Part 6 (50-59)

050   051   052   053   054   055   056   057   058   059  

050 [/rinap/rinap2/Q006531/]

This short brick inscription of Sargon II that simply gives his name with several titles and epithets has been found at numerous sites in addition to Khorsabad: Nimrud, Nineveh, Karamles (ancient Kār-Ninlil/Kār-Mullissi), Tag, and possibly Djigan. The text is sometimes stamped on the brick and sometimes inscribed. On the basis of Sargon's titulary in the text, A. Fuchs (Khorsabad p. 372 and n. 620) suggests that this inscription is to be dated before the king's twelfth year (710).

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Commentary

A. Ungnad (VAS 1 p. X) states that the inscription on ex. 6 is stamped and that the area stamped measures 6×15.5 cm. No museum numbers are found on the two bricks with this inscription in the Louvre (exs. 7–8), but museum records indicate that N 8076 and N 8078 bear this inscription and the measurements recorded for these fit the bricks indicated. One brick in the Louvre (ex. 7) is the only one known so far to match the exact text of the brick copied by P.E. Botta as Monument de Ninive 4 pl. 183^c no. 2. However, museum records state that N 8078 came from Nineveh while Botta says that the brick he copied came from Khorsabad. Botta's original copy of ex. 8 is found on the Institut de France manuscript 2976 sheet 56.

C.B.F. Walker (CBI p. 117) notes that although the brick published by A.H. Layard in ICC pl. 82 [D] (and listed above as ex. 9) is said to come from Karamles and to have both this inscription and text no. 53 on it (see also Layard, Nineveh 1 p. 52), no brick in the British Museum has both inscriptions and the only brick in the British Museum registered as coming from Karamles has only text no. 53 (ex. 5). Since Layard gives variant forms for two signs in line 2, it is likely that the copy published by him represents more than one brick. This is supported by the fact that on Layard notebook MS A p. 320 (Department of the Middle East, British Museum) there are two copies of this inscription and the label for these says "on bricks from Karamles."

According to Thompson, Arch. 79 (1929) p. 124 and pl. XLV no. 72, two bricks with this inscription (exs. 10–11) were found at Tag, near 'Ain Sefna (Ain Sifni, in the Shekhan district of northern Iraq); they are said to have the inscription on the face of the brick and to measure 14.25"×6.25"×4.75". However, elsewhere he refers to only one brick with this inscription from 'Ain Sefna (ibid. p. 109).

Ex. 13 is edited from the photo in Loud and Altman, Khorsabad 2 pl. 65 (top right) and Oriental Institute photograph 31189.

Exs. 14–20 are depicted on photographs taken by Gabriel Tranchand of items found by V. Place and published by M. Pillet (exs. 14–19) and N. Chevalier and B. Lavédrine (ex. 20). Exs. 14–17 and 20 likely come from Khorsabad, although this is not explicitly stated in the publications. According to Pillet, Pionnier pl. XXIV, exs. 18 and 19 come from Djigan, located about 25 km west of Khorsabad (see also ibid. p. 116), but Place does not refer to having found any bricks of this ruler at Djigan (Place, Ninive et l'Assyrie 2 pp. 150–151). Ex. 16 and ex. 19 may be the same exemplar, but this is not absolutely clear from the published photographs.

Information on exs. 21–23 comes from the excavation field cards for the objects. Ex. 21 is noted as not having been kept; exs. 21 and 23 are each noted as having a "brick-mark" (maker's mark?) in their upper right hand corner. Copies of these cards were kindly supplied by K. Neumann, who informs me that the bricks were likely found in the 1930–31 excavation season.

Ex. 24 was found on the site of the palace by Shatha Almashadany and was handed over to the directorate of Nineveh.

The line arrangement is the same on all exemplars known, except for ex. 24, which has the text on four lines (with the third line of the master text split into two, following MAN ŠÚ). The master line follows ex. 6. As is the practice with RINAP, no score for this brick inscription is given on Oracc, but the minor variants are listed at the back of the book.

Z. Niederreiter (Iraq 70 [2008] pp. 77–78 and 85) notes that the brick with ex. 13 has the impression of a bull stamped on it, the one with ex. 14 has the figure of the head of an arrow (or spearhead) on it, and the one with ex. 20 has a figure in the form of an amulet on it.

