Tiglath-pileser I 04

(1) Tiglath-pileser (I), strong king, king of the world, king of [Assyria], king of all four quarters (of the world), encircler of all of the criminals, the pious one, the one who provides for Ekur, select of the god Aššur, valiant young man, the merciless mighty man who acts with the support of the gods Aššur and Ninurta — the great gods, his lords — and (thereby) has struck down his foes, the attentive ruler who, by the command of the god Šamaš — the warrior — has conquered by means of conflict and might from Babylon of the land Akkad to the Upper Sea of the land Amurru and the Sea of the Naʾiri lands and become the lord of all, the strong gišginû who by the attack of his fierce weapons has caused the four corners (of the world) to quake so that the habitations convulsed — indeed on the battlefield he has put in their graves the dangerous enemies of the god Aššur and turned them into ghosts — the storm-trooper whose fierce battle all of the rulers of the (four) quarters (of the world) dreaded so that they took to hiding places [like] bats and scurried off to inaccessible regions [like jerboa];

(13) Son of Aššur-r[ēša-iši (I), king of the world, king of] Assyria, son of Mutakkil-Nusku, (who was) also [king of the world (and)] king of Assyria.

(15) I marched to the N[aʾiri] lands three times (and) conquered the wide [Naʾiri] lands from the land Tumme to the lands Daiaeni, Ḫimua, Paiteri, and Ḫabḫu. I received their payment of teams of horses in harness.

(18) I conquered 12,000 of the troops of the wide land [Musku] in battle. I laid out by means of the bow (lit. “at arrow point”) the corpses of their fighting men right through the plain.

(20) I took (and) [uprooted] 4,000 people of the lands U[rume] (and) Abešlu, insubmissive [troops] of Ḫatti, (and) counted them as people of my land.

(22) I conquered the land Lullumê in its entirety, (as well as) the lands Salua, Qumanî, Katmuḫi, and Alzi to their full extent.

(24) By the command of the gods Anu and Adad, the great gods, my lords, I marched to Mount Lebanon. I cut down (and) carried off beams of cedar for the temple of the gods Anu [and Adad], the great gods, my lords. I continued to the land Amurru (and) conquered the entire land [Amur]ru in [its] enti[rety]. I received the payment of Arwad, Byblos, (and) Sidon (and) a crocodile (and) a large female monkey of the sea coast. Moreover, on m[y] return march, I became the lord of the land Ḫatti in its entirety (and) imposed upon Ini-Tešub, the king of the land Ḫatti, tax, tribute, and (payment consisting of) beams of cedar.

(31) I marched to the city Melid (Milidia) of the large land Ḫatti. I received the payment of Allumaru. I conquered the city Enzi (Enzata) of the land Išua and the land Suḫnu. I uprooted prisoners (from) their (midst and) brought (them) to my land.

(34) I crossed the Euphrates River twenty-eight times, twice in one year, in pursuit of the Aḫlamû-Arameans. I brought about their defeat from the city Tadmar of the land Amurru, Anat of the land Sūḫu, as far as the city Rapiqu of Karduniaš (Babylonia). I brought their booty (and) possessions to my city, Aššur.

(37) I marched to Karduniaš (Babylonia). I conquered from the other side of the Lower Zab, the city Arman of Ugār-Sallum, as far as the city Lubdu. I crossed over the Radānu River. I conquered the cities at the foot of Mounts Kamulla (and) Kaštilla. I took out their booty (and) possessions (and) brought them to my city, Aššur.

(41) On that (same) campaign of mine, I marched to the land Sūḫu. I conquered (from) the city Sabirutu, an island in the Euphrates River, as far as the city Ḫindānu (Ḫimdānu), all of the cities of the land Sūḫu. I took prisoners from them, carried off their numerous gods and their property, (and) brought (them) to my city, Aššur.

