Ashurbanipal 185 (Q007593)
Royal Inscription, Neo-Assyrian, Kuyunjik (Nineveh) · c. 911 BCE–612 BCE
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| Designation | Ashurbanipal 185 |
|---|---|
| ID | Q007593 |
| Collection | British Museum, London, UK |
| Language | Akkadian |
| Period | Neo-Assyrian · c. 911 BCE–612 BCE |
| Genre | Royal Inscription |
| Find spot | Kuyunjik (Nineveh) |
| Coordinates | 36.3587, 43.1519 |
English translation
By ORACC project rinap/rinap5 · Via Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC)
| Line | English |
|---|---|
| Obverse [0:3] o 1o 1–o 33 | (As for) the city Arbela, the abode of the goddess Ištar, the house of festivals and [joyous celebrations], whose (inner) wall had not been built (and) [whose] o[uter wall] had not been completed since time immemorial: I built its (inner) wall and completed its outer wall. I f[illed (it)] with splendor. |
| Obverse [3:5] o 44–o 55 | (As for) the temple of the goddess Ištar, my lady, I made (it) shine like daylight using silver, gold, (and) copper. I decorated the divine emblems of the gateway(s) of the temple of the goddess Ištar with silver (and) gold and (then) I set (them) up. |
| Obverse [5:8] o 66–o 88 | (As for) the city Milqīʾa, the palace of the steppe, the dwelling place of the goddess Ištar, I renovated its dilapidated section(s), built its akītu-house, (and) completed the city in its entirety. I set my hands (to this task) in distress and weeping because an enemy had destroyed it, (but) I completed (it) in (the midst of) celebration. |
| Obverse [8:9] o 99–o 99 | I myself set up the divine emblems of the temple of the god Nergal of the city Tarbiṣu, which had not existed in the day(s) of the past. |
| Obverse [9:13] o 1010–o 1313 | After I had done these things (and) finished (my) work, I did not ... the command of the father who had engendered me, (but rather) I kept (it). I entrusted Šamaš-šuma-ukīn, my favorite brother, with the kingship of the land Kardunia[š] (Babylonia), consecrated Aššur-mukīn-palēʾa, my younger brother, as a šešgallu-priest of (the god) Aš[šur], (and) consecrat[ed] Aššur-etel-šamê-erṣeti-muballissu, my young(est) brother, as a šešgallu-priest of the god Sîn, who resides in the city Ḫarrān. |
| Reverse [0:6] r 1r 1–r 66 | Together with the funerary offerings, I reinstat[ed] the libations for the spirits of the kings who came be[fore (me)] that had been discontinued (and) I performed good deed(s) for god and mankind, for (both) the dead and the living. (So) why are illness, misery, troubles, (and) loss bound up with me? Discord in the land (and) quarreling in the household cannot be kept away from [my] sid[e]. (rev. 5) Disorder (and) evil plan(s) constantly beset me. Unhappiness (and) ill health have contorted my body. |
