Inscriptions of Nabonidus from Sippar

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This Akkadian inscription of Nabonidus recording the rebuilding of Šamaš' temple at Sippar, Ebabbar ("Shining House"), is known only from a small fragment of a two-column clay cylinder, which presumably comes from Sippar. The inscription, which is written in contemporary Neo-Babylonian script, is a shorter version of text nos. 22–23 (Ebabbar Cylinder). Like those two inscriptions, this text was probably also composed near the beginning of Nabonidus' reign, perhaps during his second regnal year (554); for details, see the commentary to text no. 23 (Ebabbar Cylinder).

Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005418/] of Nabonidus 21.

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A fragment of a three-column clay cylinder preserves part of an Akkadian inscription recording Nabonidus' rebuilding of Ebabbar ("Shining House"), the temple of Šamaš at Sippar. The text, which is written in contemporary Neo-Babylonian script, is similar, but not identical, to text no. 23 (Ebabbar Cylinder). As far as it is preserved, this inscription appears to be a shorter version of the following inscription and, therefore, was likely composed before text no. 23. If that proves true, then this text also dates towards the beginning of Nabonidus' reign, perhaps during his second regnal year (554); for details, see the commentary to text no. 23. The piece was purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) from Rev. W.H. Ward in 1886.

Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005419/] of Nabonidus 22.

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This Akkadian inscription commemorating Nabonidus' rebuilding of Ebabbar ("Shining House"), the temple of the sun-god at Sippar, is known from a large, but damaged, three-column clay cylinder; the script is contemporary Neo-Babylonian. The text is reported to have come from Larsa, which also has a temple of Šamaš called Ebabbar, but given the description of the work undertaken on the sun-god's temple in this inscription (compare text no. 24 [Ebabbar Cylinder]), it is more probable that the object originates in Sippar; the confusion seems to have stemmed from the fact that Nabonidus worked on not one, but two different Ebabbar temples, the one at Sippar and the one at Larsa. Like the following inscription (text no. 24), this text records many of the details of how Nabonidus, his advisors, and his master builders expertly renovated the Ebabbar temple on the foundations laid in the distant past by the famous Narām-Sîn of Agade; here, Nabonidus states that he did not deviate even a finger's length from the ancient, divinely-sanction plan of the temple. As one expects, no date is inscribed on the cylinders. In contrast to text no. 24, which, as scholars agree, dates to the end of Nabonidus' second regnal year (554), the proposed date of composition of this inscription is still a matter of scholarly debate. P.-R. Berger suggests that it was written in 554, while P.-A. Beaulieu and H. Schaudig argue that the inscription was written in 546, Nabonidus' tenth regnal year; see the commentary for further details. In scholarly literature, this text is referred to as "Nabonidus Cylinder III, 3," "[Nabonidus] Inscription 11," and the "Ebabbar Cylinder."

Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005420/] of Nabonidus 23.

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Commentary

According to P.-A. Beaulieu (Nabonidus pp. 30–31), the inscription on Ash 1922-201 commemorated the restoration of Sippar's ziggurat Ekunankuga ("House, Pure Stairway of Heaven"), because that temple-tower of Šamaš is mentioned in i 6 and so the text must date to Nabonidus' tenth regnal year (546); this date of composition was followed by H. Schaudig (Inschriften Nabonids p. 48). Beaulieu rejected Berger's suggestion (NbK p. 111) that the central focus of the inscription was on the rebuilding of Ebabbar and that the text was composed during the king's second year as king (554), on the grounds that he saw "no apparent reason why two distinct building inscriptions recorded on clay cylinders (inscriptions 5 and 11) should have been commissioned in the second year to commemorate the restoration of the Ebabbar, especially as inscription 11 [= this text] by and large repeats the account found in inscription 5 [= text no. 24]." Since the publication of Beaulieu's study of Nabonidus' reign in 1989, two new inscriptions closely related to the one written on Ash 1922-201 have come to light: BM 46600 (text no. 21) and MMA 86.11.52 (text no. 22). Both seem to be earlier, shorter versions of this text and it is very likely that all three were inscribed around the same time, with text no. 21 being the earliest and text no. 23 being the latest of the group. The language and contents of these three inscriptions are very similar to those of text no. 24 (Ebabbar Cylinder), which most scholars generally date to 554, Nabonidus' second regnal year. In fact, it is not impossible that text nos. 21–23 are earlier in date than text no. 24, as inferred from their lengthy descriptions of the rebuilding of the sun-god's temple. If this proves true, despite the fact that the inscription written on Ash 1922-201 mentions the ziggurat in i 6, then Nabonidus appears to have had at least four different inscriptions commemorating the rebuilding of Ebabbar at Sippar composed during 554: BM 46600 (text no. 21), MMA 86.11.52 (text no. 22), Ash 1922-201 (this text), and BM 91140 and duplicates (text no. 24). An early date of composition for this inscription, following Berger, is preferred here since this text does not appear to have recorded work on Ekunankuga and since the description of construction on Ebabbar is more closely related to text no. 24 (Ebabbar Cylinder) than to accounts of that temple's rebuilding in inscriptions clearly composed later in Nabonidus' reign, such as text no. 28 (Eḫulḫul Cylinder).