Various references are made in the literature to bricks of Sargon II being found at Khorsabad that do not specify which Sargon inscription(s) was present. These are likely to be text nos. 50–55. See for example de Longpérier, Notice³ p. 44 no. 46 (quite likely text no. 50); Frankfort, OIC 16 pp. 87 and 89 (Palace F); Loud and Altman, Khorsabad 2 p. 14 ("Bricks bearing identical inscriptions [text nos. 50–55] are employed in the construction of every building so far investigated. In the Nabu temple or in any of the several residences near or distant from the palace are therefore encountered innumerable bricks on which is stamped the ubiquitous inscription beginning 'Palace of Sargon ...'"); and Safar, Sumer 13 (1957) p. 220 (Temple of the Sebetti). See also Frankfort, OIC 16 p. 99 fig. 64 and Loud, Khorsabad 1 p. 104 fig. 111 (pavement in front of the chapel of Šamaš in the main palace).

Bibliography

051 [/rinap/rinap2/Q006532/]

This short brick inscription of Sargon II has been found at both Khorsabad and Nineveh. The titulary employed for Sargon and the fact that the text records the construction of Dūr-Šarrukīn indicate that the inscription should date to 710 or later.

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Commentary

The inscription is found on the face of the bricks and is inscribed, not stamped. The present location of ex. 2 is not known and the inscription on ex. 6 is badly worn. Information on the museum numbers and measurements of exs. 5–8 was provided by A. Dix. The master line follows ex. 1. No score is given on Oracc, but the minor variants are listed at the back of the book.

Bibliography

052 [/rinap/rinap2/Q006533/]

This five-line brick inscription records the building of the city of Dūr-Šarrukīn and its palace.

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Commentary

It is possible that ex. 1 and ex. 4 are the same brick since both were found by the American excavations in the throne room at Khorsabad and since the differences in the published copy of ex. 1 and the transliteration of ex. 4 on the excavation find card are relatively minor. Information on ex. 4 comes from that card for DŠ 34, kindly supplied by K. Neumann, who informs me that that brick was likely found in the 1930–31 excavation season. A note on that card states that a duplicate of the text was found in 1929 and that that exemplar had ab-ni preserved at the end of line 5, in contrast to ex. 4 (and also in contrast to the copy of ex. 1).

Ex. 3 is attested by a copy by P.E. Botta now preserved in the Archives of the Institut de France (Botta-Cotta II 2976 folio I, sheet number 355). A notation with the copy states that the inscription is "Sur le milieu d'une grande brique venant de Nahrawan à 6 heures de Mossul." The copy, if correct, would suggest that several of the sign forms on that exemplar are abnormal. A comparison of ex. 2 with Botta's copy of ex. 3 would suggest that they represent different exemplars.

The line arrangement is the same for all exemplars and the edition is a composite one. There are no variants and no score in given on Oracc.

Bibliography

053 [/rinap/rinap2/Q006534/]

This five-line Sumerian inscription of Sargon II recording the building of the city of Dūr-Šarrukīn and its palace ("The-Palace-Which-Has-No-Equal") has been found on numerous bricks from Khorsabad, Nineveh, Nimrud, Karamles (ancient Kār-Mullissi), and Tepe Gawra.

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Commentary

Additional information on exs. 1–10 was provided by C.B.F. Walker. The exemplars found in the British Museum (exs. 1–10) are impressed with a stamp measuring 10.2/9.2×22.8/20.6 cm. Walker (CBI p. 118) notes that "George Smith's note-book of his 1873 excavations (Add. MS. 30413 fol. 35) has a copy of a broken duplicate (beginnings of lines 3–5 lost) which is not in the British Museum." This is treated as ex. 11. Walker (CBI p. 117) notes that although the brick published by A.H. Layard as ICC pl. 82 [D] is said to come from Karamles and to have both this inscription and text no. 50 on it, no brick in the British Museum has both inscriptions. The only brick in the British Museum registered as coming from Karamles is BM 90237, which does come from Layard's work in Iraq. It is assumed here that BM 90237 (ex. 5) is the brick copied by Layard. Two copies of this inscription (one damaged and one complete) are found in Layard MS A p. 320 and labeled as being from Karamles.

