Of the fifteen Akkadian inscriptions of Nabopolassar edited on the "Babylon 7" [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/] sub-project, score transliterations of five texts inscribed on clay cylinders are provided on this site. Some information on those inscriptions are provided below. To access the Nabopolasar score transliterations, click on one of the "score" links below, click here [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/bab7scores/corpus/], or click on the "Browse Online Scores Corpus" link to the left.
A short, Akkadian inscription of Nabopolassar is inscribed in archaizing Neo-Babylonian script on seven single-column clay cylinders; some of the objects were discovered during Koldewey's excavations at Babylon, while a few others came to light during Iraqi work on the site during the 1970s. This text, and the following two inscriptions (text nos. 2–3), records this king's renovation work on Imgur-Enlil ("The God Enlil Showed Favor"), Babylon's inner wall. Although the inscription does not have any historical references, it has been suggested that it was composed sometime between 622 BC and 612 BC; the proposed date is based on a statement in text no. 3 (i 28–ii 5) in which the Babylonian king claims to have thrown off Assyrian domination. This text is sometimes referred to as "Nabopolassar Zylinder I, 1" or "[Nabopolassar] Imgur-Enlil (Short Version) Inscription (C11/A)."
Access the score [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/bab7scores/Q005360/score] or the the composite text [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005360/] of Nabopolassar 01.
For further details on this inscription, click here [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/nabopolassar625605bc/inscriptions/index.html#nabopolassar01].
Five small, single-column clay cylinders bear an inscription of this late Neo-Babylonian king written in archaizing Neo-Babylonian script. Most of these objects were found by the Iraqis in the late 1970s, including one cylinder (ex. 2) that was housed in a clay foundation box that was deposited in Babylon's inner wall Imgur-Enlil ("The God Enlil Showed Favor") by Nabonidus (the last king of the "dynasty"), between the Ištar Gate and the Emaḫ ("Exalted House") temple; the box also contained another cylinder of Nabopolassar (text no. 3) and a cylinder of Nabonidus. Like text nos. 1 and 3, this inscription records Nabopolassar's renovation of a section of Imgur-Enlil, in particular the stretch of the wall that ran beside the Araḫtu canal. Although the cylinder is not dated, it has been suggested that the inscription was composed between 622 BC and 612 BC; the proposed date is based on text no. 3 i 28–ii 5, which states that Nabopolassar had thrown off the yoke of Assyria, but not yet defeated (or killed) its king Sîn-šarra-iškun or turned its cities into ruins. The text is sometimes cited in scholarly literature as "[Nabopolassar] Imgur-Enlil (Short Version) Inscription (C11/B)."
Access the score [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/bab7scores/Q005361/score] or the composite text [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005361/] of Nabopolassar 02.
For further details on this inscription, click here [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/nabopolassar625605bc/inscriptions/index.html#nabopolassar02].
Two three-column clay cylinders, both presumably from Babylon, are inscribed with a text describing the rebuilding of the ziggurat Etemenanki ("House, Foundation of Heaven and Netherworld"), the temple-tower of the god Marduk at Babylon; the script of both exemplars is archaizing Neo-Babylonian. The text provides some interesting details about the early stages of construction. Nabopolassar states that: (1) he made a variety of tools for the project, especially hoes, spades, and brickmolds; (2) master builders and other scholarly men (including diviners) ensured that the ziggurat was built on the exact spot as the previous one and that its dimensions were precisely the same as before; and (3) elaborate foundation rituals were performed, some of which included the pouring out and sprinkling of high quality liquids and aromatics. Nabopolassar, his heir and successor Nebuchadnezzar (II), and another son of his (Nabû-šuma-līšir) all personally participated in brick-laying ceremonies. The king boasts of carrying bricks on his head, perhaps even the first brick(s) to be laid during the rebuilding of the superstructure. Since the defeat of Assyria is recorded, the date of composition is presumably after 612–609 BC; the "Subarean" (=the Assyrian king Sîn-šarra-iškun) is said to have been killed and his land is reported to have been turned into ruins. The inscription is sometimes cited as "Nabopolassar Zylinder III, 1" or "[Nabopolsaar] Etemenanki Inscription (C31)."
Access the score [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/bab7scores/Q005364/score] or the composite text [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005364/] of Nabopolassar 05.
For further details on this inscription, click here [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/nabopolassar625605bc/inscriptions/index.html#nabopolassar05].
An Akkadian inscription of Nabopolassar recording the restoration of the temple E-PA-GÌN-tila is preserved on five single-column clay cylinders; the script is contemporary Neo-Babylonian. Four of these hollow (barrel) cylinders were discovered during the German excavations at Babylon, in the ruins of the Ninurta temple. Because Assyria's defeat is alluded to, the inscription's date of composition is likely sometime after 612–609 BC; the god Marduk (=Šazu) is said to have allowed the Babylonian king to kill his enemy (presumably the king of Assyria). The text is sometimes cited in scholarly publications as "Nabopolassar Zylinder I, 2" or "[Nabopolassar] E-PA-GÌN-tila Inscription (C12)."
Access the score [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/bab7scores/Q005365/score] or the composite text [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005365/] of Nabopolassar 06.
For further details on this inscription, click here [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/nabopolassar625605bc/inscriptions/index.html#nabopolassar06].
Four two-column clay cylinders and a mud brick bear an Akkadian inscription of this Neo-Babylonian king stating that he had a canal redug from the Euphrates River to Sippar; the script is archaizing Neo-Babylonian. The objects bearing this text were all sent to the British Museum (London) by H. Rassam from Sippar in 1882. Despite the absence of historical references, the inscription may have been composed after the defeat of Assyria in 612–609 BC. Several lines in the building report are reminiscent of a passage in an inscription of the Old Babylonian king Ḫammu-rāpi recording the exact same accomplishment; compare ii 12–14 to Frayne, RIME 4 p. 348 E4.3.6.12 Akkadian Version lines 20–24. The text is sometimes cited in scholarly literature as "Nabopolassar Zylinder II, 1" or "[Nabopolassar] Euphrates Inscription (C21/B7)."
Access the score [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/bab7scores/Q005372/score] or composite text [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005372/] of Nabopolassar 13.
For further details on this inscription, click here [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/nabopolassar625605bc/inscriptions/index.html#nabopolassar13].
Jamie Novotny
Jamie Novotny, 'Information on Nabopolassar Scores', RIBo, Babylon 7 Scores: Scores of the Inscriptions of the Neo-Babylonian Dynasty, The RIBo Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2016 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/bab7scores/nabopolassarscores/]