ABL 1216 (P334798)
Letter, Neo-Assyrian, Nineveh · c. 911 BCE–612 BCE
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| Designation | ABL 1216 |
|---|---|
| ID | P334798 |
| 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/saa10 · Via Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC)
| Line | English |
|---|---|
| Obverse [0:1] o 1'1'–o 1'1' | [...] now [......] |
| Obverse [1:2] o 2'2'–o 2'2' | [...] and dates [......] |
| Obverse [2:3] o 3'3'–o 3'3' | [...] but his messenger [did] not [......] |
| Obverse [3:4] o 4'4'–o 4'4' | [...] beyond the kingship o[f ......] |
| Obverse [4:5] o 5'5'–o 5'5' | [...] completed according to his word [......] with the king [...] |
| Obverse [5:6] o 6'6'–o 6'6' | [I told] him: "You will take over the kingship." Let the king create her [...]. |
| Obverse [6:7] o 7'7'–o 7'7' | I am Bel-ušezib, your servant and your dog who fears you [...]. |
| Obverse [7:15] o 8'8'–o 15'15' | Why [did the king my lord sum]mon prophets and prophetesses w[hen I disclosed] the many [th]ings I had heard in Nineveh, (while) [I, who] blocked the exorcist with my mouth and [we]nt to pay homage to the crown prince my lord, who evaded execution [by fleeing] to the Tower, whose murder along with your servants [was plotted] every day, and who told the omen of the kingship of my lord the crown prince Esarhaddon to the exorcist Dadâ and the queen mother, saying: "Esarhaddon will rebuild Babylon and restore Esaggil, and [honor] me" — |
| Obverse [15:16] o 16'16'–o 16'16' | why has the king up until now not summoned me? |
| Obverse [18:21] o 19'19'–o 21'21' | the gods of the king of lands, my lord, be my witnesses that I said to the king, my lord, that the king will rule all the countries and that the [great gods] will give many years t[o the king, my lord]. |
| Obverse [21:24] o 22'22'– | All these 20 years since I gave [...] three talents of silver and [...] audience gifts, they have not given me my [...]; yet th[ere are many] audience gifts. |
| Bottom [1:3] b.e. 24'24'– | Let me resettle the ruined lands [...] for the king, and [let ...] by the king's command. |
| Reverse [0:5] r 1r 1–r 55 | In the reign of your royal father, Kalbu the son of Nabû-eṭir, without the knowledge of your royal father made a pact [with] the scribes and haruspices, saying: "If an untoward sign occurs, we shall [tell] the king that an obscure sign has occurred." For a year he censored all [...s], if a sign untoward to him [occurred], and that was anything but good. |
| Reverse [5:7] r 66–r 77 | Finally, when the alû (demon) had come, [he said: "If a sign] that is untoward to me occurs and you do not report it to me, [......]." |
| Reverse [7:9] r 88–r 99 | The scribes and haruspices took heed of these words, and by [the gods of the king, they reported] every portent that occurred during the reign of your royal father, and your royal father did stay alive and exercise the kingship. |