As for the provenance of Ash 1922-201, Berger (NbK p. 376) suggests that the piece came from Larsa. As Beaulieu (Nabonidus pp. 30–31) has already correctly noted, it is "impossible to determine if this information is reliable." He later notes, assuming that the inscription written on this cylinder dates to Nabonidus' tenth year (546), that the damaged cylinder could have come from Larsa, stating: "It is not overly hazardous to assume that this copy of inscription 11 was inserted in the structure of the Ebabbar of Larsa to commemorate the fact that the two building works were contemporaneous." Schaudig (Inschriften Nabonids p. 440), on the other hand, suggests that the confusion of Larsa and Sippar arose because both cities had an Ebabbar temple. Based on the early date of composition proposed for this text in this volume, Sippar is tentatively suggested as the provenance of Ash 1922-20, although this cannot be proven.

Bibliography

An Akkadian inscription recording Nabonidus' rebuilding of Ebabbar ("Shining House"), the temple of the sun-god Šamaš at Sippar, is known from two complete and three fragmentarily preserved, double-column clay cylinders. The text's two principal exemplars were both discovered in Ebabbar, near the main cella; the other three pieces are presumed to have come from Sippar. The inscription, which is written in contemporary Neo-Babylonian script, includes a lengthy and detailed description of the rebuilding of Ebabbar, which Nabonidus claims was in an abysmal state when he ascended the throne. The temple's deplorable state of being is blamed on the fact that an unnamed previous builder (undoubtedly Nebuchadnezzar II) did not build Šamaš' earthly abode on its original foundations, so that the temple had not been constructed according to divine will. In contrast to his predecessor, Nabonidus records that he, his advisors, and his master builders painstakingly ensured that Ebabbar was renovated in exact accordance with its original and divinely-sanctioned plan: the gods Šamaš and Adad confirmed the undertaking's success via favorable haruspical queries and the new temple was built directly on top of the foundations laid by the Sargonid king Narām-Sîn (2254–2218). In addition, the inscription records that Nabonidus had the temple, especially its cella, suitably outfitted and lavishly decorated. The text ends with a long petition to Ebabbar's tutelary deities (Šamaš, Aya, and Bunene) to act beneficently towards the king. Although none of the cylinders bear a date, some scholars have suggested that the text was composed at the end of Nabonidus' second regnal year (554); see Beaulieu, Nabonidus p. 25 and Schaudig, Inschriften Nabonids p. 385. This text is referred to as "Nabonidus Cylinder II, 9," "[Nabonidus] Inscription 5," and the "Ebabbar Cylinder" in previous editions and studies.

Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005421/] of Nabonidus 24.

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Commentay

Ex. 2 (formerly AH 81-4-28, 4) was sent to Istanbul, perhaps along with a cylinder of Sennacherib (formerly 80-7-19,3; Grayson and Novotny, RINAP 3/1 p. 56 Sennacherib 4 ex. 5). The cylinder is presently on display in the Eşki Şark Eserleri Müzesi (Istanbul), as is evident from photographs of tourist(s) posted online. The museum number of that fully intact cylinder is unfortunately still not known. As for ex. 5, BM 48234, not BM 48232 (as cited in Da Riva, GMTR 4 p. 131), is the correct collection number; BM 48232 is an exemplar of Nebuchadnezzar II's cylinder inscription C41 (ibid. p. 121).

