Inscriptions of Nabopolassar

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Fifteen Akkadian inscriptions of Nabopolassar are extant today. These texts are preserved on seventeen single-column clay cylinders, seven two-column clay cylinders, three three-column clay cylinders, and at least ninety-nine inscribed and stamped bricks. Nearly all of these originate from Babylon, but a few come from Sippar. While most of the Babylon material was unearthed during Koldewey's excavations at the beginning of the twentieth century, several new clay cylinders were discovered by the Iraqis in the late 1970s. The inscriptions supplement the information about Nabopolassar's reign included in Babylonian chronicles by reporting details on his building activities at or near Babylon and Sippar, including the renovation of Babylon's inner and outer walls Imgur-Enlil ("The God Enlil Showed Favor") and Nēmed-Enlil ("Bulwark of the God Enlil"), and Marduk's ziggurat Etemenanki ("House, Foundation of Heaven and Netherworld"), as well as the redigging of a canal connecting Sippar to the Euphrates River. A few of the texts also mention or allude to the defeat of Assyria, the death of its penultimate ruler Sîn-šarra-iškun Sîn-šarra-iškun [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/neoassyrianhistoryoverview/assyriafromashurbanipaltoauruballiii668609bc/index.html], and the destruction of its key cities (especially Nineveh in 612 BC), events laconically recorded in the so-called "Fall of Nineveh Chronicle" [http://www.livius.org/ne-nn/nineveh/nineveh02.html].

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 Although the inscription does not have any historical references, it has been suggested that it was composed sometime between 622 BC and 612 BC; the proposed date is based on a statement in text no. 3 (i 28–ii 5) in which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 composite text [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005360/] or the score [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/scores/Q005360/score] of Nabopolassar 01.

Sources [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/bab7scores/Q005360/sources]

Bibliography

• Berger 1973 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#berger1973], p. 335 (exs. 1-2, 5-6, partial transliteration)
• Ismail 1979 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#ismail1979], pp. 167-168 (ex. 1, edition)
• Al-Rawi 1979/1981 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1979/1981], p. 25, p. 44 (Arabic section) (ex. 3, translation)
• Al-Rawi 1985 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1985], pp. 8-9 (ex. 2, transliteration)
• Koldewey 1990 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#koldewey1990], p. 132 (ex. 1, translation)
• Fudge 2000 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#fudge2000], pp. 194-196 (ex. 7, edition)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], pp. 44-50 (exs. 1-4, 7, edition)

• Al-Rawi 1979/1981 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1979/1981], p. 44 (Arabic section) (ex. 3, photo)
• Al-Rawi 1985 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1985], pp. 11-12, figs. 4-6 (exs. 2-3, copy)
• Ismail 1985 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#ismail1985], p. 57 (Arabic section) (ex. 4, copy)
• Fudge 2000 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#fudge2000], pl. 8, fig. 9 (ex. 7, copy)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], CD-ROM, figs. A, 4–6
 (exs. 4-5, photo)

• Nöldeke 1904 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#noldeke1904], pp. 3-4 (ex. 1, provenance)
• Koldewey 1908 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#koldewey1908], p. 18 (ex. 5, provenance)
• Reuther 1911 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#reuther1911], p. 24 (ex. 6, provenance)
• Wetzel 1930 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#wetzel1930], p. 80 (exs. 1, 5-6, provenance, study)
• Berger 1973 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#berger1973], p. 335 (exs. 1-2, 5-6, study)
• Al-Rawi 1985 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1985], pp. 1-2 (exs. 1-6, study)
• Koldewey 1990 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#koldewey1990], p. 132 (ex. 1, provenance)

Five small, single-column clay cylinders bear an inscription of this 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 composite text [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005361/] or the score [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/scores/Q005361/score] of Nabopolassar 02.

