Assyrian Documents

Original Historical Documents

ASSYRIAN DOCUMENTS

Fragment Sm. 2022

"as a spoil ...................................................................
Matti, of the country of Atunā,¹ who to [Mita of]
the country of Muska¹ trusted ................
the capture of Amris² and his spoiling ....
saw, and his heart trembled. For to [pay]
tribute to the yoke of the god Ashur [they sent]
their envoy, who a message [of grace]
to the country of Sikris in the country of Media
to my presence brought, and kissed my feet."¹
__________________________________________
"In my 9th year ........................................................
................great.........................................................
....................Asdod.................................................."

1) Atuna or Tunna, the Dana of Xenophon's Anabasis and the birthplace of the philosopher Apollonius of Tyana, lay on the northern slope of the Taurus, from which a pass, called the Cicilian Gates, led over into Cilicia. Muska is the Meshech of Genesis 10:2, and Tabal the Tubal of the same vers.
2) Amris, or Ambaris, king of Tabal, was Sargon's son-in-law. He had received from Sargon the neighboring province of Cilicia as a dowry along with his daughter. His subsequent rebellion called for the bitter reproaches of the Assyrian king.

[Charles Boutflower, `The Book of Isaiah', 1930, p. 111]

Amazing Discoveries Once Again Unearthed

While it is much more difficult today to explore the ancient empires of the Middle East, it is still possible to unearth long forgotten words written in old books by teams of archaeologists traveling `in the good old days.' One such case we shall present below.

The canal head of Sennacherib's Aqueduct was further explored by Archaeologists in 1934 near the village of Hines, since Bavian, which gives its name to the rock inscriptions, is situated some way down the Gomel River. "To our surprise the village of Hines itself yielded a building block of apparently local stone bearing in Hittite hieroglyphs an inscription of a king of Hamath. This will be in `Oriental Institute Communications' No. 19." [Thorkild Jacobsen & Seton Lloyd, `Sennacherib's Aqueduct at Jerwan', Chicago, 1935. Footnote p. 44.]

Caraindas king of the land of Cardunias and Assurbilnisisu king of Assyria a covenant between them with each other established; and a pledge with regard to the boundaries of a certain character to one another gave.
Buzur-Assur king of Assyria and Burnaburiash king of Cardunias made an ordinance, and boundaries common of a certain character established.
In the time of Assuryupalladh king of Assyria, Carakhardas king of Cardunias son of Mupallidhat-Serua daughter of Assuryupallah men of the Kassi revolted against and slew him.
Nasibugas a man of low parentage to the kingdom to (be) over them raised.
.... king of Assyria to exact satisfaction for Carakhardas to Cardunias he went; Nasibugas king of Cardunias he slew; Kurigalzu son of Burnaburias on the throne he seated.

Column II

... his servants he made ... as far as the city of `Sunlar
Belchadrezzar king of Assyria ... they slew Belchadrezzar.
Rimmon-paliddina ... in the midst of that conflict Adarpileser ... to his country returned. His many warriors collected, and to Niniveh to capture (it) he went.
... in the midst he fought; he turned about and to his country returned.
In the time of Zamama-sumiddin king of Cardunias Assurdayan king of Assyria to Cardunias went; the cities of Zaba, Irriya (and) Akarsal he captured their spoil in abundance to Assyria he carried.