The line arrangement follows ex. 1. The distribution of text varies greatly between the copies of the inscription. Col. i of ex. 2 ended with ex. 1 ii 10a and col. ii of ex. 3 began with ex. 1 ii 6. The master text is generally ex. 1, but with help from the other four exemplars where that copy of the text has scribal errors. A score is presented on Oracc and the minor (orthographic) variants are given in the critical apparatus at the back of the book. Exs. 1 and 3–5 were collated from the originals in the British Museum, while ex. 2 was partially collated from photographs posted of it by (a) tourist(s) visiting the Eşki Şark Eserleri Müzesi. The orthographic variants noted in Rawlinson and Norris, 5 R pl. 65 and in Strassmaier, Liverpool no. 109 are included in both the score and critical apparatus for the lines of ex. 2 that were not visible or legible in the photographs of the cylinder found online (March 2020). The paleographic variants, following the practice of RIM and RINAP, are not noted.

Bibliography

This Akkadian inscription of Nabonidus is known from a single, double-column clay cylinder found at Sippar, in Šamaš' temple Ebabbar ("Shining House"); the script is archaizing Neo-Babylonian. The text records that Nabonidus renovated Ebabbar and made a new, ornately decorated crown for its principal occupant, Šamaš, but only after divine permission was obtained through extispicy; Šamaš and Adad, the gods of divination, are said to have given their approval after the fourth divinatory query, having refused to give the king a 'firm yes' the first three times. To commemorate the occasion, Nabonidus had his scribe(s) record in this inscription the favorable omens that his diviners had observed in the liver that resulted in the positive response to the king's request about fashioning a new crown for Šamaš, as well as those of a fifth query that was performed in order to reconfirm the positive outcome of the fourth query. The crown, following the will of the gods, is reported to have been fashioned exactly as in ancient times: made of alabaster, decorated with ḫusīgu-stones and other precious stones, and with zarinnu (meaning uncertain). The inscription on this undated cylinder is generally thought to have been composed at the end of Nabonidus' second regnal year (554). The text is referred to as "Nabonidus Cylinder II, 8," "[Nabonidus] Inscription 6," and the "Tiara Cylinder" in earlier scholarly literature.

Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005422/] of Nabonidus 25.

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Two double-column clay cylinders, one from Sippar and another from Babylon, bear an Akkadian inscription of Nabonidus written in contemporary Neo-Babylonian script. The text records several building activities at Sippar: (1) the rebuilding of Ebabbar ("Shining House"), the temple of the god Šamaš, on top of the foundations laid by the Sargonic ruler Narām-Sîn (2254–2218); (2) the renovation of Ekurra ("House of the Mountain"), the temple of Šamaš' vizier Bunene; and (3) the reinforcing of the enclosure wall of the Ebabbar temple complex at the outer gate. The second half of the inscription is devoted to Nabonidus' petition to Sippar's patron deities. Although the cylinders are not dated, scholars generally think that this text was composed between Nabonidus' fourth (552) and thirteenth (543) regnal years, perhaps during his sixth (550) year as king; see Beaulieu, Nabonidus pp. 27 and 42 and Schaudig, Inschriften Nabonids p. 358. Previous editions and studies refer to this inscription as "Nabonidus Cylinder II, 4," "[Nabonidus] Inscription 8," and the "Ebabbar-Ekurra Cylinder."

Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005423/] of Nabonidus 26.

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Commentary

The present edition is based solely on ex. 1, which is now in the British Museum (London), since ex. 2, which remains unpublished to this day, was not available for study. No on-the-spot copy ("Fundkopie"), excavation photograph, transliteration, or translation of that piece from Babylon has ever been published. BE 62068 is now in the Eşki Şark Eserleri Müzesi (Istanbul), as H. Schaudig (Inschriften Nabonids p. 385) has suggested. Because only the contents of ex. 1 (BM 42267) are currently known, no score is given on Oracc and no minor (orthographic) variants are given in the critical apparatus at the back of the book.