Ex. 12 is only known from P.E. Botta's copy in Monument de Ninive (4 pl. 183^c no. 5). A copy by Botta of this inscription is also found in the Archives of the Institut de Fance (Botta-Cotta II 2976, folio I, sheet 315), but it depicts an exemplar less well preserved than ex. 12 and is not taken into consideration here. Exs. 13–17 are reported to be N 8069–73 in the Louvre, but it is not clear which exemplar has which particular museum number.

Ex. 19 is in a museum in Tiflis (Tbilisi) according to C.F. Lehmann-Haupt (Mat. p. 49 no. 28).

It is possible that ex. 23 (known via a photograph taken by G. Tranchard published by M. Pillet) is to be identified with one of the bricks in the Louvre (exs. 13–17). It may come from Khorsabad since it derives from the work of Place.

Exs. 24–27 were found during excavations at Nebi Yunus in 1954, but their exact findspots are not known; see Scott and MacGinnis, Iraq 52 (1990) pp. 65–66. Ex. 28 was collated by J. Novotny.

Ex. 30, which is a private collection, is said to come from Khorsabad (Cogan, Bound for Exile p. 48), but that provenance may simply based upon the fact that the text deals with work at that city.

The Nimrud field catalogue states that ND 2050 (ex. 31), as well as some unregistered duplicate fragments, have a Sumerian inscription of Sargon "recording his building of the Palace at Khorsabad: duplicate of published inscription." This text is the only inscription which fits this description. The field catalogue also states that the brick was baked and had one edge glazed (information courtesy J.N. Postgate).

Information on exs. 32–35 comes from the excavation field cards for the objects. Exs. 32 and 33 are noted as not having been kept, and ex. 35 has "In town office building" in the section for where the brick was found. Copies of these cards were kindly supplied by K. Neumann, who informs me that the bricks were likely discovered during the 1930–31 excavation season. The transliterations on the cards have DIM instead of DÍM in line 5, but this is assumed to be an error here (or a different understanding of which sign is DIM).

According to British Museum records, BM 92182 was found in the North-West Palace at Nimrud, possibly by A.H. Layard. The piece has a glazed rosette (remains of five white petals around a yellow center on a blue background) on one side and the inscription stamped on another side. The piece is currently listed under the numbers BM 92182 and BM 92192 on the British Museum website (August, 2019), with the latter number indicating that the piece may have come from Khorsabad. According to J. Taylor, the correct number for the piece is BM 92182.

The two exemplars from Nimrud (exs. 31 and 36) each have one edge glazed. A copy of a brick with this inscription reportedly discovered at Nimrud (SE corner of the tell?) is found in Layard's notebook MS A p. 322 (Department of the Middle East, British Museum). That copy appears to have been poorly executed and is not taken into consideration here.

The copies of Botta, Layard, A. Amiaud, P. Jensen, H. Winckler, and R. Campbell Thompson indicate that the forms of several signs are somewhat abnormal (variously line 1: GI, LUGAL, KI, and ŠÁR; line 2: GIN; line 3: MU, BÍ, IN, and SA₄; line 4: GAL and TUK; and line 5: TA, MU, UN, and DÍM). These have not been noted as variants. Winckler notes that some exemplars have KU for KI in line 1; however, it is more likely that the signs are simply poorly copied and/or misread. For ex. 22, A. Pohl (RPARA 19 copy and transliteration) has bí-in-na-sa₄-a in line 3, but the photo of the original shows the piece has the expected bí-in-sa₄-a. The transliteration of ex. 29 published in NABU 2010 erroneously omits the masculine determinative at the beginning of the first line (collation courtesy A. Miglio). There are no variants for this inscription and no score is provided on Oracc.

Bibliography

054 [/rinap/rinap2/Q006535/]

The building of the city of Dūr-Šarrukīn and the construction of a temple for the gods Sîn and Šamaš are recorded on this inscription of Sargon II. Bricks with this inscription have been found at Khorsabad, Nineveh, and Nimrud; the ones from Nineveh and Nimrud may have been taken there from Khorsabad when Sennacherib moved the capital following the death of Sargon (Scott and MacGinnis, Iraq 52 [1990] p. 65). The inscription may refer to the chapels of Sîn and Šamaš in the royal palace at Khorsabad rather than to an independent temple (see also text nos. 18, 21, and 55).

