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In the spring of 2012, the Saudi Commission of Tourism and Antiquities discovered a badly weathered relief and Akkadian inscription of Nabonidus at al-Ḥāʾiṭ (probably ancient Padakku), in an abandoned part of the modern city's palm oasis. The relief depicts a right-facing Nabonidus, who wears traditional Babylonian royal attire, holds a staff, and stands before four divine symbols, the moon (Sîn), the sun (Šamaš), the planet Venus (Ištar), and a U-shaped symbol (possibly the so-called 'omega'-shaped symbol representing a local Arabian deity). Little of the inscription, which is written in contemporary Neo-Babylonian script, remains; parts of the first twenty lines are preserved. Apart from the mention of Nabonidus, a few of his titles, the name of the city Padakku, and the name of the moon-god Sîn (who is called "king of the gods, lord of the gods"), little else about the inscription's contents is known. The text was composed either during Nabonidus' ten-year sojourn in Tēmā, between his third (553) and thirteenth (543) regnal years, during which time he conquered Padakku, or sometime after the month Tašrītu (VII) of his thirteenth (543) year as king, when he was rebuilding Eḫulḫul ("House which Gives Joy"), the temple of the moon-god Sîn at Ḫarrān. The edition presented in this volume is based on H. Schaudig's published copy.
Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005451/] of Nabonidus 54.
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Nabonidus had one (or possibly two) Akkadian inscription(s) commemorating his deeds written on a high rock face at Selaʾ (Jordan). Because of the badly weathered condition of the monument, it is not possible to determine if the text in the left three columns (= cols. i–iii) and the text in the right two columns (= cols. iv–v) are parts of one and the same inscription or belong to two separate texts. The left-hand text, which is written in contemporary Neo-Babylonian script, is accompanied by an image of Nabonidus wearing traditional Babylonian royal attire, holding a staff, and standing before symbols of the moon (Sîn), sun (Šamaš), and the planet Venus (Ištar); the king faces right. The right-hand text, which was later added to the monument and also written in contemporary Neo-Babylonian script, was inscribed in two columns to the right of the original, three-column text. Scholars generally date the composition of the so-called "Selaʾ Inscription" between Nabonidus' third (553) and thirteenth (543) regnal years, during his ten-year sojourn in Tēmā. Since the left-hand text appears to mention the king's fifth year, the monument was probably originally carved during or after 551. The right-hand text was carved sometime later, although this is unclear as almost nothing survives today in cols. iv and v, apart from the the first four words, anāku Nabium-naʾid šar Bābili ("I am Nabonidus, king of Babylon") in col. iv.
Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005452/] of Nabonidus 55.
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Commentary
In September 2018, R. Da Riva examined and photographed the badly-weathered inscription at Selaʾ. For a general description of the perilous expedition, which involved abseiling down to the monument with state-of-the-art climbing equipment and a team of skilled climbers trained in mountain rescue, see Da Riva, BAR 45 (2019) pp. 25–32 and Da Riva, ZA (forthcoming). The present edition is based on Da Riva's hand-drawn facsimiles, photographs, and transliteration of the Selaʾ Inscription, which she kindly provided prior to their publication in ZA. The authors would like to express their gratitude to her for allowing them access to this material prior to its publication.
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The upper part of a rounded-topped stele preserving part of an inscription of a late Babylonian king (almost certainly Nabonidus) was found during the 2004 German excavations at Tēmā. Both the relief — which depicts a right-facing king standing in front of symbols of the moon (Sîn), sun (Šamaš), and the planet Venus (Ištar) — and the Akkadian inscription — which is written in contemporary Neo-Babylonian script — are badly weathered. Little of the inscription itself remains and what is preserved records some of the king's deeds in Babylon. The attribution to Nabonidus is based on the iconography, the script, and the fact that Nabonidus lived on the Arabian peninsula for ten years (553–543). Although the inscription is not sufficiently preserved, the stele may have been inscribed either during his ten-year sojourn in Tēmā, between his third (553) and thirteenth (543) regnal years, or sometime after the month Tašrītu (VII) of his thirteenth (543) year as king, when he returned to Babylon and was engaged in rebuilding Eḫulḫul ("House which Gives Joy"), the temple of the moon-god Sîn at Ḫarrān.
Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005453/] of Nabonidus 56.
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Commentary
As far as the stele is preserved, it appears that only the face of the stele was inscribed. There are no traces of text on the sides or the back. Moreover, it is uncertain exactly what the complete inscription would have commemorated since much of the text is completely lost. H. Schaudig assumes that the now-missing portion of the inscription recorded Nabonidus' deeds in Babylonia, Syria, Arabia and Ḫarrān (especially the rebuilding of Eḫulḫul). If that proves correct, then the stele would have been inscribed sometime after Tašrītu (VII) 543. The edition presented here is based on Schaudig's published copy and edition of the inscription (AAE 17 pp. 169–173 and fig. 11).
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Two fragments of a sandstone pedestal discovered at Tēmā in 2006 and 2009 preserve part of a one-line Akkadian inscription of Nabonidus written in contemporary Neo-Babylonian script. As H. Schaudig has already suggested, these inscribed fragments might have been part of the pedestal on which the rounded-topped stele of Nabonidus discovered in 2004 or a hitherto undiscovered representation of him (perhaps an anthropomorphic statue) stood. This recently discovered inscribed object provides additional proof that Nabonidus resided in Tēmā.
Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005454/] of Nabonidus 57.
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A fragment of a stele discovered at Tēmā preserves parts of four lines of an inscription written in contemporary Neo-Babylonian script.
Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005455/] of Nabonidus 58.
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Commentary
Courtesy of H. Schaudig, text nos. 58–61 are included here prior to their publication. The authors would like to express their gratitude to him for allowing them to include these fragmentarily preserved inscriptions of Nabonidus prior to their publication. Full treatment of the texts — with photographs, hand-drawn facsimiles, and commentary — will appear in Schaudig's forthcoming contribution in Eichmann and Hausleiter, Tayma 2.
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A fragment from the left side of a stele found at Tēmā preserves the beginnings of six lines of an inscription of Nabonidus; the script is contemporary Neo-Babylonian. The stele fragments bearing this text and text no. 61 might come from one and the same monument. Since this cannot be proven with certainty, it is best to edit the two pieces separately.
Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005456/] of Nabonidus 59.
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A fragment of a stele bearing an inscription of Nabonidus written in contemporary Neo-Babylonian script was discovered at Tēmā. Despite that only the middle parts of seven lines are preserved, the attribution to Nabonidus is certain since the extant portion of the text states that the king who commissioned this monument restored Eḫulḫul ("House which Gives Joy"), the temple of the moon-god Sîn at Ḫarrān, and was the son of Nabû-balāssu-iqbi.
Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005457/] of Nabonidus 60.
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A fragment from the left side of a sandstone stele of Nabonidus written in contemporary Neo-Babylonian script was discovered during the German excavations at Tēmā. Only the beginnings of six lines remain. This stele fragment and the one inscribed with text no. 59 might come from one and the same monument. Because the authors cannot prove that the two fragments originate from the same stele, it is best to edit the two pieces separately.
Access the composite text [/ribo/babylon7/Q005458/] of Nabonidus 61.
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Frauke Weiershäuser & Jamie Novotny
Frauke Weiershäuser & Jamie Novotny, 'Inscriptions of Nabonidus from Padakku, Sela, and Tema', 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/texts5461padakkuselatema/]