(44) By the command of the god Ninurta, who loves me, I marched to Karduniaš (Babylonia). I conquered the cities Dūr-Kurigalzu, Sippar of the god Šamaš, Sippar of the goddess Anunītu, Babylon, Opis, which is on the far side of the Tigris River, the large cult centers of Karduniaš (Babylonia), together with their fortresses. I brought about the defeat of their multitudes (and) took prisoners without number from them. I captured the palaces of Babylon that belonged to Marduk-nādin-aḫḫē, the king of Karduniaš (Babylonia), (and) burnt them. In the eponymy of Aššur-šumu-ēriš (and) twice in the eponymy of Ninuāyu, I drew up a battle line of chariots against Marduk-nādin-aḫḫē, the king of Karduniaš (Babylonia), (and) defeated him.

(52) At that time, (as for) the šaḫūru-house, which is in front of the labūnu-house, which Tukultī-Ninurta (I) my ancestor, the vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, had built, I cleared away that house in its entirety and the wall as far as its surfaces at the back of the old šaḫūru-house, which is in front of the labūnu-house (and) which Aššur-nādin-aḫḫē, my ancestor, the vice-regent of (the god) Aššur, a ruler who came before me, had built. I founded those šaḫūru-house(s) anew (and) made their foundation(s) of limestone, just like bedrock. (I made it) fifteen “feet” longer (and) five and one-half “feet” wider. I reinforced the hall of terebinth on (both) sides, (each) six by six “feet.”

(59) With cedar and beams, which by the command of the gods Aššur and Anu, the great gods, my lords — (after) I had marched to Mount Lebanon — I had cut down, carried off, (and) installed (these) excellent beams in the temple of the gods Anu and Adad, the great gods, my lords: with the remnants of th(at) cedar, I built those šaḫūru-house(s) their (text “its”) foundations to their (text “its”) crenellations. I surrounded (it) in its entirety with basalt slabs. With terebinth, I built the labūnu-house that is opposite it from its foundations to its crenellations. I surrounded (it) in its entirety with limestone slabs. I built (and) completed that palace with cedar and terebinth. I splendidly decorated (it).

(67) I made basalt replicas of a nāḫiru, which is called a sea-horse (and) which by the command of the gods Ninurta and Nergal, the great gods, my lords, I had killed with a harpoon of my own making in the [(Great)] Sea [of the land] Amurru, (and) of a live burḫiš, which was brought from the land Lumaš [...] on the other side of the land Ḫabḫu. I stationed (them) on the right and left [of the entrance (gate) of] my royal majes]ty.

(72) Moreover with boxwood [that] I had cut down (and) carried off with the beams of cedar, (and) beside that cedar palace, I built a palace of weapons for the leisure of my [lord]ly majesty. (As for) its foundations, I surrounded (it) in its entirety with slabs of gišnugallu-alabaster. With boxwood, I built (and) completed (it) from its foundations to its crenellations. I wrote out my commemorative inscriptions (and) deposited (them) therein.

(77) With understan[din]g and skill, I built that cedar palace (and) I called it Egallugalšarrakurkurra, “Palace of the King of All [of the Lands].” I [made (it) fitting] as an abode of my royal majesty for eternity. As the former palaces — into which the rulers who came before me, the former kings [down] to my time, who had constructed such palaces and (made them fitting) for the [abode(s)] of their royal majesties, would invite inside the god Aššur, my lord, and the [great] gods at the festivals of their city and make sacrifices [...] — (as) those palaces were not consecrated or designated as divine residences, [but when a ruler/king] built a palace, his gods would come inside (and) he would present therein offerings [to] the gods: as the numerous palaces, [which] the kings who came before me did not consecrate or designate as divine residences, that cedar palace, (in) the first year, the palace of the god Aššur, my lord, and the great gods [...] eternity, offerings were made before them (although) that palace was [not] consecrated or designated as a divine [residence] — the king and his [...] dwell therein.

(90) [In the future, in days to come, may a] future [ruler], when [that] cedar palace [...] becomes old and dilapidated, [restore its dilapidated section(s), either] with boxwood, [or ...] within them [...].

(93b) The god Aššur will (then) listen to [his prayers].

(94) Ḫubur, the equivalent of Kislīmu (IX), eighteenth day, [eponymy] of [Ta]klak-ana-Aššur.