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Commentary

Exs. 1 and 3 are inscribed on the face, while ex. 2 is stamped on the face with a stamp measuring 10.5×21 cm. Additional information on exs. 1–3 was provided by C.B.F. Walker. H. Winckler states that he made his copy of this inscription from an original in London (Sar. 1 p. 194); Walker (CBI p. 117) identifies this original with BM 90245 (ex. 1). Ex. 5 is known from a copy by P.E. Botta preserved in the Archives of the Institut de France (Botta-Cotta II 2976, folio I, sheet 315). The copy would suggest that a number of the signs on that exemplar are defective in form.

The unpublished Nimrud field catalogue states that ND 2051 (ex. 6), as well as duplicate fragments, has an Akkadian inscription of Sargon "recording his building of Dur-Sharrukin (Khorsabad) and the temples of the gods Sin and Shamash there: duplicate of published inscription" (information courtesy J.N. Postgate). This inscription is the only text that fits that description.

Ex. 7 was likely found during the Oriental Institute's 1930–31 excavation season and is known from the excavation field card for the piece, a copy of which was kindly supplied by K. Neumann.

Winckler's copy of ex. 1 indicates that the form of 30 in line 3 is abnormal and looks more like GAM; however, Walker does not note this with regard to any of the bricks in the British Museum. A copy of a brick with this inscription reportedly discovered in debris of the Nabû temple is found in L.W. King's notebook "Kuyunjik: Notes on Sculpture and Inscriptions" (Department of the Middle East, British Museum) and has a GAL sign in place of ŠÚ in line 1. The copy, however, has shading over the GAL and thus likely simply indicates that King was unable to read the sign and assumed that it was GAL.

No variants to the inscription are known and no score for this brick inscription is provided on Oracc.

Bibliography

055 [/rinap/rinap2/Q006536/]

This brick inscription of Sargon II records the building of a temple to the gods Sîn and Šamaš inside the city Dūr-Šarrukīn. It is found on two bricks, one from Khorsabad and one from Nineveh.

Access the composite text [/rinap/rinap2/Q006536/] of Sargon II 055

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Commentary

P.E. Botta's copy of ex. 1 indicates that several of the sign forms are abnormal or incorrect, but collation of the exemplar indicated that these signs were either correct or slightly damaged. The line arrangement is the same for both exemplars and the master line is a conflation of the two.

According to Winckler, Sar. 1 p. 194, there is a brick with this inscription in London; however, no such brick was found by C.B.F. Walker in the British Museum.

No score for this brick inscription is given on Oracc, but the variants are listed at the back of the book.

Bibliography

056 [/rinap/rinap2/Q006537/]

The Khorsabad excavation field card in the Oriental Institute (Chicago) for DŠ 39 records an inscribed brick found in city gate 7. The card has a copy of the cuneiform text on the brick; however, the inscription was either badly written or badly copied and thus the edition given here must be considered tentative. The inscription does not appear to be a duplicate of any other known brick inscription of Sargon II. Information on the brick was kindly supplied by K. Neumann, who states that the brick was probably found during the Oriental Institute's 1930–31 excavation season.

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057 [/rinap/rinap2/Q006538/]

Several fragments of glazed bricks that preserve all or parts of one or more signs have been found at Khorsabad. No complete inscription can be determined and it is likely that they represent parts of more than one inscription.

Access the composite text [/rinap/rinap2/Q006538/] of Sargon II 057

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Commentary

Pieces of several glazed bricks from Khorsabad with cuneiform characters are known and these have been gathered here. It is unlikely, however, that they come from only one inscription since some bricks have one line of characters in white glaze (Frgms. I–J) while others have two lines of smaller characters in yellow glaze (Frgms. B–H, and possibly A), and since Frgm. K was found in Sargon's palace at Khorsabad, while Frgms. L–M come from Palace F at that site.

Frgms. A–B: These two pieces were found by P.E. Botta (Monument de Ninive 2 pl. 156 nos. 11 [Nap. III 2924] and 9 [Nap. III 2925] respectively). (These are cited as Inv. Nap. 2994 and 2995 in Albenda, Palace of Sargon p. 113.) Each has traces of two lines of characters, those of frgm. A being white on a green background and those of Frgm. B being yellow on a green background.

Frgms. C–H: Each fragment has traces of two lines of yellow characters on a green background. Most or all of Frgms. C–H are likely to be identified with de Longpérier, Notice³ nos. 61–67.