Lacuna

Thereupon to his land he returned. After him Nebucahdrezzar his armaments carried; to the passes of the border of Assyria to conquer he went.
Assurrisilim king of Assyria his chariots mustered against him to go.
Nebochadrezzar, when the armaments do not advance, his baggage with fire burned: he turned about and to his country returned. The said Nebochadrezzar (with) chariots and teams to the defenses of the border of Assyria to conquer went. Assurrisilim chariots (and) teams for assistance sent forth. With him he fought; a destruction of him he made; his soldiers he smote; his camp he plundered; 40 of his chariots harnessed they brought back; one standard that went before his host they had taken.
Tiglathpileser king of Assyria Merodach-iddinakhi king of Cardunias a second time (with) a squadron strong of chariots, as many as in the city of Zab lower in sight of Arzukhina he made, in the 2nd year at that time on the bank of the sea which above Accad smote; Dur-Kurigalzu Sippara of the Sun, Sippara of Anunit, Babylon, Opis, strongholds great to their citadels he captured.
In those days the city of Agarsal as far as Lubdi he devastated; the land of Sukhi as far as the city of Rapik to its whole extent he conquered.
In the time of Assurbelkala king of Assyria (and) Merodachsapiccullat king of Cardunias friendship and peace with one another they made. In the time of Assurbelcala king of Assyria Merodachsapiccullat king of Cardunias his death took him ... saduni the son of a nobody to the kingdom over them they raised.
Assurbelcala king of Assyria to Cardunias went down; their spoil to Assyria he brought.
[Sayce, Synchronous History of Assyria and Babylonia in PSBA, 1873.]

Inscription of Ashurnasirpal

"From the bank of the river Tigris unto the land of Lebanon and the great sea of the land of Lacie to its extent - the land of Lukhi, to the city of Raphek, to his [my] feet he [I] caused to submit...etc." On tablets or altar slabs.

"Of the countries of Nairi throughout, I brought. That city afresh I took. The city Imgur-Bel its name I called; this temple with the bricks of my palace then I built. An image of Makhir, my Lord, in the midst then I set up. To the land of Lebanon then I went; beams of cedar wood, surman wood, cypress wood I cut down. Beams of cedar wood upon this temple I brought. Doors of cedar wood I made; upon the edge copper I bound, for its gates ... etc." [Dated translation in PSBA, Mar 4, 1879, p. 28.]

A Historical Inscription of Esarhaddon

This inscription which contains a fragmentary account of the tenth campaign of Esarhaddon, in Phoenicia and Egypt, was brought by Mr. Smith from Assyria on his last expedition there, and was briefly noticed by him in his paper read before the Society last July. Through the kindness of Mr. Smith I have been able to copy the inscription, and, with his assistance, to restore portions of it, so as to get a fair text. The translation is as follows (Please be reminded this is an older translation):

01. ..... The second time
02. I caused to sit. Bihilu
03. Bil-idina in the city of Kullimir
04. To the borders of Assyria I restored
05. Tributes to my lordship.
06. In my 10th expedition
07. ......... my face to
08. (which in the language) of the people of Kush and Muzur (are called)
09. I gathered the strong armies of Assur, which within
10. (Nisan) the 1st month from my city of Assur I departed. The rivers Tigris and Euphrates I crossed
11. Regions difficult I penetrated
12. In the course of my expedition against Bahal king of Tyre, who to Tirhaka king of Ethiopia had entrusted
13. The yoke of Assur my lord he threw off and made defiance
14. Towers against him I raised .... food and drink (?) to ... their lives I stopped.
15. from the land of Egypt the camps I assembled, to the land of Miluaha I directed the march
16. 30 kaspu (210 miles) of ground from the city of Apqu (Aphek) which is near the land of Samaria to the city of Raphia
17. To the frontiers of the land of Egypt a place which has no water ..... a very great desert (?)
18. water with buckets for the army .... carried.
Reverse
01. Then the command of Assur my lord my ears entered .... mind
02. camels .... of the kings of Arabia all of them .... them
03. 30 kaspu of ground a journey of 15 days in I marched
04. 4 kaspu of ground with stones great (covered) I went
05. 4 kaspu of ground a journey of 2 days .... snakes with two heads .... death and
06. I trod .... and crossed 4 kaspu of ground a journey
07. of ..... 4 kaspu of ground a journey of 2 days
08. 15 kaspu of ground a journey of 8 days I marched.
09. Merodach the great lord to the assistance came
10. ...... the lives of my army 20 days seven ....
11. From the border of the land of Egypt
12. From the city of Makau
13. .......
14. this ground like stones
15. like birds.
16. red ... and sarku
17. enemies violent to
18. (from) the city I swept (?). [Boscawen, W. in TSBA, Vol. IV, 1876, p. 84-85. Read on Tuesday, the 4th of May, 1875.]

