Chronicle Concerning the Period from Nabû-nāṣir to Šamaš-šuma-ukīn Esarhaddon Chronicle Akītu Chronicle
The Eponym Chronicle and three Mesopotamian chronicles provide useful information both on events of the reign of Sennacherib and on the order of those events. The standard edition of the Eponym Chronicle is that of Millard (Millard, SAAS 2) and that of Mesopotamian chronicles is the edition of A.K. Grayson (Grayson, Chronicles), but note also the recent edition by J.-J. Glassner (Glassner, Chronicles) and the on-going work by I. Finkel and R.J. van der Spek (see www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/chron00.html [http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/chron00.html] [2012]). For the convenience of the user of this volume, it has been thought useful to present translations of the relevant passages here; these translations are adapted from the aforementioned works.
| In the eponymy of Nasḫur-Bēl, governor of the city Amedi (705): | The ki[ng ...]; against Gurdî, the Kulummian ... [...]. The king was killed (and) the camp of the king of Assyria [...]. Sennacherib [became] ki[ng] in the month Abu (V), on the 12th day.[65] |
| In the eponymy of Nabû-dēnī-ēpuš, governor of Nineveh (704): | T[o ...] the cities Larak, Sarrabānu, [...]; the palace of the city Kilizi was built; ... in [...]; nobles against the Kulummians.[66] |
| [In the e]ponymy of Nuḫšā[ya, governor of the city Kilizi] (703): | [...] |
| [In the eponymy of Nabû-lēʾi, governor of Arbela] (702): | [...] |
| [In the eponymy of Ḫ]an[ānu, governor of the city Tīl-Barsip] (701): | [.... f]rom the land Ḫalzi; ... [...]. |
| [In the eponymy of] Mitūnu, govern[or of the city Isāna] (700): | [.... Aš]šur-nādin-šumi, son of [Sennacherib/the king, ...; ...] of the palace in the citadel [...]; large cedar beams [...]; alabaster from Mo[unt ...] from Kapardargil[â ...]; ... to/for ... [...] of the king ... [...]. |
| [In the eponymy of B]ē[l-šarrāni, governor of Kurbail] (699): | [...] |
| Lacuna | Lacuna |
| ii 6–11) | [The first year of Sennacherib (704): ...] ... [...] ... [...] M[arduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan) ...] ... [...]. |
| ii 12–16a) | The second year [of Sennacherib (703)]: He w[ent down to Akkad and did battle with Marduk-apla-iddina (II) before Kish. Marduk-apla-iddina (II) retreated before him (and) fled to the land Guzummānu. In Babylon, Sennacherib entered the palace of] Mard[uk-apla-iddina (II) and ... his royal treasures]. |
| ii 16b–19) | He (Sennacherib) ... [... (and) plundered (it), but] he did not disperse the Babylonians. He pursued [Marduk-apla-iddina (II) ...] (to) the border [of ...], but Marduk-apla-iddina (II) [could] no[t be found].[68] |
| ii 20–23) | He (Sennacherib) plundered his (Marduk-apla-iddina II's) land, ... [...] ... [and took] the cities Larak and Sarrabā[nu]. When he withdrew, he (Sennacherib) put Bēl-ibni on the throne in Babylon. |
| ii 24–25) | The first year of Bēl-ibni (702): Sennacherib ravaged the cities Ḫirimmu and Ḫararatu. |
| ii 26–31) | The third year of Bēl-ibni (700): Sennacherib came down to Akkad and plundered Akkad. He sent Bēl-ibni and his nobles away in exile to Assyria. Bēl-ibni ruled Babylon for three years. Sennacherib put his son Aššur-nādin-šumi on the throne in Babylon. |
| ii 32–35) | The first year of Aššur-nādin-šumi (699): Ḫallušu-(Inšušinak I), his (Šutruk-Naḫḫunte II's) brother, seized Šutruk-Naḫḫunte (II) and imprisoned him. Šutruk-Naḫḫunte (II) ruled the land Elam for eighteen years. His brother Ḫallušu-(Inšušinak I) ascended the throne in the land Elam. |
| ii 36–45) | The sixth year of Aššur-nādin-šumi (694): Sennacher[ib] went down to the land Elam and ravaged (and) plundered the cities Nagītu, Ḫilmu, Pillatu, and Ḫupapanu. Afterwards Ḫallušu-(Inšušinak I), king of the land Elam, marched to Akkad and at the end of the month Tašrītu (VII) entered Sippar. He killed its inhabitants. The god Šamaš did not go out of Ebabbar. Aššur-nādin-šumi was captured and taken to the land Elam. Aššur-nādin-šumi ruled Babylon for six years. The king of the land Elam put Nergal-ušēzib on the throne in Babylon. He (Nergal-ušēzib) effected an Assyrian retr[eat]. |
| ii 46–iii 6a) | The first year of Nergal-ušē[zib] (693): On the sixteenth day of the month Duʾūzu (IV), Nergal-ušēzib captured, looted, (and) plundered Nipp[ur]. On the first day of the month Tašrītu (VII), the ar[my of] Assyria entered Uruk (and) plundered the gods of Uruk and its inhabitants. After the arrival of the Elamites (and) the car[ryi]ng off of the gods of Uruk and its inhabitants (by the Assyrians),[69] on the seventh day of the month Tašrītu, Nergal-ušēzib fought against the army of Assyria in the province of Nippur. He was captured on the battlefield and taken to Assyria. Nergal-ušēzib ruled Babylon for one year, (actually) six months. |