| Reverse [6:13] r 77–r 1313 | I spend days in (saying) “Woe!” (and) “Alas!” I myself am troubled on the day of the god of the city, the festival day. Death takes holds of me, (and) I am suffering severely. (rev. 10) Day and night I wail on account of depression (and) melancholy. I am exhausted. O god, give (these things) to someone who is irreverent (so that) I may see your light! How long, O god, will you treat me this way? I am treated like one who does not revere god or goddess! |
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 | {uru}LIMMU₂-DINGIR šu-bat {d}iš-tar E₂ i-sin-na-a-ti ⸢u₃⸣ [nin-gu-ti] | |
| 2 | ša ul-tu ul-la BAD₃-šu₂ la ep-šu₂ la šuk-lu-⸢la šal⸣-[ḫu-u-šu₂] | |
| 3 | BAD₃-šu₂ ar-ṣip-ma u₂-šak-lil šal-ḫu-u-šu₂ lu-le-⸢e uš⸣-[mal-li] | |
| 4 | E₂ {d}INANNA GAŠAN-ia ina KU₃.BABBAR KU₃.GI URUDU u₂-nam-mir GIM u₄-⸢mi⸣ | |
| 5 | {giš}šu-ri-in-ni KA₂ E₂ {d}iš-tar KU₃.BABBAR KU₃.GI u₂-za-ʾi-in-ma az-qup | |
| 6 | {uru}mil-qi₂-a E₂.GAL EDIN mu-šab {d}iš-tar an-ḫu-us-su ud-diš | |
| 7 | E₂ a₂-kit-su ar-ṣip URU ana gi-mir-ti-šu₂ u₂-šak-lil | |
| 8 | ina ta-di-ir-ti u₃ bi-ki-ti ša₂ u₂-šal-pi-tu₂-šu₂ {lu₂}KUR₂ ŠU.II-ia₅ um-mid ina ḪUL₂.MEŠ u₂-šak-lil | |
| 9 | {giš}šu-ri-in-ni E₂ {d}U.GUR ša₂ {uru}tar-bi-ṣi ša₂ ul-tu₂ u₄-um pa-ni la GAL₂-u ana-ku az-qup | |
| 10 | ul-tu an-na-a ⸢e⸣-tap-pu-šu₂ ag-mu-ru šip-ri a-mat AD ba-ni-ia₂ ul PAD AŠ at-ta-ṣar ana-ku | |
| 11 | {m}{d}GIŠ.NU₁₁-MU-GI.NA ŠEŠ.MU ta-li-mi₃ ana($erased$) LUGAL-ut {kur}⸢kar₂⸣-{d}⸢dun-ia₂⸣-[aš₃] u₂-šad-gi-la pa-nu-⸢uš-šu₂⸣ | |
| 12 | {m}AN.ŠAR₂-mu-kin-BALA.MEŠ-ia₂ ŠEŠ.MU tar-den-ni ana {lu₂}ŠEŠ.GAL-tu₂ ug-dal-lib ina IGI AN.[ŠAR₂] | |
| 13 | {m}AN.ŠAR₂-e-tel-AN-KI-TI.LA.BI ŠEŠ.MU TUR ana {lu₂}ŠEŠ.GAL-tu₂ ina IGI {d}30 a-šib {uru}KASKAL ug-dal-⸢lib⸣ | |
| r | ||
| 1 | a-di ki-is-pi na-aq A.MEŠ a-na GIDIM.MEŠ LUGAL.MEŠ DU-ut ⸢maḫ⸣-[ri] ša₂ šub-ṭu-lu ar₂-ku-⸢us⸣ | |
| 2 | a-na DINGIR u a-me-lu-tum ana UŠ₂.MEŠ u TI.MEŠ MUN DU₃-⸢uš⸣ | |
| 3 | am-mi₃-ni($over erasures$) GIG ḪUL lib₃-bi ud-du-u ḫu-lu-uq-qu-u rit-ku-sa KI-ia₂ | |
| 4 | ina KUR ṣal-ta ina E₂ pu-uḫ-pu-uḫ-ḫu-u la ip-par-ra-su ⸢A₂⸣.[II-a-a] | |
| 5 | du-lu-uḫ-ḫu-u a-mat ḪUL-tim su-ud-du-ru-u-ni ka-a-a-an | |
| 6 | la DUG₃.GA lib₃-bi la DUG₃.GA UZU ik-ta-pa-ap la-a-ni | |
| 7 | ina u₈-a a-a ag-da-mar u₄-me | |
| 8 | ina u₄-um DINGIR URU u₄-um iš-šin-ni ana-ku dal-ḫa-ku | |
| 9 | u₂-kal-la-an-ni UŠ₂ u₂-šap-ša₂-aq | |
| 10 | ina ku-u-ri ni-is-sa-ti ur-ra u GE₆ a-na-as-su-us | |
| 11 | a-ta-na-aḫ DINGIR ana la pa-li-ḫi SUM-in lu-mur ZALAG₂-⸢ka⸣ | |
| 12 | EN im-mat DINGIR an-na-a te-ep-pu-ša₂-an-⸢ni⸣ | |
| 13 | ki-i la pa-li-iḫ DINGIR u₃ {d}INANNA ana-ku ep-ša₂-⸢ku⸣ | |
Sources & licences
- 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.