | To the king, m[y lord]: your servant Nabû-rehtu-uṣur. May Bel and Be[let, Nabû and Tašme]tu, Ištar of Nineveh (and) Ištar of Arbela give you long days and ever[lasting years]! |
| Obverse [3:7] o 44–o 77 | Nikkal [has revealed] those who sinned against [your] father's goodness, and your [father's] and your own treaty. Destroy their [peopl]e, name and seed from your palace! [May] she cast [......]! [May] the accomplices of Sasî [die quickly]! |
| Obverse [7:11] o 88–o 1111 | Hear me, O king my lord! I k[now] the words of Nikkal. Let [the people] die! [Rescue] your life and the life of your family! Let [the goddesses ...] be your father and your mother, and let them li[ft up ......]! Do not destroy your life, [do not let] the kingship [slip] from your hands! |
| Obverse [11:13] o 1212–o 1313 | Hear me, O king my lord! Do not disre[gard these] words of Ni[kkal! Let ......] and [......] |
| Obverse [13:14] o 1414–o 1414 | a letter [......] |
| Obverse [14:15] o 1515–o 1515 | in [......] |
| Obverse [17:18] o 3'3'–o 3'3' | is not bringing [......] |
| Obverse [18:19] o 4'4'–o 4'4' | are staying in his presence [......] |
| Obverse [19:20] o 5'5'–o 5'5' | are making common cause [with ......] |
| Obverse [20:21] o 6'6'–o 6'6' | [They are] constantly [......] to Sas[î ......]: |
| Obverse [21:23] o 7'7'–o 8'8' | "Present (yourself) in good light with the king! Let [...] do [......] with Nabû-belu-[......] |
| Obverse [23:24] o 9'9'–o 9'9' | with Ubru-Nabû [......] |
| Obverse [24:26] o 10'10'–o 11'11' | with the magnates o[f/who ......] |
| Reverse [0:1] r 1'1'–r 1'1' | "Perhaps ther[e is ......]; let them ask [...]. |
| Reverse [1:4] r 2'2'–r 4'4' | "A slave-girl of Bel-ahu-uṣur [...] upon [...] in a suburb of Harran; since Sivan (III) she is enraptured and speaks nice words about him: 'It is the word of Nusku: The kingship is for Sasî. I will destroy the name and seed of Sennacherib!'" |
| Reverse [4:10] r 5'5'–r 10'10' | Let your squadron commander question the household of Bel-ahu-uṣur under the gate of the Nabû temple; let the ša-šēpi guards who brought the slave-girl into the house of Sasî bring her here, and let the king perform a(n extispicy) ritual on her (account). Let them bring Bel-ahu-uṣur from Harran and [...] Nusku. May the name and seed of Sasî, Bel-ahu-uṣur and their accomplices perish, and may Bel and Nabû establish the name and seed of the king, my lord, until far-off [days]! |
| Reverse [10:18] r 11'11'– | Let them speak with Ardâ as follows: "On the 27th, at night, [when] the scribe Issar-nadin-apli at this particular moment went to [Sa]sî the city overseer, [did ......] with the prefect Awyanu? [Did] the scribe Issar-nadin-apli [...] this [with Nabû-eṭir? What [did] Sasî [......] concerning it on the 28th? Did Sasî speak with you and the [...] on the following day? Why have you [not reported] what you sa[w and heard]?" |
| Right [4:7] r.e. 18'18'– | [Let] the squadron commander [...] men/troops [... arrest] the scrib[e] Issar-[nadin-apli ......]. |
| Edge [0:1] e. 1e. 1–e. 1e. 1 | [The people w]ho conspire with them and with Sasî [should die]! |
| Edge [1:2] e. 22–e. 22 | [...] let your [son]s and uncles guard you. |
| Edge [2:3] e. 33–e. 33 | Let [me] gather [yo]ur [...... As for you], stay in safety in your palace. [... Let the people di]e before [they get ahead (of you)]! Rescue your life! |
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 [EN]-⸢ia⸣ | |
| 2 | ARAD-ka {1}{d}PA—re-eh-tu₂—PAB {d}EN {d}⸢GAŠAN⸣ {[d}PA {d}taš-me]-tum | |
| 3 | {d}15 ša₂ {uru}NINA {d}15 ša₂ {uru}arba-il₃ UD-MEŠ GID₂-[MEŠ MU.AN.NA-MEŠ da]-⸢ra⸣-ti | |
| 4 | li-di-nu-nik-ka ša₂ ina ŠA₃ ṭa-ab-ti ša₂ AD-[ka ina ŠA₃ a-de-e ša₂ AD]-ka | |
| 5 | u₃ ina ŠA₃ a-de-e-ka ih-ṭu-u-ni {d}NIN.GAL [x x x x UN]-⸢MEŠ⸣-šu₂-nu | |