Sources [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/bab7scores/Q005361/sources]

Bibliography

• Ismail 1979 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#ismail1979], pp. 164-168 (ex. 1)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], pp. 44, 50-54 (exs. 1-5, edition)

• Al-Rawi 1979/1981 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1979/1981], p. 44 (Arabic section) (ex. 2, photo)
• Al-Rawi 1985 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1985], pp. 12-13, figs. 5 (ex. 2, copy), 7 (ex. 3, copy), 8 (ex. 4, copy); pl. 1 (ex. 2, photo)
• Ismail 1985 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#ismail1985], p. 56 (Arabic section) (ex. 1, copy)
• Al-Rawi 1991 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1991], p. 4, fig. 2 (ex. 5, copy)

• Abdul-Razak 1979 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#abdulrazak1979], p. 116 (ex. 1, provenance)
• Al-Rawi 1979/1981 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1979/1981], p. 25 (ex. 4, provenance)
• Ismail 1979 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#ismail1979], p. 168 (ex. 1, provenance)
• Al-Rawi 1985 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1985], pp. 1, 8-9 (exs. 2-4, provenance)
• Al-Rawi 1991 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1991], pp. 1, 3 (ex. 5, provenance)
• Schaudig 2001 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#schaudig2001], pp. 345-350 (ex. 2, provenance)

A large, three-column clay cylinder discovered in a clay box by Iraqi archaeologists at Babylon in 1978 is inscribed with a long inscription that records Nabopolassar's restoration of a stretch of Babylon's inner wall Imgur-Enlil ("The God Enlil Showed Favor"); see the introduction of text no. 2 for further details on the provenance and contents of the foundation box. Like the previous inscription, this text records that this Babylonian king's workmen rebuilt/renovated Imgur-Enlil along the banks of the Araḫtu canal, from the Ištar Gate in the north to the Uraš Gate in the south. During the renovations, a statue of an unnamed, previous ruler (possibly an Old Akkadian king, either Rīmuš, Man-ištūšu, or Narām-Sîn) was discovered. Because the inscription states that Nabopolassar had cast off the yoke of Assyria, but had not defeated (or killed) its king or destroyed its cities, the text may have been composed sometime between 622 BC and 612 BC. The text, whose script is archaizing Neo-Babylonian, is occasionally referred to as "[Nabopolassar] Imgur-Enlil (Long Version) Inscription (C32)" in previous studies and editions.

Access Nabopolassar 03. [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005362/]

Source

Bibliography

• Al-Rawi 1985 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1985], pp. 1-8
• Beaulieu 2000 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#beaulieu2000], pp. 307-308 (translation)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], pp. 93-104

• Al-Rawi 1979/1981 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1979/1981], p. 44 (Arabic section) (photo)
• Al-Rawi 1985 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1985], pp. 10-11, figs. 1-3 (copy); pl. 1 (photo)

• Abdul-Razak 1979 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#abdulrazak1979], p. 116 (provenance)
• Al-Rawi 1979/1981 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1979/1981], pp. 24-25 (provenance)
• Al-Rawi 1985 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1985], p. 8 (study)
• George 1986 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#george1986], p. 136 (study)
• Farber 1991 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#farber1991], pp. 45-46 (study)
• George 1991a [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#george1991a], p. 16 (study)
• George 1991b [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#george1991b], pp. 70-71 (study)
• Vanstiphout 1991 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#vanstiphout1991], pp. 71-72 (study)
• George 1992 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#george1992], pp. 346, 368 (study)
• Braun-Holzinger and Frahm 1999 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#braunholzinger/frahm1999], p. 142 (study)
• Schaudig 2001 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#schaudig2001], p. 345 (provenance)
• Beaulieu 2003 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#beaulieu2003], pp. 1-9 (study)

A large two-column clay cylinder, presumably from Babylon, is inscribed with an inscription describing the rebuilding of Babylon's outer wall Nēmed-Enlil ("Bulwark of the God Enlil") by Nabopolassar; the script is archaizing Neo-Babylonian. This text is unusual since no other Neo-Babylonian official inscription records work on this wall; normally kings refer to their work on Babylon's inner wall Imgur-Enlil ("The God Enlil Showed Favor"). The lack of historical references, the mention of the god Erra, and the fact that one of Babylon's walls is the main focus of the inscription, may point to this text being composed early in Nabopolassar's reign, sometime between 622 BC and 612 BC; note the absence of any mention to the yoke of Assyria being cast off. The inscription is referred to as "Nabopolassar Zylinder II, 3," "[Nabopolassar] Nēmed-Enlil Inscription (C23)," or "[Nabopolassar] Nēmetti-Enlil Inscription (C23)" in scholarly literature.