Frgms. I–J: These fragments have a single line of white characters on a green background and are likely to be identified with de Longpérier, Notice³ nos. 59–60.

Frgm. K: The fragment was found on February 3, 1931. The signs are reported to be in yellow on a light blue background and the transliteration is based on a copy of the text on the excavation catalogue card for the piece in the Oriental Institute. See also Walker in Albenda, Palace of Sargon p. 113.

Frgm. L: The fragment has traces of a single sign and was found on March 26, 1931. The transliteration is based on a copy of the text on the excavation field card for the piece in the Oriental Institute. See also Walker in Albenda, Palace of Sargon p. 113 n. 37.

Frgm. M: This fragment of a glazed brick has white signs on a blue-green background. The piece was found on March 25, 1931. The transliteration is based on examination of the fragment in 2012 and on a copy of the text on the excavation catalogue card. The fragment no longer preserves the trace of the first sign indicated on the copy.

At least two pieces were given the number DŠ 5 by the Oriental Institute archaeologists at Khorsabad. One is Frgm. K and the other is a nail that has the Oriental Institute number A 7067. Information on Frgm. M and on Frgms. K–L that is not found in Albenda, Palace of Sargon was kindly provided by K. Neumann. C.B.F. Walker (in Albenda, Palace of Sargon p. 113) suggests that the throne room, where Frgm. K was found, may also have been the original location of Frgms. A and B. V. Place refers to having found glazed bricks and glazed inscriptions mixed in the debris at Khorsabad (Ninive et l'Assyrie 1 pp. 89 and 233–234; and 2 p. 86). Frgms. C–J are likely some of these.

With regard to the fragments in the Louvre having two lines, de Longpérier, Notice³ sub nos. 61–67 noted the presence of two geographical names: Media (KUR.ma-da-a-a) and an incomplete name which might be "Amardi de l'Atropatène." The former place may have been found on Frgm. H, where the trace of the sign at the end of the second line could be the beginning of DA (i.e., KUR.ma-⸢da⸣-[a-a]). Possibly the Amatti (Hamath) on Frgm. C is the "Amardi" of de Longpérier.

Since the inscription(s) would have run across several bricks it is assumed in the transliteration below that each fragment (except Frgm. D) was continuing the inscription from a previous brick and that the inscription continued onto another brick. Frgm. D likely preserves the beginning of an inscription since there is some decoration on the brick to the left of the cuneiform signs and since numerous other royal inscriptions of Sargon begin with "Palace of Sargon ..." (e.g., text no. 8).

Bibliography

058 [/rinap/rinap2/Q006539/]

In an inscription on some clay prisms from the reign of Esarhaddon (Leichty, RINAP 4 pp. 200–201 no. 104 vii 10–12) is the phrase lumāšē tamšīl šiṭir šumīya ēsiq, which E. Leichty translates as "I depicted hieroglyphs representing the writing of my name." This passage has been understood by many scholars to refer to figures/symbols that are found upon three clay prisms and one stone monument of Esarhaddon; they are taken to be a cryptographic writing of the royal name Esarhaddon and some of his titles/epithets. Thus, those symbols have been interpreted to be Assyrian hieroglyphs or astroglyphs and to have been possibly influenced by Egyptian hieroglyphs. For possible interpretations of the symbols, see Leichty, RINAP 4 pp. 238–243 no. 115. (For the connection of some of the various figures with particular constellations, see for example Miglus, Studies Hrouda p. 189.) Beginning with C.J. Gadd in 1948 (Ideas of Divine Rule pp. 93–95), a series of figures depicted on glazed brick friezes at Khorsabad have similarly been interpreted to be a cryptographic writing of the name and title(s) of Sargon II. The friezes are found on both sides of some major doorways in the chapels of the deities Sîn, Šamaš, and Ningal within Sargon's palace complex and in the temple of Nabû.