| iii 6b–9a) | On the twenty-sixth day of the month Tašrītu (VII), the subjects of Ḫallušu-(Inšušinak I), king of the land Elam, rebelled against him, imprisoned him, (and) executed him. Ḫallušu-(Inšušinak I) ruled the land Elam for six years. Kudur-(Naḫḫunte) ascended the throne in the land Elam. |
| iii 9b–12) | Afterwards Sennacherib went down to the land Elam and ravaged (and) plundered (it) from the land Rāši as far as Bīt-Burnaki (var. Bīt-Bunaki). Mušēzib-Marduk ascended the throne in Babylon. |
| iii 13–16a) | The first year of Mušēzib-Marduk (692): On the seventeenth (var. eighth) day of the month Abu (V), Kudur-(Naḫḫunte), king of the land Elam, was captured during a rebellion and killed. Kudur-(Naḫḫunte) ruled the land Elam for ten months. (Ḫumban)-nimena ascended the throne in the land Elam. |
| iii 16b–18) | In an unknown year, (Ḫumban)-nimena mustered the troops of the land Elam (and) Akkad and at the city Ḫalulê he fought against Assyria (var. the army of Assyria). He effected an Assyrian retreat.[70] |
| iii 19–21) | The fourth year of Mušēzib-Marduk (689): On the fifteenth day of the month Nisannu (I), (Ḫumban)-nimena, king of the land Elam, suffered a stroke, affecting his mouth so that he was unable to speak. |
| iii 22–24) | On the first day of the month Kislīmu (IX), the city (Babylon) was captured. Mušēzib-Marduk was captured and taken to Assyria. Mušēzib-Marduk ruled Babylon for four years. |
| iii 25–27) | On the seventh day of the month Addaru (XII), (Ḫumban)-nimena, king of Elam, died. For four years (Ḫumban)-nimena ru[led] El[am]. Ḫumban-ḫaltaš (I) ascended the throne in the land Elam. |
| iii 28–33) | The eighth year that there was no king in Babylon (681): On the third day of the month Duʾūzu (IV), the gods of Uruk went to Uruk from [the land El]am. On the twenty-third day of the month Tašrītu (VII), Ḫumban-[ḫal]taš (I), king of the land Elam, was stricken at midday and [di]ed at [sun]set. Ḫumban-ḫaltaš ruled the land Elam for eight years. Ḫumban-ḫaltaš, the second, his [son], ascended the throne. |
| iii 34–37) | On the twentieth day of the month Ṭebētu (X), Senn[ac]herib, king of Assyria, was killed by his son in a rebellion. Sennacherib ruled Assyria for [twenty-four] years. The rebellion continued in Assyria from the twentieth day of the month Ṭebētu until the second day of the month Addaru (XII). |
| iii 38) | On the eighteenth/twenty-eighth day of the month Addaru (XII), his son Esarhaddon ascended the throne in Assyria. |
| 31'–34') | For eight years (during the reign of) Sennacherib, for twelve years (during the reign of) Esarhaddon — twenty years (altogether) — the god Bēl stayed [in B]altil (Aššur) and the akītu-festival did not take place. The god Nabû did not come from Borsippa for the procession of the god Bēl. In the month Kislīmu (IX), Ashurbanipal, [his (i.e. Esarhaddon's)] son, ascended the throne in Assyria. |
| 1–4) | For [eight] years (during the reign of) Se[nnacherib], for twelve years (during the reign of) Esar[haddon] — twenty years (altogether) — the god Bēl s[tayed] in Baltil (Aššur) [and] the akītu-festival did not take pla[ce]. |
65 See Weissert, CRRA 38 pp. 279–280.
66 See Frahm, JCS 51 (1999) pp. 83–84.
67 J.A. Brinkman (Studies Moran pp. 73–104) and E. Weissert (CRRA 38 p. 273 n. 1) prefer to treat this chronographic text as made up of three separate recensions rather than duplicates; J-J. Glassner (Glassner, Chronicles pp. 193–203 no. 16 and pp. 202–207 no. 17) similarly prefers to treat this text as two separate recensions.
68 The restorations in ii 6–19 tentatively follow Glassner, Chronicles pp. 196–197.
69 L.D. Levine (JCS 34 [1982] pp. 44–45 n. 52), following A.L. Oppenheim (ANET3 p. 302), suggests translating this passage as "Nergal-ušēzib fled to the Elamite, but they (the Assyrians) carried off the gods of Uruk and his (Nergal-ušēzib's) people."
70 The scribe of BM 75976 (AH 83-1-18,1338 = Grayson's ex. B) placed a horizontal ruling line between iii 18 and 19, but the scribe of BM 92502 (84-2-11, 356 = Grayson's ex. A) did not.
A. Kirk Grayson & Jamie Novotny
A. Kirk Grayson & Jamie Novotny, 'Chronicles', RINAP 3: Sennacherib, The RINAP 3 sub-project of the RINAP Project, 2019 [http://oracc.org/rinap/rinap3/rinap31introduction/datingandchronology/chronicles/]