Access Nabopolassar 04. [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005363/]

Source

Bibliography

• Clay 1923 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#clay1923], p. 48
• Seux 1976 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#seux1976], p. 505 (partial translation)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], pp. 73-77

• Clay 1923 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#clay1923], pl. 47, no. 51 (copy)
• Stephens 1937 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#stephens1937], pl. 33, no. 84 (copy)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], CD-ROM, fig. 16 (photo)

• Nougayrol 1939 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#nougayrol1939], p. 33 (study)
• Borger 1957 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#borger1957], p. 120 (study)
• Berger 1973 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#berger1973], p. 141 (study)
• Setness 1984 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#setness1984], p. 124 (study)
• Al-Rawi 1985 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1985], pp. 1-2 (study)
• George 1992 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#george1992], p. 346 (study)

A fragment of a clay cylinder preserves part of an Akkadian inscription of Nabopolassar recording work on Babylon's outer wall Nēmetti-Enlil ("Bulwark of the God Enlil").

Access the composite text [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005364/] of Nabopolassar 05.

Source

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) [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/rulers/nebuchadnezzarii/index.html], and another son of his (Nabû-šuma-līšir) all personally participated in brick-laying ceremonies. The king boasts that he carried 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 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/neoassyrianhistoryoverview/assyriafromashurbanipaltoauruballiii668609bc/index.html]) 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 "[Nabopolassar] Etemenanki Inscription (C31)."

Access the composite text [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005365/] or the score [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/bab7scores/Q005365/score] of Nabopolassar 06.

Sources [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/bab7scores/Q005365/sources]

Bibliography

• Strassmaier 1889 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#strassmaier1889], pp. 129-163 (ex. 2, edition)
• Winckler 1890 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#winckler1890], pp. 2-7, no. 1 (ex. 2, edition)
• McGee 1898 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#mcgee1898], pp. 525-527, no. A.I (exs. 1-2, transliteration)
• Bruce 1900 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#bruce1900], pp. 178-181, 183-185, no. I (exs. 1-2, edition)
• Bruce 1904 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#bruce1904], pp. 131-133 (exs. 1-2, translation)
• Langdon 1912 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#langdon1912], pp. 60-64, Nabopolassar no. 1 (exs. 1-2, edition)
• Wetzel/Weissbach 1938 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#wetzelandweissbach1938], pp. 41-43 (exs. 1-2, edition)
• Falkenstein/von Soden 1953 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#falkensteinvonsoden1953], pp. 283, 391 (exs. 1-2, partial translation)
• Seux 1976 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#seux1976], p. 505 (exs. 1-2, partial translation)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], pp. 77-93 (exs. 1-2, edition)

• Strassmaier 1889 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#strassmaier1889], pp. 129-163 (ex. 2, copy)
• Hilprecht 1893 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#hilprecht1893], pls. 32-33, no. 84 (ex. 1, copy); pl. XIII, no. 34 (ex. 1, photo)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], CD-ROM, fig. 17 (ex. 2, photo)

• Wetzel/Weissbach 1938 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#wetzelandweissbach1938], p. 41 (provenance)
• Meissner 1903 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#meissner1903], pp. 244-245 (study)
• Schott 1926 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#schott1926], p. 31 (study)
• Thureau-Dangin 1926 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#thureaudangin1926], p. 31 (study)
• von Soden 1939 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#vonsoden1939], pp. 78-81 (study)
• Meissner 1940 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#meissner1940], pp. 10-11 (study)
• Ellis 1968 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#ellis1968], pp. 179-180 (study)
• Berger 1973 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#berger1973], pp. 142-143 (study)
• Setness 1984 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#setness1984], pp. 102-103, 206, 219 (study)
• Al-Rawi 1985 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1985], p. 1 (study)
• Hecker 1988 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#hecker1988], pp. 490–493 (study)
• Koldewey 1990 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#koldewey1990], p. 190 (study)
• Uehlinger 1990 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#uehlinger1990], pp. 221-224 (study)
• Schaudig 2001 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#schaudig2001], pp. 872-873 (study)
• Streck 2001 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#streck2001], p. 197 (study)
• George 2005/2006 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#george2005/2006], pp. 82–84 (study)
• Schaudig 2010 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#schaudig2010], pp. 146, 150-155 (study)

An Akkadian inscription of Nabopolassar recording the restoration of the temple E-PA-GIN-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-GIN-tila Inscription (C12)."