Bibliography

This long, Akkadian inscription comprises four different texts, which are said to have originally been inscribed on steles erected in Agade, Larsa, Sippar, and Sippar-Anunītu. The final lines of the text state that it was composed so that people of later generations could hear about the deeds of Nabonidus' patron deity, the moon-god Sîn. The inscription, which is known from four exemplars (including a damaged three-column clay cylinder and a fragment of a multi-column clay tablet), was, despite the fact that the text does not record work on any holy building in that city, likely compiled for cylinders deposited in the structure of a building at Ur since ex. 1 was discovered in the ruins of Ur's ziggurat and since the concluding lines (iii 79–81) record that the inscription was intended to proclaim the deeds of Sîn, Ur's patron deity, to future generations. The four inscriptions record that Nabonidus renovated two temples for the god Šamaš, the Ebabbar ("Shining House") temples at Sippar and Larsa, and two temples for the goddess Ištar, the Eulmaš temples at Agade and Sippar-Anunītu. The king boasts in all four instances to have discovered ancient inscriptions and to have rebuilt the temples directly on their original foundations. Moreover, he criticizes his predecessors (Nebuchadnezzar II, as well as the Assyrian kings Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal) for their inability to discover the original, divinely-sanctioned foundations of those temples. All four copies of this text are written in contemporary Neo-Babylonian script. The inscription was compiled after Nabonidus' return to Babylon, in Tašrītu (VII) of his thirteenth (543) regnal year, perhaps between the end of that year and his sixteenth (640) year as king; for details, see Beaulieu, Nabonidus p. 35 and Schaudig, Inschriften Nabonids p. 447. In scholarly literature, this inscription is referred to as "Nabonidus Cylinder III, 4" and "[Nabonidus] Inscription 16."

Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005424/] of Nabonidus 27.

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Commentary

P.-A. Beaulieu (Nabonidus p. 35) suggests that the text was composed for objects deposited in the Eulmaš temple at Sippar-Anunītu since ex. 4, the copy of the text written on a clay tablet, was discovered at Sippar and, therefore, he argues that the 'main object' of the text was the restoration of that temple of Ištar in that city. He concludes "that copies of inscription 16 were found not only at Ur, in the remains of the ziggurat, but also at Sippar (find-spot unrecorded), can only be explained if one accepts the hypothesis that the inscription was written for the rebuilding of the temple of Anunītu at Sippar (together with inscription 15), and then placed also in the restored structure of the ziggurat of Ur, the rebuilding of which would have been undertaken at the same time." Although this might be true, given the fact that the final account of construction in this text is concerned with the renovation of the Eulmaš temple at Sippar-Anunītu (just like text no. 28 [Eḫulḫul Cylinder]), the possibility that this inscription was originally compiled for Ur, not for Sippar, should not be dismissed, especially since the final three lines state that the text was to promote the deeds of the moon-god. Given the facts that ex. 1 was found in the debris of the ziggurat at Ur and that the exact purpose of ex. 4 is unknown, it is unclear whether Nabonidus originally had this inscription compiled for Ur, Sippar, or both cities.

The line arrangement and master text are a conflation of all four exemplars. When possible, preference is given to ex. 2 and then ex. 1. The column divisions given in this edition follow ex. 2 since the beginning and end of all three columns are preserved in that copy of the text. A score is presented on Oracc and the minor (orthographic) variants are given in the critical apparatus at the back of the book. Ex. 1 was collated by G. Frame. The authors were unable to personally examine that cylinder during the preparation of this volume since it is on display in Gallery 1 of the British Museum.