In addition to these glazed brick friezes, there are nineteen fragments of bronze bands/fittings from sanctuaries at Khorsabad that have depictions of various figures (e.g., lions, bulls, fig trees, ploughs, bulls, bull-men, fish-men, and men holding spears) and some of these may have been used to indicate the name and titles of Sargon (see in particular Miglus, Studies Hrouda, pp. 182–183; Finkel and Reade, ZA 86 [1996] pp. 251–253 and 267–268 figs. 3–5; J.E. Curtis in Curtis and Tallis, Balawat Gates pp. 79–81; Guralnick, CRRAI 51 pp. 389–404; and Niederreiter, Iraq 70 [2008] p. 58 fig. 7 and p. 80 I.d.6–8). L. Morenz (AoF 30 [2003] pp. 24–25) has suggested that the representations on the royal throne of Sargon may also have represented the king's name. The ends of two prisms of Sargon II (text no. 82 and text no. 63) have symbols cut or impressed onto them, but I. Finkel and J.E. Reade suggest that it is "more probable that the ... designs were related to the identities of the gods for whose temples the prisms were made" rather than being "hieroglyphs" (ZA 86 [1996] pp. 246–247 and figs. 7–8 following p. 268). Note also the image of a lion on several vases (text no. 77), a scorpion on a gold bowl and an electrum mirror of the queen Atalia (text no. 2001 exs. 1 and 3), and a dromedary and an omega on the macehead of Sargon's brother Sîn-aḫu-uṣur (text no. 2003).

Sources for Text A:

Sources for Text B:

Commentary

These "inscriptions" are located in pairs, on the façades of platforms that jut out on each side of a major doorway, and are "read" beginning at the doorway and then going either left or right. Thus each inscription of a pair is in effect a mirror image of the other. The condition of the individual reliefs when first found appears to have varied a great deal and for the most part all that we know about these glazed brick reliefs comes from general statements about what was found, a few partial and/or unclear photographs, and, most importantly, the drawings published by V. Place.

It has also been stated that there was a wall painting with similar figures in the cella of the chapel of the god Adad in the palace complex (Room 166; see in particular Place, Ninive et l'Assyrie 1 p. 128 and 3 pl. 25 no. 5, but the information on this is somewhat unclear and Place states that the reconstructed drawing of the figures was based upon the glazed brick panels. Thus, it will not be dealt with here.

Inscription A is made up of seven symbols in the following order: a king (1), a lion (2), a bird (3), a bull (4), a fig tree (5), a plough (6), and a man holding a spear pointed towards the ground (7). Inscription B is a shorter variant of this, omitting the third and fourth symbols (bird and bull). In each case, the first symbol (king) and the last symbol (man holding a spear) are located on opposite sides of a platform, with the remaining symbols on the front of the platform. (The king faces into the chapel, towards the cella, and the man holding a spear faces toward the courtyard.) Thus, if one looked at a platform directly from the front, one would not see the first and last symbols of an "inscription." In addition, as pointed out by A. Zgoll and M. Roaf, the figures on the front of a platform are placed within a frame of rosettes, in effect separating them from what is on the sides. As a result, some scholars (e.g., Reade [1979]; Zgoll and Roaf; and E. Frahm) do not consider the first and last symbols, or perhaps just the last symbol, to be part of the "inscription," although Zgoll and Roaf do take the first symbol, the image of the king, to stand for the king and thus "Sargon." In 1979, J.E. Reade suggested that the man with the spear might represent one of Sargon's earlier namesakes (Larsen, Power and Propaganda p. 342), although he later appears to have changed his mind about this.

J.E. Reade (in Caubet, Khorsabad pp. 234–236) was perhaps the first to offer a real interpretation of these figures/symbol, but more recently, several scholars have proposed various different interpretations. These interpretations seek to identify the symbols with Akkadian words or with the signs of the underlying cuneiform script. In general, scholars think that the lion (2) and bull (4) both stand for "king" (šarru), since both animals appear as symbols of royalty and strength in Mesopotamian texts, with the kings sometimes called a wild bull (rīmu) or a lion (labbu); see in particular Roaf and Zgoll, ZA 91 (2001) pp. 277–280 and Watanabe, Animal Symbolism, particularly pp. 42–68. Note also the presence of the figure of the lion on the Assyrian royal seal and on several objects with inscriptions of Sargon (see for example text no. 77). The view that the lion and the bull have the same meaning might be supported by the the fact that A has a bull before the fig tree while B has a lion before the fig tree; see also Leichty, RINAP 4 no. 115 ex. 1 versus exs. 2–4 for the animal placed before the image of a mountain. There is also a general assumption that the final title is "king of Assyria" ("king of the land of Aššur"). The interpretations (and reasoning for similar interpretations) of the other symbols can vary. For full explanations of the various proposals, see the relevant items listed in the Bibliography.