Access the composite text [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005366/] or the score [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/bab7scores/Q005366/score] of Nabopolassar 07.

Sources [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/bab7scores/Q005366/sources]

Bibliography

• Weissbach 1901 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#weissbach1901], pp. 13-17 (exs. 1-4, edition)
• Weissbach 1903 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#weissbach1903], pp. 20-23 (exs. 1-4, edition)
• Langdon 1912 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#langdon1912], pp. 66-69, Nabopolassar no. 4 (exs. 1-4, edition)
• Jean 1923 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#jean1923], pp. 390-391 (exs. 1-4, partial translation)
• Jean 1924 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#jean1924], p. 265 (exs. 1-4, partial translation)
• Walker 1974 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#walker1974], p. 67, no. 86 (ex. 5, transliteration)
• Setness 1984 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#setness1984], pp. 103, 114-117, 191, 206-207 (exs. 1-4, partial edition)
• Hecker 2001 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#hecker2001], pp. 11–12 (translation)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], pp. 54-63 (exs. 1-4, edition)

• Weissbach 1903 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#weissbach1903], pl. 8 (exs. 1-4, copy)
• Koldewey 1911 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#koldewey1911], sheet 5, figs. 41-42 (exs. 1, 3 photo)
• Koldewey 1990 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#koldewey1990], p. 224 (ex. 1, photo)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], CD-ROM, figs. 7-10 (exs. 1-4, photo)

• Koldewey 1901a [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#koldewey1901a], p. 8 (exs. 1, 4?, study)
• Koldewey 1901b [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#koldewey1901b], pp. 10-11 (exs. 1-4, study)
• Koldewey 1911 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#koldewey1911], pp. 30, 33 (exs. 1-4, provenance)
• Berger 1973 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#berger1973], pp. 136-137 (exs. 1-5, study)
• Al-Rawi 1985 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#alrawi1985], pp. 1-2, 6-7 (study)

Five bricks with a short Akkadian inscription of this Babylonian king were discovered during Koldewey's excavations at Babylon; the script is archaizing Neo-Babylonian. This text and the following two texts (text nos. 9–10) record the reinforcing of the embankment walls of the Araḫtu canal with baked bricks. This text is sometimes referred to as "Nabopolassar Backsteine BI, 1" or "[Nabopolassar] Embankment Inscription, Version 1 (B1)."

Access Nabopolassar 08. [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005367/]

Sources

Bibliography

• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], pp. 33-35

• Koldewey 1990 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#koldewey1990], p. 147, fig. 90 (ex. 1, photo)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], CD-ROM, fig. 1 (ex. 5, photo)

• Wetzel 1930 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#wetzel1930], pp. 33, 80 (exs. 1-4, provenance, study)
• Berger 1973 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#berger1973], p. 129 (exs. 1-5, study)
• Koldewey 1990 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#koldewey1990], pp. 139-140 (ex. 1, study)

At least twelve bricks bear an inscription that is a near duplicate of the previous and following texts (text nos. 8 and 10). Since no copy, photograph, or edition of it has ever been published or made available, the exact contents of the inscription are not known; the script is reported to be both contemporary and archaizing Neo-Babylonian. This text is referred to as "Nabopolassar Backsteine BI, 3" or "[Nabopolassar] Embankment Inscription, Version 2 (B3)" in previous studies and editions.