Bibliography

Numerous clay cylinders and cylinder fragments discovered at Sippar, as well as at Babylon, bear a lengthy Akkadian inscription of Nabonidus commemorating the rebuilding of Eḫulḫul ("House which Gives Joy"), the temple of the god Sîn at Ḫarrān, Ebabbar ("Shining House"), the temple of the god Šamaš at Sippar, and Eulmaš, the temple of the goddess Ištar-Anunītu at Sippar-Anunītu. The inscription, which was probably composed for objects deposited in Eulmaš, is distributed over three columns and the script of all of the extant copies of the text is contemporary Neo-Babylonian. For each building project, Nabonidus narrates the circumstances in which he came to rebuild the old and dilapidated temple. For example, with regard to construction at Ḫarrān, Nabonidus reports that the moon-god became angry with his temple Eḫulḫul, allowed it to be destroyed and turned into a mound of ruins by the Ummān-manda (the Medes), and, after a fifty-four-year period of abandonment, the gods Marduk and Sîn permitted him to rebuild that venerated temple, which he states that he was able to do because Persian king Cyrus II had defeated the Median ruler Astyages (Ištumegu) and driven off the Ummān-manda hordes near Ḫarrān; Nabonidus also states that his commission to renovate the temple was revealed to him in a dream by Marduk. In all three building accounts, Nabonidus states that he rebuilt the temples on the (original) foundations; the new Eḫulḫul temple was built on the foundations laid by the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (668–ca. 631), the renovated Ebabbar temple was constructed anew on top of the foundations laid by the Sargonic king Narām-Sîn (2254–2218), and the restored Eulmaš was built on top of the foundations of the Kassite ruler Šagarakti-Šuriaš (1245–1233). Two unusual features of this inscription are Nabonidus' Assyrian-style self-presentation and his address to future rulers who discover inscribed objects of his to respect them and return them to where they were found; the later feature is presently attested also in text nos. 17 (Larsa Stele), 29 (Eḫulḫul Cylinder), and 47 (Ḫarrān Stele). Although the cylinders inscribed with this text do not bear a date, scholars generally date this text to after Nabonidus' thirteenth (543) regnal year, perhaps his sixteenth year (540); for this opinion, see Beaulieu, Nabonidus p. 42 and Schaudig, Inschriften Nabonids p. 48. The inscription is referred to as "Nabonidus Cylinder III, 2," "[Nabonidus] Inscription 15," and the "Eḫulḫul Cylinder" in previous editions and studies.

Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005425/] of Nabonidus 28.

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Between June and October 2019, the authors (in particular Weiershäuser) discovered numerous joins between the seventy-five exemplars catalogued by H. Schaudig (Inschriften Nabonids pp. 412–414). The following pieces are now known to belong to one and the same cylinder: BM 91110+, BM 54532, and BM 66728 (ex. 2 = Schaudig's exs. 2, 53, and 60); BM 82539+, BM 55432, and BM 28370+ (ex. 6 = Schaudig's exs. 6, 58, and 65); BM 54365+ and BM 28372 (ex. 10 = Schaudig's exs. 10 and 66); VA 2537, VA 2539, BM 54529+, BM 28377, and BM 28388+ (ex. 12 = Schaudig's exs. 12, 14, 52, 70, and 74); VA 2540, VA 2541, and BM 54360+ (ex. 14 = Schaudig's exs. 15a–b and 32); BM 54335+, BM 28378+, BM 28380, and BM 28386 (ex. 17 = Schaudig's exs. 18 and 71–73); BM 54329 and BM 54433 (ex. 18 = Schaudig's exs. 20 and 43); BM 54346+, BM 54364+, BM 54431, and BM 54437 (ex. 29 = Schaudig's exs. 30, 33, 42, and 44); BM 54446 and BM 54471 (ex. 38 = Schaudig's exs. 45 and 47); BM 54460 and BM 54550 (ex. 39 = Schaudig's exs. 46 and 57); BM 54493, BM 54498, and BM 28374 (ex. 42 = Schaudig's exs. 50, 51, and 67); BM 54544, BM 54549, and BM 28392 (ex. 44 = Schaudig's exs. 54, 56, and 75); BM 54548, BM 70901, and BM 28376+ (ex. 45 = Schaudig's exs. 55, 62, and 69); and BM 68570 and BM 72481 (ex. 47 = Schaudig's exs. 61 and 63).