| 6 | MU-šu₂-nu NUMUN-šu₂-nu TA@v ŠA₃ E₂.GAL-ka hal-li-qi₂ a-na [x x x x x lu] | |
| 7 | tak-ru-ur UN-MEŠ ša TA {1}sa-si-i u₂-du-u-[ni ar₂-hiš li-mu-tu x x x] | |
| 8 | a-ni-nu LUGAL be-li da-ba-bu ša₂ {d}NIN.GAL u₂-[da x x x x x x] | |
| 9 | li-mu-tu ZI-MEŠ-ka ZI-MEŠ ša₂ qin-ni-ka [še-zib x x x x x x] | |
| 10 | AD-u-ka AMA-ka lu šu-nu li-im-tu-[hu x x x x x x x x] | |
| 11 | ZI-MEŠ-ka la tu-hal-la-qa LUGAL-u-tu TA ŠU.2-⸢ka⸣ [la tu-še-li] | |
| 12 | a-ni-nu LUGAL be-⸢li⸣ [ina] ⸢ŠA₃⸣ da-ba-bi {d}NIN.[GAL an-ni-e] | |
| 13 | la ta-ši-[aṭ x x x]-⸢u₂⸣-nim-ma [x x x x x x x x] | |
| 14 | e-gir₂-tu [x x x x x]+⸢x x⸣+[x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 15 | ina [x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 1' | [x] ⸢x⸣+[x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 2' | ma-a a-[x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 3' | la u₂-⸢ba-la⸣ [x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 4' | ina IGI-šu₂ iz-za-zu is-[x x x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 5' | pi-i-šu₂-nu ša₂-ki-in [x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 6' | ka-a.a-ma-nu ina UGU {1}sa-⸢si⸣-[i x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 7' | ma-a ina IGI LUGAL dam-mi₃-iq ma-[a x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 8' | le-pu-šu₂ TA@v {1}{d}PA—EN—[x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 9' | TA {1}SUHUŠ—{d}PA {⸢lu₂⸣}[x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 10' | ⸢TA {lu₂⸣}GAL-MEŠ ⸢ša⸣ [x x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 11' | [x x x]+⸢x⸣+[x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| r | ||
| 1' | is—su-ri i-⸢ba-aš₂⸣-[ši x x x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 2' | liš-u₂-lu ma-a GEME₂ ša₂ {1}EN—PAB—PAB ina ⸢qa-ni⸣ ša₂ {⸢uru}KASKAL⸣.2 ina ⸢UGU⸣ [x x x x] | |
| 3' | ma-a TA@v ŠA₃ {iti}SIG₄ sa-ar-ha-at ma-a da-ba-bu SIG₅ ina UGU-hi | |
| 4' | ta-da-bu-bu ma-a a-bat {d}PA.TUG₂ ši-i ma-a LUGAL-u-tu a-na {1}sa-si-i | |
| 5' | ma-a MU NUMUN ša₂ {1}{d}30—PAB-MEŠ—SU u₂-hal-la-qa {lu₂}GAL—mu-gi-ka {lu₂}GAL—mu-gi-ka {lu₂}GAL—mu-gi-ka | |
| 6' | ina šap-la KA₂.GAL ša₂ E₂—{d}PA E₂ {1}EN—PAB—PAB liš-al {lu₂}še-e-pi [ša₂] | |
| 7' | GEME₂ ina E₂ {1}sa-si-i u₂-bi-lu-ni lu-bi-lu-ni-ši dul-lu LUGAL | |
| 8' | ina UGU-hi-ša₂ le-pu-šu₂ {1}EN—PAB—PAB TA@v {uru}KASKAL lu-bi-lu-ni {d}PA.TUG₂ [x x x] | |
| 9' | MU NUMUN ša₂ {1}sa-si-i ša₂ {1}EN—PAB—PAB ša₂ UN-MEŠ ša₂ is-si-šu₂-nu u₂-du-[u-ni] | |
| 10' | li-ih-li-iq MU NUMUN ša₂ LUGAL EN-ia {d}EN {d}PA a-na ⸢ṣa-at⸣ [UD-ME lu]-⸢kin⸣-nu | |
| 11' | TA@v {1}ar-da-a lid-bu-bu ma-a UD 27-KAM₂ ina nu-bat-ti ma-a a-na {1}sa]-si-i | |
| 12' | {lu₂}ša₂—UGU—URU {1}15—SUM—A {lu₂}A.BA ma-a si-mu-nu ha-[an-ni-u be₂-et] | |
| 13' | il-li-ku-u-ni TA@v {1}a-u₂-ia-a-ni {lu₂}šak-ni [x x x x x x] | |
| r.e. | ||
| 14' | ma-a {1}15—SUM—A {lu₂}A.BA ma-a {1}{d}PA—KAR-ir an-⸢ni⸣-[tu₂ x x x x x x] | |
| 15' | ma-a UD 28-KAM₂ ma-a {1}sa-si-i mi₃-i-nu ina UGU-hi ⸢x x x⸣ [x x x x x x] | |
| 16' | ma a-na 02-e UD-me {1}sa-si-i is-si-ka TA {lu₂}[x x x x x x x x] | |
| 17' | id-bu-bu ma-a a-[ta]-a mi₃-i-nu ša₂ ta-⸢mu⸣-[ru-ni x x x x x x x] | |
| 18' | {lu₂}GAL—mu-gi {lu₂}GAL—mu-gi {lu₂}GAL—mu-gi ⸢x⸣+[x x x x x x x x x] ERIM-MEŠ [x x x x x x x] | |
| 19 | {1}15—[SUM—A o] {lu₂}A.⸢BA⸣ [x x x x x] | |
| e. | ||
| 1 | [x x x x x x UN-MEŠ] ⸢ša⸣ is-si-šu₂-nu TA@v {1}sa-si-i u₂-du-u-ni | |
| 2 | [li-mu-tu₂ x x x DUMU]-MEŠ-ka ŠEŠ—AD-MEŠ-ka ŠEŠ—AD-MEŠ-ka ŠEŠ—AD-MEŠ-ka EN.NUN-ka li-ṣu-ru | |
| 3 | [x x x]-⸢ka⸣ lu-pa-ah-⸢hi⸣-ir [x x x x at-ta] tu-qu-nu ina E₂.GAL-ka ši-bi | |
| 4 | [x x] a-du ⸢E₂⸣ [la i-ha-ru-pu-ni UN-MEŠ li-mu]-tu₂ ZI-MEŠ-ka še-zib | |
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.