Sources

Bibliography

• Wetzel 1930 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#wetzel1930], pp. 33, 81 (exs. 1-12, provenance, study)
• Berger 1973 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#berger1973], p. 131 (exs. 1-12, study)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], pp. 35-36 (exs. 1-12, study)

The German excavations at Babylon unearthed numerous (at least forty-one) bricks of a third inscription of Nabopolassar stating that he strengthened the embankment walls of the Araḫtu canal; the script is archaizing Neo-Babylonian. This near duplicate of text nos. 8–9 is cited in previous literature as "Nabopolassar Backsteine BI, 5" or "[Nabopolassar] Embankment Inscription, Version 3 (B5)."

Access Nabopolassar 10. [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005369/]

Sources

Bibliography

• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], pp. 36-38

• Wetzel 1914 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#wetzel1914], pp. 22, fig. 7 (ex. 1, photo)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], CD-ROM, fig. 2 (ex. 1, photo)

• Wetzel 1914 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#wetzel1914], pp. 22-23 (ex. 1, study)
• Wetzel 1930 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#wetzel1930], pp. 80-81 (exs. 11-41, provenance, study)
• Berger 1973 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#berger1973], p. 131 (study)

A short inscription of this Neo-Babylonian king mentioning his work on the Araḫtu canal is stamped in archaizing Neo-Babylonian script on at least eleven bricks discovered at Babylon. No copy, completely legible photograph, or edition of this text has ever been published or made available and, therefore, its exact contents are not known. The inscription, however, is presumed to be similar to text no. 11. It is sometimes referred to as "Nabopolassar Backsteine BI, 2" or "[Nabopolassar] Araḫtu Inscription, Version 1 (B2)."

Sources

Bibliography

• Koldewey 1990 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#koldewey1990], p. 145, fig. 88 (ex. 4, photo)

• Wetzel 1930 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#wetzel1930], pp. 81-82 (exs. 1-11, provenance)
• Berger 1973 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#berger1973], p. 130 (exs. 1-11, study)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], pp. 38-39 (exs. 1-11, study)

A text similar to the previous inscription (text no. 10) is written on at least twenty-eight bricks discovered during Koldewey's excavations at Babylon; the script is both contemporary and archaizing Babylonian. The text is referred to as "Nabopolassar Backsteine BI, 4" or "[Nabopolassar] Araḫtu Inscription, Version 2 (B4)" in previous studies and editions.

Access Nabopolassar 12. [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005371/]

Sources

Bibliography

• Koldewey 1990 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#koldewey1990], p. 146, (ex. 6, partial translationxxx)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], pp. 40-42 (ex. 22, edition)

• Koldewey 1990 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#koldewey1990], p. 146, fig. 89 (ex. 6, photo)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], CD-ROM, fig. 3 (ex. 22, photo)

• Wetzel 1930 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#wetzel1930], pp. 82-83 (exs. 1-21, 23-28, provenance)
• Berger 1973 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#berger1973], p. 132 (exs. 1-28, study)

An eighteen-line inscription of Nabopolassar stating that he renovated Marduk's ziggurat Etemenanki ("House, Foundation of Heaven and Netherworld") is known only from an edition of it published by V. Scheil in 1894. The material support for the text is generally thought to have been a brick, but, given the length of the inscription, one cannot rule out the possibility that the object was a single-column clay cylinder (like text nos. 1–2). Moreover, it is not known whether its script was contemporary or archaizing Neo-Babylonian. Because the defeat of Assyria is alluded to in lines 10–12, the text must have been composed after the sack and destruction of Nineveh in late 612 BC or after the disappearance of Aššur-uballiṭ II [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/neoassyrianhistoryoverview/assyriafromashurbanipaltoauruballiii668609bc/index.html] in 609 BC. The inscription is sometimes cited as "Nabopolassar Backsteine BI, 6" or "[Nabopolassar] Etemenanki Inscription (B6)."

Access Nabopolassar 13. [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005372/]

Source

Bibliography

• Scheil 1894 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#scheil1894], p. 185
• Wetzel/Weissbach 1938 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#wetzelandweissbach1938], p. 44
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], pp. 42-43

• Wetzel/Weissbach 1938 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#wetzelandweissbach1938], p. 44 (study)
• Berger 1973 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#berger1973], pp. 26, 134 (study)

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 composite text [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005373/] or the score [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/bab7scores/Q005372/score] of Nabopolassar 14.