Since the publication of Schaudig, Inschriften Nabonids in 2001, a few additional copies of the Eḫulḫul Cylinder Inscription have come to light: MMA 86.11.281 (ex. 50), VA Bab 624 (ex. 51), B 25 (ex. 52; Bab ph 559); B 37 (ex. 53; Bab ph 559); and BM 141850 (ex. 43). It is likely that MMA 86.11.281 and VA 2540+ (ex. 14) belong to one and the same cylinder. VA 2540+ ii´ 1´–3´ appear to join MMA 86.11.28 ii´ 27–29. Since the authors were unable to confirm the proposed join because the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) did not have suitable photographs, it is best to edit the two pieces separately. It was G. Frame (RIMB 2 p. 197 Ashurbanipal B.6.32.1) who identified VA Bab 624 (BE 30113; Bab ph 707) as an inscription of Nabonidus; E. Unger (in Wetzel, Stadtmauern p. 80) had mistakenly attributed this small fragment as an exemplar of an inscription of Ashurbanipal. O. Pedersén (personal communication, October 18th, 2019) has pointed out that it is BE 21242 (ex. 52), not VA 2536 (ex. 11), that is the cylinder of Nabonidus discovered at the Ištar Gate mentioned by R. Koldewey (Ischtar-Tor p. 41 and WEB⁵ p. 169) and E. Unger (Babylon p. 225 no. 21). The authors have been able to personally verify this information from Bab ph 559, thus confirming that BE 21242 is the copy of the Eḫulḫul Cylinder discovered by Koldewey at Babylon. As for VA 2536, that near-complete cylinder was acquired by the Vorderasiatisches Museum (Berlin) in the 1880s, together with VA 2537 (ex. 12), VA 2538 (ex. 13), VA 2539 (ex. 12), VA 2540 (ex. 14), and VA 2541 (ex. 14). This is evident from the fact that the first hand-drawn facsimile and edition of the text on that cylinder appeared in 1890; see Abel and Winckler, KGV pp. 40–43; and Peiser in Schrader, KB 3/2 pp. 96–107. Because some of the aforementioned Vorderasiatisches Museum cylinder fragments almost certainly join pieces in the British Museum (London) excavated by H. Rassam at Sippar (as verified from numerous digital photographs taken by the authors for personal use), VA 2536 and the other Berlin exemplars of the Eḫulḫul Cylinder are presumed to have come from the ruins of Ebbabar at Sippar, and not from Babylon, as previously reported in earlier scholarly literature (see, for example, Beaulieu, Nabonidus p. 34; and Schaudig, Inschriften Nabonids pp. 46 and 412). In late October 2019, C.B.F. Walker kindly informed the authors that BM 141850 might be of interest. Indeed it was, since BM 141850 (ex. 43) comprised thirteen unnumbered clay cylinder fragments of Nabonidus. At present, nine, possibly ten, of those small pieces can be joined to better preserved exemplars of the Eḫulḫul Cylinder Inscription. Frgms. 1, 3, and 7 join BM 54349+ (ex. 20); frgm. 2 belongs to BM 54346+ (ex. 29); frgm. 4 is part of BM 22408+ (ex. 17); frgm. 5 joins BM 54377+ (ex. 32); frgm. 8 and possibly frgm. 9. belong to BM 28372+ (ex. 10); frgm. 10 is part of BM 54331+ (ex. 21); and frgm. 11 joins BM 54341+ (ex. 25). Frgm. 6 is from the side of a cylinder and no join to the other known exemplars is yet possible and frgms. 12 and 13 are not sufficiently preserved, so the authors have not been able to join them to other cylinders in the British Museum (London). In the score, ex. 43 is not included.

The line arrangement follows ex. 1 (BM 91109). The distribution of text varies greatly between the copies of the inscription. The distribution of the inscription between the three columns is as follows for exs. 2–53, as far as they are preserved: ex. 2 col. ii starts with ii 8b and ends with ii 63; ex. 3 col. ii begins with ii 1 and concludes with ii 64; ex. 4 cols. i and ii end with i 42 and ii 56a respectively; ex. 6 cols. ii and iii start respectively with i 42 and ii 58b; ex. 8 col. i ends with ii 4; ex. 10 col. ii starts with ii 1 and col. iii begins with ii 62; cols. i and ii of ex. 11 end with ii 5a and ii 65 (just like ex. 1); ex. 12 col. ii starts with ii 4 and finishes with ii 63; ex. 13 col. iii begins with ii 58b; cols. i and ii of ex. 16 conclude with ii 5a and ii 61 respectively; ex. 17 col. ii starts with ii 8b and ends with iii 3; ex. 18 cols. ii and iii begin ii 3 and ii 59; cols. i and ii of ex. 19 conclude with i 43 and ii 62; ex. 20 col. i ends with i 40 and col. iii starts with ii 53b; ex. 21 col. i ends with ii 11a; col. ii of ex. 23 starts and ends respectively with ii 1 and ii 64; ex. 25 col. i finishes with i 41 and col. iii begins with ii 61; ex. 26 col. ii starts with ii 5; ex. 29 col. i ends with i 42 and col. iii starts with ii 60b; col. ii of ex. 31 begins with ii 2b; ex. 32 cols. ii start respectively with ii 4 and iii 4; ex. 47 col. ii begins with i 42; and ex. 50 col. iii starts with ii 60b. The master text is generally ex. 1, but with help from ex. 11 (VA 2536) and the other more-or-less complete copies of this inscription. A score is presented on Oracc and the minor (orthographic) variants are given in the critical apparatus at the back of the book.

