Shalmaneser III 006

(i 1) God Aššur, great lord, king of all the great gods; god Anu, king of the Igīgū and Anunnakū gods, lord of the lands; god Enlil, exalted one, father of the gods, creator of all; god Ea, king of the apsû, lord of wisdom and understanding; god Sîn, king of the lunar disk, lofty luminary; (i 5) god Šamaš, lofty judge of heaven (and) underworld, lord of all; god Ninurta, strong and mighty one, splendidly preeminent of the gods; goddess Ištar, mistress of war and battle, whose game is fighting; great gods, who decree destinies, who aggrandize my sovereignty, who have made great my dominion, power, and leadership, (who) have richly established for me my honorable name (and) my lofty command over (all) lords;

(i 11) Shalmaneser, king of all people, prince, vice-regent of Aššur, strong king, king of all the four quarters, sun(god) of all people, ruler of all lands, king, desired object of the gods, chosen of the god Enlil, trustworthy appointee of Aššur, attentive prince, (i 15) who has seen remote and rugged regions, who has trodden upon the mountain peaks in all the highlands, receiver of booty and tax from all the (four) quarters, who opens paths above and below, at whose strong attack for combat the (four) quarters are distressed (and) (i 20) cities convulsed, strong male who acts with the support of Aššur (and) the god Šamaš, the gods his allies, and has no rival among the princes of the four quarters, magnificent king of lands, who has kept progressing by difficult ways through mountains and seas;

(i 24) son of Ashurnasirpal (II), exalted prince, whose priesthood was pleasing to the gods and (who) subdued all lands at his feet, pure offspring of Tukultī-Ninurta (II), who slew all his enemies and annihilated (them) like a flood:

(i 28) At that time, in my accession year, after I nobly ascended the royal throne, I mustered my chariots and troops. I entered the pass of the land Simesi (and) (i 30) approached the city Aridu, the fortified city of Ninnu. I besieged the city, captured (it), massacred many of their (people), (and) carried off booty from them. Moving on from the city Aridu, I approached the city Ḫubuškia. I burned the city Ḫubuškia together with 100 cities in its environs. Kaki, king of the city Ḫubuškia (i 35), became frightened in the face of the flash of my mighty weapons and fortified himself on a mountain. I climbed up the mountain after him. I waged mighty war on the mountain (and) brought down from the mountain the remains of his property. Moving on from the city Ḫubuškia I marched to the sea of the land Nairi. I washed my weapons in the sea (and) made sacrifices to my gods. On my return from the sea I received tribute from Asû the Gilzānean (and) brought (it) to my city Aššur.

(i 42) In my first regnal year I crossed the Euphrates in flood (and) marched to the western sea. I washed my weapons in the sea (and) made sacrifices to my gods. I climbed up the Amanus range (and) cut beams of cedar (and) juniper. (i 45) I climbed up Mount Lallar (and) erected therein my royal statue. I razed, destroyed, (and) burned the cities of the Patineans, of Aḫunu, the man of Bīt-Adini, of the Carchemishites, (and) of the Bīt-(A)gūsi, which are on the other side of the Euphrates.

(i 49) In my second regnal year I moved out from Nineveh (and) approached the city Tīl-Barsip (Barsaip). I razed, destroyed, (and) burned the cities of Aḫunu, the man of Bīt-Adini, (and) confined him to his city. I crossed the Euphrates in flood. On (this) my second campaign I captured, razed, destroyed, (and) burned the city Dabigu, fortress of the land Ḫatti, together with cities in its environs and the remaining cities of all their lands. I received (i 55) tribute from all the kings on the other side of the Euphrates (and) accomplished everywhere my mighty victories over all the lands.

(i 57) In my third regnal year Aḫunu, the man of Bīt-Adini, became frightened in the face of my mighty weapons, abandoned the city Tīl-Barsip (Bursaip), his royal city, (and) crossed the Euphrates. Moving out from Nineveh I took as my own the cities Tīl-Barsip (Bursaip) (and) Pitiru (i 60), (cities) which are on the other side of the Euphrates (and) which Tiglath-pileser (I), my ancestor, had established. On my return I entered the pass of Alzu. (I marched) from Alzu to the land Suhme, from the land Suhme to the land Daiēnu, from the land Daiēnu to the city Arṣaškun, the royal city (i 65) of Aramu the Urarṭian. Aramu trusted in the strength of his army and mustered his numerous cavalry to wage war and battle against me. I defeated him (and) deprived him of his cavalry (and) military equipment. To save his life he climbed up a rugged mountain (i 70). They (his people) became frightened in the face of my mighty weapons, abandoned their cities, and took to a rugged mountain. I captured the city Arṣaškun, his royal city, together with cities in its environs. I brought out his incalculable possessions and property (and) razed, destroyed, (and) burned the(se) cities. (ii 1) I annihilated like a flood from the land Gilzānu to the city Ḫubuškia. From the pass of Mount Kirruru I emerged before the city Arbela.