Sources [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/bab7scores/Q005373/sources]

Bibliography

• Winckler 1887 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#winckler1887], pp. 69-75 (exs. 1-2, edition)
• Boscawen 1888 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#boscawen1888], pp. 231-233 (exs. 1-3(?), edition)
• Winckler 1890 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#winckler1890], pp. 6-9, no. 2 (exs. 1-3, edition)
• McGee 1898 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#mcgee1898], p. 527, no. A.II (exs. 1-3, transliteration)
• Bruce 1900 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#bruce1900], pp. 178-179, 181-182, 185 no. II (exs. 1-3, edition)
• Bruce 1904 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#bruce1904], p. 133 (exs. 1-3, translation)
• Langdon 1912 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#langdon1912], pp. 64-65, Nabopolassar no. 2 (exs. 1-3, edition)
• Walker 1981 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#walker1981], pp. 71-72, no. 89 (ex. 5, transliteration)
• Al-Jadir 1997 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#aljadir1997], pp. 292-293 (exs. 1-3, edition)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], pp. 43, 63-70 (exs. 1-5, edition)

• Winckler 1887 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#winckler1887], pp. 71-72 (exs. 1-2, copy [by Strassmaier])
• Abel and Winckler 1890 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#abelandwinckler1890], p. 32 (exs. 1-2, copy)
• Naster 1941 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#naster1941], p. 75b (exs. 1-2, copy)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], CD-ROM, figs. 11-14 (exs. 1-4, photo)

• Winckler 1887b [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#winckler1887b], pp. 144-145 (exs. 1-3, study)
• Berger 1973 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#berger1973], pp. 138-139 (exs. 1-3, study)
• Walker and Collon 1980 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#walkerandcollon1980], p. 105, no. 82 (ex. 5, catalogue entry)
• Setness 1984 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#setness1984], p. 181 (exs. 1-3, study)
• Reade 1986 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#reade1986], pp. xxxii-xxxiii (exs. 1-5, provenance)

A large, two-column clay cylinder discovered at Sippar by H. Rassam in 1881 is inscribed with a text of the Neo-Babylonian king Nabopolassar. This Akkadian inscription is written in archaizing script and it records the renovation of the temple Eʾedinna ("House of the Steppe"), the residence of the goddess Ištar as the "Divine Lady of Sippar." Since the defeat of Assyria is specifically mentioned, this text's date of composition is certainly after 612–609 BC; Nabopolassar states that he killed the "Subarean" (= the Assyrian king Sîn-šarra-iškun [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/neoassyrianhistoryoverview/assyriafromashurbanipaltoauruballiii668609bc/index.html]) and turned his land into a mound of ruins (a reference to the destruction of Nineveh in 612 BC). The inscription is referred to as "Nabopolassar Zylinder II, 2" or "[Nabopolassar] Eʾedinna Inscription (C22)."

Access Nabopolassar 15. [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/Q005374/]

Source

Bibliography

• Winckler 1887 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#winckler1887], pp. 145-147 (edition)
• Winckler 1890 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#winckler1890], pp. 8-9, no. 3 (edition)
• McGee 1898 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#mcgee1898], p. 528, no. A.III (transliteration)
• Bruce 1900 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#bruce1900], pp. 178-179, 182, 185-186 no. III (edition)
• Bruce 1904 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#bruce1904], p. 134 (translation)
• Langdon 1912 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#langdon1912], pp. 64-66, Nabopolassar no. 3 (edition)
• Seux 1976 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#seux1976], p. 506 (partial translation)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], pp. 70-73

• Winckler 1887 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#winckler1887], pp. 172-173 (copy)
• Abel and Winckler 1890 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#abelandwinckler1890], p. 32 (copy)
• Da Riva 2013 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#dariva2013], CD-ROM, fig. 15 (photo)

• Schott 1926 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#schott1926], p. 32 (study)
• Berger 1973 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/bibliography/index.html#berger1973], p. 140 (study)

Jamie Novotny

Jamie Novotny, 'Inscriptions of Nabopolassar', RIBo, Babylon 7: The Inscriptions of the Neo-Babylonian Dynasty, The RIBo Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2020 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/rulers/nabopolassar/inscriptions/]