Ex. 46 (BM 137316) comprises twenty-six small, unjoined fragments. Due to the poor and fragile state of preservation of this cylinder, the authors were unable to examine this copy of the Eḫulḫul Cylinder Inscription during the preparation of this volume. The orthographic variants provided by Schaudig (Inschriften Nabonids pp. 426–535 [ex. 59a–w]), however, are given in the online score and in the critical apparatus.

Bibliography

This three-column clay cylinder from Sippar bears an inscription that is similar to text no. 28 (Eḫulḫul Cylinder). In lieu of the report commemorating work on the temple of the goddess Ištar-Anunītu at Sippar-Anunītu, this inscription records the rebuilding of the Eulmaš temple at Agade, the earthly abode of the Ištar of Agade. It also describes the rebuilding of Eḫulḫul ("House which Gives Joy"), the temple of the god Sîn at Ḫarrān, and Ebabbar ("Shining House"), the temple of the god Šamaš at Sippar. This inscription was probably composed after Nabonidus' thirteenth (543) regnal year, perhaps during in his sixteenth year (540), when the temple of the moon-god at Ḫarrān was being renovated.

Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005426/] of Nabonidus 29.

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Bibliography

A fragment from the lower left corner of a clay tablet preserves part of an Akkadian inscription of a Babylonian king, almost certainly Nabonidus, recording work undertaken on Ebabbar ("Shining House"), the temple of the god Šamaš at Sippar. Although Nabonidus' name does not appear on this damaged tablet, the attribution to him is fairly certain since the text states that Ebabbar was built anew directly on top of the foundations laid by the Sargonic king Narām-Sîn (2254–2218); Nabonidus is the only Neo-Babylonian king to make this claim. Moreover, the language of the inscriptions duplicates (with variation) other inscriptions of his from Sippar.

Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005427/] of Nabonidus 30.

Source

Commentary

The attribution to Nabonidus, rather than some other Neo-Babylonian king, is based on the mention of Narām-Sîn of Agade as a previous builder of the Ebbabar temple at Sippar in obv. 4´ and on parallels with other inscriptions of Nabonidus from Sippar (and Marad). For obv. 2´, compare text no. 19 (Eigikalama Cylinder) ii 16–20; for obv. 6´–7´a, compare text no. 28 (Eḫulḫul Cylinder) iii 1; for obv. 7´b–rev. 2, compare text no. 23 (Ebabbar Cylinder) iii 7–9; and, for rev. 4–7, compare text no. 28 iii 39–40. The proposed restorations are generally based on those inscriptions.

Bibliography

Two bricks found in the temple of the god Šamaš at Sippar, Ebabbar ("Shining House"), bear a short, Akkadian inscription of Nabonidus. The inscription, which is in archaizing Neo-Babylonian script, is stamped on the face of the two bricks. The three-line text gives only the king's name and titulary.

Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005428/] of Nabonidus 31.

Sources

Commentary

The master text is a conflation of both exemplars. Following RINBE editorial practices, no score of this brick inscription is given on Oracc. No minor (orthographic) variants are attested and, therefore, no variants are given in the critical apparatus at the back of the book. Although the present whereabouts of the bricks are not known, both bricks could be (fully or partially) collated from photographs published in Sumer 46 (1989–90).

Bibliography

Frauke Weiershäuser & Jamie Novotny

Frauke Weiershäuser & Jamie Novotny, 'Inscriptions of Nabonidus from Sippar', RIBo, Babylon 7: The Inscriptions of the Neo-Babylonian Dynasty, The RIBo Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2022 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/rulers/nabonidus/texts2131sippar/]