| Reverse [9:13] r 1010–r 1313 | Now [then portents] have occurred in the reign of the king, my lord, bearing upon him. They have set aside whatever [......]; (but) where (are they)? They are looking for a pleasant sign [..., saying]: "Keep evil [omens] to yourselves, let [......]." |
| Reverse [13:15] r 1414–r 1515 | [This was the sign] of kingship: (If a planet comes close to a planet), the son of the king who lives in a city on my border [will make a rebellion against his father, but will not seize the throne; a son of nobody will come out and se]ize [the throne]; he will restore the temples [and establish sacrifices of the gods; he will provide jointly for (all) the temples.] |
| Reverse [15:16] r 1616–r 1616 | [Now then a sign] has occurred [in] Iyyar (II), in the reign of the king, my lord [...] |
| Reverse [16:17] r 1717–r 1717 | [......] called a kingship of far-off days [......] |
| Reverse [17:18] r 1818–r 1818 | [......] the crown prince who was meant [......] |
| Reverse [18:20] r 1919–r 2020 | [......] the king came [......] |
| Reverse [20:22] r 21'21'– | [...] flees, let me stretch out my [...]; who is the [...] that [......]? |
| Edge [0:1] e. 1e. 1–e. 1e. 1 | [...] ... Esarhaddon [......] |
| Edge [1:2] e. 22–e. 22 | [...] you do not guard me [......] |
| Edge [2:3] e. 33–e. 33 | You are [...]. May the face of Šamaš guard you [......]! |
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]-lu en-na ⸢x⸣+[x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 2' | [x x x]-tu u₃ ZU₂.LUM.⸢MA⸣ [x x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 3' | [x x x]-ri u₃ {lu₂}A—KIN-šu₂ {lu₂}A—KIN-šu₂ ul ⸢x⸣+[x x x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 4' | [x x x]-bu-ma al-la ša₂ LUGAL-ti ⸢ša₂ x x⸣ [x x x x x x x] | |
| 5' | [x x x u₂]-ma-al-lu-u₂ a-na UGU-hi pi-i-šu₂ KI LUGAL ⸢x x⸣+[x x x x x] | |
| 6' | [aq-ta-ba]-aš₂-šu₂ um-ma LUGAL-ti ta-na-aš₂-ši LUGAL li-ib-ni-ši [x x x x] | |
| 7' | [a]-⸢na⸣-ku {1}{d}EN—u₂-še-zib ARAD-ka UR.[KU]-ka u₃ pa-lih-ka [x x x x] | |
| 8' | ⸢di⸣-[ib]-bi ma-aʾ-du-tu i-ba-aš₂-ši ša₂ i-na NINA{ki} aš₂-mu-u₂ ⸢ki⸣-[i u₂-kal-li-mu] | |
| 9' | am—me-ni am—me-ni re-eš {lu₂}ra-ag-gi-ma-nu {mi₂}ra-ag-gi-ma-a-tu ⸢x⸣+[x x x x] | |
| 10' | [ša₂ {lu₂]}MAŠ.MAŠ i-na pi-ia ap-ri-ku-ma a-na šul-mu ša₂ DUMU—LUGAL DUMU—LUGAL be-li₂-⸢ia⸣ | |
| 11' | [al-li]-ka la—pa-ni da-a-ku u₂-še-zi-ba-am-ma a-na {uru}a-ši-⸢ti⸣ [ah-li-qa] | |
| 12' | a-na UGU-hi da-a-ki-ia u₃ da-a-ku ša₂ ARAD-MEŠ-ka UD-mu-us-⸢su⸣ [id-bu-bu] | |
| 13' | u₃ it-tu ša₂ LUGAL-u₂-ti ša₂ {1}{d}aš-šur—ŠEŠ—SUM-na DUMU—LUGAL DUMU—LUGAL be-li₂-[ia] | |
| 14' | a-na {1}da-da-a {lu₂}MAŠ.MAŠ u₃ AMA—LUGAL AMA—LUGAL aq-bu-u₂ um-ma {1}{⸢d⸣}aš-šur—ŠEŠ—SUM-na | |
| 15' | TIN.TIR{ki} ep-pu-uš E₂.SAG.IL₂ u₂-šak-lal u₃ ia-a-[ši x x x x] | |
| 16' | am—me-ni am—me-ni a-di UGU-hi ša₂ en-na LUGAL re-eš-a la iš-ši u₃ i-na [x x x x] | |