(ii 3) In my fourth regnal year, on the thirteenth day of the month Ayyāru, I moved out from Nineveh (and) crossed the Euphrates in flood in pursuit of Aḫunu, the man of Bīt-Adini. He had made as his stronghold (ii 5) Mount Šītamrat, a mountain peak on the bank of the Euphrates which is suspended from heaven like a cloud. I besieged (and) captured the mountain peak. Aḫunu, together with his gods, his chariots, his horses, (and) 22,000 of his troops I uprooted (and) brought to my city, Aššur.

(ii 10) In this same year I moved out from Inner City (Aššur), crossed Mount Kullar, went down to the interior of the land Zamua, (and) captured the cities of Nikdêra, the Idean. The remnant of their army boarded boats of papyrus and escaped by sea. I boarded boats of inflated skins (and) pursued them. I defeated them in the midst of the sea (and) plundered them.

(ii 16) In my fifth regnal year I moved out from Nineveh and ascended Mount Kašiyari. I captured eleven fortified cities (and) confined Anḫitti the Šubraean to his city (and) received his tribute.

(ii 19) In my sixth regnal year I moved out from Nineveh and approached the cities on the banks of the River Baliḫ (Paliḫ). They became frightened in the face of my mighty weapons and killed Giammu, their city ruler. I entered the city Tīl-turaḫi (and) claimed the city as my own. Moving on from the banks of the River Baliḫ (Paliḫ) I crossed the Euphrates in flood. I received tribute from the kings of the land Ḫatti. (ii 25) Moving on from the land Ḫatti I approached the city Aleppo (Ḫalman) (and) made sacrifices before the god Adad of Aleppo (Ḫalman). Moving on from Aleppo (Ḫalman) I approached the city Qarqar. Hadad-ezer (Adad-idri), the Damascene, (and) Irḫulēnu, the Ḫamatite, together with twelve kings on the shore of the sea, trusting in their united forces, (ii 30) attacked me to wage war and battle. I fought with them. I put to the sword 25,000 of their fighting men (and) captured from them their chariotry, cavalry, (and) military equipment. To save their lives they ran away. I boarded boats (and) went out upon the sea.

(ii 34) In my seventh regnal year I marched to the cities of Ḫabinu, the Tīl-abnīan. I captured (and) burned Tīl-abni, his fortified city, together with the cities in its environs. Moving on from Tīl-abni I marched to the source of the Tigris, the place where the water comes out, (and) made sacrifices. I put to the sword (the inhabitants of) cities insubmissive to Aššur (and) received tribute from the land Nairi.

(ii 41) In my eighth regnal year, at the time of Marduk-zākir-šumi (I), king of Karduniaš (Babylonia), Marduk-bēl-usāte, his brother, rebelled against him. I marched out for vengeance (and) captured the cities Mê-turnat and Laḫiru.

(ii 45) In my ninth regnal year, in my second campaign (to Babylonia), I captured the city Gannanāte. To save his life Marduk-bēl-usāte went up to the city Ḫalman. I pursued him (and) put to the sword Marduk-bēl-usāte together with the treacherous soldiers who were with him. (Then) I marched to Babylon (and) (ii 50) made sacrifices in Baby ion, Borsippa, (and) Cutha. I went down to Chaldea (and) captured their cities. I marched to the sea called the Marratu (“Bitter”) River (and) received tribute in Babylon from Adinu, the man of Bīt-Dakkuri, (and) from Mušallim-Marduk, the man of Bīt-Amukkāni (Ukānu): silver, gold, ebony, (and) elephant ivory.

(ii 55) In my tenth regnal year I crossed the Euphrates for the eighth time. I razed, destroyed, (and) burned the cities of Sangara, the Carchemishite. Moving on from the cities of the Carchemishite I approached the cities of Aramu (and) captured the city Arne, his royal city. I razed, destroyed, (and) burned (it) together with one hundred cities in its environs. (ii 60) I massacred them (and) plundered them. At that time, Hadad-ezer (Adad-idri), the Damascene, (and) Irḫulēnu, the Ḫamatite, together with twelve kings on the shore of the sea, trusting in their united forces, attacked me to wage war and battle. I fought with them (and) (ii 65) defeated them. I took from them their chariotry, cavalry, and military equipment. To save their lives they ran away.

(ii 68) In my eleventh regnal year I moved· out from Nineveh (and) crossed the Euphrates in flood for the ninth time. I captured ninety-seven cities of Sangara. (ii 70) I captured, razed, destroyed, (and) burned one hundred cities of Aramu. I took to the slopes of the Amanus range, crossed Mount Iaraqu, (and) (iii I) descended to the cities of the people of Ḫamat. I captured the city Aštammaku, together with eighty-nine (other) cities. I massacred their (inhabitants) (and) plundered them. At that time Hadad-ezer (Adad-idri), the Damascene, (and) Irḫulēnu, the Ḫamatite, together with twelve kings (iii 5) on the shore of the sea, trusting in their united forces, attacked me to wage war and battle. I fought with them (and) defeated them. I put to the sword 10,000 of their fighting men. (iii 10) I took from them their chariotry, cavalry, and military equipment. On my return I captured Aparāzu, the fortified city of Aramu. At that time, I received tribute from Qalparunda: silver, gold, tin, horses, donkeys, oxen, sheep, blue-dyed wool, (and) linen garments. I went (back) up the Amanus range (and) cut beams of cedar.