In the past, the symbols have also been thought to be divine symbols (e.g., the lion for the goddess Ištar and the bull for the god Adad); see for example Unger, RLA 2/4 (1936) p. 252.

For a study of the analysis and conservation of the bricks in the façade of the chapel of the god Sîn, see Whyte, Muros, and Barack in Greene and Griffin, Proceedings OSG 32 pp. 172–189. For a study of Assyrian bricks with high relief from Nineveh that might have a rebus writing for the name Esarhaddon, see Nadali, Iraq 70 (2008) pp. 87–104.

Bibliography

Drawing of the façade of the chapel of the god Sîn and Entrance Z in the palace of Sargon at Khorsabad, with glazed brick panels on either side of the doorway (text no. 58 exs. 1–2), published in Place, Ninive et l'Assyrie 3 pl. 24.

Diagram showing the arrangement of glazed brick figures representing Assyrian "hieroglyphs" (text no. 58). Diagram courtesy of M. Roaf.

TEXT A

TEXT B

INTERPRETATIONS AND TRANSLATIONS

Reade (1995) and Finkel and Reade: A (1–7) "Sargon, great king, king of the land of Assyria"; (1) "Sargon," (2) "king," (3) "great," (4) "king," (5) "land" (6) "Aššur," (7) determinative for place names.

           B (1–2, 5–7) "Sargon, king of the land of Assyria"; (1) "Sargon," (2) "king," (5) "land," (6) "Aššur," (7) determinative for place names.

Zgoll and Roaf: A (1) "Sargon." (2–6) "king of totality, king of the land of Aššur"; (2) "king," (3) "totality," (4) "king," (5) "land," (6) "Aššur," (7) uncertain.

           B (1) "Sargon." (2, 5–6) "king of the land of Aššur"; (2) "king," (5) "land," (6) "Aššur," (7) uncertain.

Morenz 1: A (1–7): "Sargon, great king, king of the land of Assyria"; (1) "Sargon," (2) "king," (3) "great," (4) "king," (5) "land," (6) "Aššur," (7) determinative for place names.

           B (1–2, 5–7) "Sargon, king of the land of Assyria"; (1) "Sargon," (2) "king," (5) "land," (6) "Aššur," (7) determinative for place names.

Morenz 2: A (1–7): "He praises/reveres (the god ...): Sargon, great king, king of the land of Assyria"; (1) "He praises/reveres (the god ...): Sargon," (2) "king," (3) "great," (4) "king," (5) "land," (6) "Aššur," (7) determinative for place names.

           B (1–2, 5–7) "He praises/reveres (the god ...): Sargon, king of the land of Assyria"; (1) "He praises/reveres (the god ...): Sargon," (2) "king," (5) "land," (6) "Aššur," (7) determinative for place names.

Frahm: A (2–6) "Sargon, king of the land of Assyria"; (2) šarru, (3) ukīn, (4) "king," (5) "land," (6) "Aššur."

Zgoll and Reade: do not take (1) and (7), in particular (7), as being really part of the inscription; see the commentary.

Morenz: His translation actually has "starker König" rather than "great king" even though he is taking the figure for rabû (in Morenz and Bosshard-Nepustil, Herrscherpräsentation p. 210 n. 95). He does not exactly indicate how he gets Assyria in the translation for the plough (6), but he does state that his work builds on that of Finkel and Reade, Scurlock, and Zgoll and Roaf (ibid. p. 204).

Frahm: does not take (1) and (7) as part of the inscription; see the commentary.

059 [/rinap/rinap2/Q006540/]

Seven fragments of a clay bowl (possibly a sikkatu?) were found in the Sîn chapel of the palace at Khorsabad and are preserved in the Oriental Institute (Chicago). According to Oriental Institute records, the pieces were found in December 1932. Three adjoining pieces have this brief inscription.

Access the composite text [/rinap/rinap2/Q006540/] of Sargon II 059

Source:

Bibliography

Grant Frame

Grant Frame, 'Part 6 (50-59)', RINAP 2: Sargon II, Sargon II, The RINAP 2 sub-project of the RINAP Project, 2023 [http://oracc.org/rinap/rinap2/rinap2textintroductions/dursharrukin162/part65059/]