Hebrew Kings and other kings mentioned in Assyrian Records

Menahem (Minhimmu), the Shamsimurunite heads the list of tribute payers, before those of Sidon, Arvad, Gubla, Ashdod, Beth-Ammon, Moab and Edom. This `Menahem' could not be the biblical Menahem. [Luckenbill, Vol. II, Sec. 239, p. 119.]

Who was Shebitku?

In the records of Tiglath-Pileser III we read about the appointment of a `Rukibtu' to the throne of Ashkelon, in the records of Sennacherib that name is found again. The name Shebitku (25th dynasty) sounds similar to Rukibtu [Ibid., Sec. 239.] The reasoning is that if Shebitku can be an Egyptian name so could Rukibtu. The son of `Rukibtu' was `Sharru-lu-dari', king of Si'nu, who is also mentioned in the annals of Ashurbanipal (conv. 668-627) (Mackey 688-647). What was the year of the 3rd campaign of Sennacherib? In conventional chronology it would be 701 BC, according to D. Mackey it would be ca. 714 BC, the 9th year of Sargon.

The Inscription of this royal seal from Assyrian Tarbasu, near the Habur River, last we know of in Berlin (BE 6407), was translated as follows:

1. na kunukku (sit) mMu-se-es- dNinurta (MAS) lusangu (sit)
2. apil m.dNinurta (MAs) -eres(KAM) II-ma
3. apil mSa(DI)-ma-nu-ha- sar(MAN) - ilanimes.ni II-ma
1. Seal of :Muses"-Ninurta, "priest-prince" (Priesterfuersten),
2. Son of Ninurta-eres, ditto
3. Son of Samanuha-sar-ilani, ditto.

Suppiluliumas and the Egyptian Queen Chart
(iii) While my father was down in the country of Karkamis (Jerablus), he dispatched Lupakkis and Tessub-zalmas to the country of Amqa (between Lebanon and Antilibanus). They proceeded to attack the country of Amqa and brought deportees, cattle (and) sheep home before my father. (5) When the people of the land of Egypt heard about the attack on Amqa, they became frightened. Because, to make matters worse, their lord Bibhuruiyas [50] had just died, the Egyptian queen who had become a widow, sent an envoy to my father (10) and wrote him as follows: "My husband died and I have no son. People say that you have many sons. If you were to send me one of your sons, he might become my husband. I am loath to take a servant of mine (15) and make him my husband." ... When my father heard that, he called the great into council (saying): "Since of old such a thing has never happened before me." (20) He proceeded to dispatch Hattu-zitis, the chamberlain, (saying): "Go! Bring you reliable information back to me. They may try to deceive me: As to whether perhaps they have a prince (25) bring reliable information back to me!"
During Hattu-zitis' absence in the land of Egypt my father vanquished the city of Karkamis. ...
The Egyptian envoy, the Honorable Hanis, (45) came to him. Because my father had instructed Hattu-zitis while sending him to the land of Egypt as follows: "Perhaps they have a prince; they may try to deceive me and do not really want one of my sons to (take over) the kingship," the Egyptian queen answered my father in a letter as follows: "Why do you say: `They may try to deceive me'? If I had a son, would I (iv) write to a foreign country in a manner which is humiliating to myself and to my country? You do not trust me and tell me even such a thing. (5) He who was my husband died and I have no sons. Shall I perhaps take one of my servants and make him my husband? I have not written to any other country, I have written (only) to you. (10) People say that you have many sons. Give me one of your sons and he is my husband and king in the land of Egypt." Because my father was generous, he complied with the lady's wishes and decided for (sending) the son." [Hittite Historical Texts, p. 319]

Notes & References

[050] A parallel text (KUB, xxxiv, 24 4) offers the variant Nibhururiyas. The much discussed question as to whether Amen-hotep IV (Nfr.-hpr.w-r') or Tut-ankh-Amon (Nb-hpr.w-r') is meant was thereby decided in favour of the latter.

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