| 17' | {uru}a-ši-ti il-li-ku ši-ik-nu šu-u₂ bab-ba-nu-u₂ a-na DUMU—[LUGAL DUMU—[LUGAL be-li₂-ia] | |
| 18' | ki-i ša₂ aq-bu-u₂ ki-i i-pu-šu₂-u₂ a-na LUGAL be-li₂-ia ⸢id⸣-[di-nu] | |
| 19' | u₃ ki-i {lu₂}NAR ina ŠU.2-šu₂ da-gil₂ DINGIR-ME ša₂ LUGAL KUR.KUR be-li₂-ia₂ lu-u₂ i-[du-u₂ ki-i] | |
| 20' | LUGAL KUR.<KUR> ka-li-ši-na i-bil-lu u₃ MU.AN.NA-MEŠ ma-aʾ-da-[ti DINGIR-MEŠ GAL-MEŠ] | |
| 21' | a-[na] UD [be-li₂-ia] i-nam-di-nu a-na LUGAL be-li₂-ia aq-bu-u₂ [x x x] | |
| 22' | 20 MU.AN.[NA-MEŠ a-ga]-a ul-tu ša₂ 03-šu₂ GU₂.UN KUG.UD na-mu-ra-ti si-[x x x] | |
| b.e. | ||
| 23' | ad-di-nu ⸢x⸣+[x x x]-⸢ia⸣ ul id-din-nu-ni u₃ na-mu-ra-ti ma-[aʾ-da-a-ti] | |
| 24' | ha-ar₂-ba-na-⸢ti⸣ [x x] a-na LUGAL lu-še-ši-ib u₃ i-na pi-i LUGAL ⸢x⸣+[x x x x] | |
| r | ||
| 1 | {1}kal-bi DUMU-šu₂ ša₂ {1}{d}AG—KAR-ir a-na tar-ṣi LUGAL AD-ka ri-ik-⸢su⸣ [it-ti] | |
| 2 | {lu₂}DUB.SAR-MEŠ u₃ {lu₂}HAL-MEŠ ša₂ la LUGAL AD-ka ki-i u₂-⸢rak⸣-[ki-su] | |
| 3 | um-ma ki-i it-tu la ba-ni-ti ta-at-tal-ku a-na LUGAL ⸢ni⸣-[qab-bi] | |
| 4 | um-ma it-tu e-si-ti ta-at-tal-ka ṭup-pi a-na ṭup-pi [x x x x] | |
| 5 | gab-bi-šu-nu i-da-ku ki-i it-tu ša₂ ina UGU-hi-šu₂ la ba-na-a-[tu tal-li-ku] | |
| 6 | u₃ šu-u₂ mim-ma ša₂ la ba-na-a ar₂-ka-niš a-lu-u₂ ki-i il-li-[ka um-ma it-tu] | |
| 7 | ša₂ i-na UGU-hi-ia la ba-na-a-tu tal-li-kam₂-ma la taq-ba-a-ni [x x x] | |
| 8 | dib-bi an-nu-ti {lu₂}DUB.SAR-ME {lu₂}HAL-ME ina ŠU.2-šu₂-nu ki-i iṣ-ba-tu [DINGIR-ME ša₂ LUGAL] | |
| 9 | lu-u₂ i-du-u₂ ki-i it-tu ma-la a-na tar-ṣi LUGAL AD-ka tal-[li-ka la iq-bu-ma] | |
| 10 | LUGAL AD-ka la bal-ṭu-ma u₃ LUGAL-u₂-tu₂ la i-pu-šu₂-ma en-⸢na⸣ [a-du-u₂ GISKIM-MEŠ] | |
| 11 | a-na tar-ṣi LUGAL be-li₂-ia it-tal-ka-ni a-na UGU-hi-šu₂ mim-ma ša₂ ⸢x⸣+[x x x x] | |
| 12 | i-zi-ba e-ka-nu it-tu bab-ba-ni-tu i-nam-ṣar-ru [x x x x] | |
| 13 | [um-ma x x] ⸢x x⸣-ti i-na ŠU.2-i-ku-nu tu-kal-la lu [x x x x] | |
| 14 | [an-ni-tu it-tu] ša₂ LUGAL-u-te DUMU—LUGAL DUMU—LUGAL ša₂ ina URU ZAG-MU aš₂-bu [ana AD-šu₂ HI.GAR DU₃-ma AŠ.TE NU DIB] | |
| 15 | [DUMU ma-ma-na-ma E₃-ma AŠ.TE] ⸢DIB⸣-bat E₂-MEŠ DINGIR-ME GAL-MEŠ GAL-MEŠ ana KI-šu₂-nu ⸢u₂⸣-[tar x x x x x] | |
| 16 | [en-na a-du-u₂ it-tu ina] {⸢iti⸣}GUD a-na tar-ṣi LUGAL be-li₂-ia ta-at-⸢tal⸣-[ka x x x x] | |
| 17 | [x x x x x] LUGAL-ti ša₂ UD-me ṣa-a-ti il-su-u₂ [x x x x x x x] | |
| 18 | [x x x x x x x]+⸢x⸣-bi-lu DUMU—LUGAL DUMU—LUGAL ša₂ iq-bu-⸢u₂⸣ [x x x x x] | |
| 19 | [x x x x x x]+⸢x⸣-ni LUGAL il-li-ka ⸢x⸣+[x x x x x x x] | |
| 20 | [x x x x x x x x x x x x] ⸢x x⸣ [x x x x x x x x] | |
| 21' | [x x x] i-na-bi-it ⸢x⸣+[x x x]-ia lu-ut-ru-ṣu man-nu {lu₂}[x x x] ša₂ [x x x x] | |
| e. | ||
| 1 | [x x x x]+⸢x⸣ pi is x nu {1}{d}aš-šur—ŠEŠ—SUM-na [x x x x x x x x] | |
| 2 | [x x x x x]+⸢x⸣ la ta-na-aṣ-ṣa-ra-an-ni [x x x x x x x x x x] | |
| 3 | [x x x x x]+⸢x⸣-la-ta bu-un-ni {d}UTU li-iṣ-ṣur-ka [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.