Information on Sargon II Scores

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Of the 151 royal inscriptions edited in RINAP 2 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap2/], score transliterations of 26 texts were provided in that volume. Some information on those inscriptions are provided below. To access the RINAP 2 score transliterations, click on one of the "score" links below, click here [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/scores/corpus/], or click on the "Browse Online Corpus" link to the left.

1

The version of Sargon's Annals in Room II, a large room measuring 35.5×9 m in size, probably extended over at least thirty-seven wall slabs — thirty-five in the room itself and two in Entrance H. P.E. Botta prepared copies of the inscriptions on twenty-eight of these slabs, twenty-six from the room itself and the two in Entrance H. It is likely that the end of the inscription continued onto two or possibly four slabs in Entrance C, although we might not have expected the text to end in a doorway rather than on a slab within the room itself (see below). As far as one can tell, each slab appears to have had thirteen lines, for a total of at least four hundred and eighty-one lines and a maximum of five hundred and thirty-three lines. Regrettably, not one single original sign of this inscription is known to be preserved today, although some parts may remain in situ at Khorsabad. In the edition of this text and the other texts where the inscription requires more than one stone wall slab, the slabs are given consecutive "section" numbers in order to facilitate use of the edtions.

This is the only version of the Annals for which the beginning is preserved, albeit in a fragmentary state. As currently known, the text breaks off shortly after the beginning of the description of events in Sargon's second regnal year (720; lines 1–26) and, after a gap of twenty-six lines (sections 3–4 = lines 27–52), recommences a few lines before the end of the account for that year (lines 53–57). Following accounts of the third through tenth regnal years (719–712; lines 58–234a), the text breaks off again at the very beginning of the eleventh regnal year (711; line 234b), and, after a gap of thirteen lines (section 19 = lines 235–247), recommences within the account of that same year (lines 248–261a). The account of the twelfth year (710) is particularly lengthy (lines 262b–299 and 313–390) although there is a gap of thirteen lines within it (section 24 = lines 300–312) and the end of the account and beginning of the account of the thirteenth year (709) are also missing (section 31 = lines 391–403). After twenty-six lines (two slabs) dealing with year thirteen (709; lines 404–416), the text breaks off again, still within the account of that regnal year, for a gap of twenty-six lines (sections 33–34 = lines 417–442). When the text recommences, it is still dealing with the thirteenth regnal year, or more accurately Upēri of Dilmun who, having heard of Sargon's victories, sent a gift to the Assyrian king (lines 443–444a). It then proceeds to describe events involving Mitâ of Musku, Silṭa of Tyre, and finally Mutallu of Kummuḫu, ending just after beginning the passage about Mutallu (lines 444b–468). The account about Mutallu of Kummuḫu is probably to be dated to Sargon's fourteenth regnal year (708) in view of the mention of the capture of the city Kummuḫu in the Assyrian Eponym Chronicle's account for that year. The inscription would presumably have continued onto slab II,1 (section 37) and possibly also onto slabs in Entrance C, none of which were copied by Botta. The lines are to be associated with Winckler, Sar. Annals lines 1–208, 214–261, 266–274, 280–284, 290–314, 319–340, and 370–389, and with Fuchs, Khorsabad Annals lines 1–26, 53–234, 240–279n, 283–286c, 288–291, 297–301, 307–321e, 331–351, and 384–399. (Note that A. Fuchs' line numbering is the same as that used for this inscription for lines 1–234, after which it diverges.) Since the scheme used for numbering the lines in this room is the same as that used by A.G. Lie (Sar.), the line numbers here are the same as those used in his edition (although see the commentary below for differences with regard to lines 1–13); Lie used separate line numbers for the individual sections not preserved in Room II.

F.H. Weissbach (ZDMG 72 [1918] pp. 171–172) originally thought that the inscription was also found on two slabs in Entrance G, two slabs in Entrance B, and perhaps two or four slabs in Entrance C, but according to F. Thureau-Dangin (RA 24 [1927] p. 75 n. 4), he later abandoned this view. J.E. Reade (JNES 35 [1976] p. 96) has noted that Botta stated that the slabs in Entrances B and C were inscribed and that E. Flandin drew line delineations on his depictions of the slabs in Entrance G. It is assumed here that any inscription in Entrance B and Entrance G was different to that in Room II. It is thought, however, that Entrance C likely did have part of the inscription (the very end of the text).

For a plan of the room, with the slabs numbered, and for sketch drawings of the slabs, see Figure 5; Botta, Monument de Ninive 1 pls. 51–52; and Albenda, Palace of Sargon pls. 109–110. Drawings of the reliefs found in this room are given in Botta, Monument de Ninive 1 on pls. 53–71, and on pls. 76–77 for Entrance H₁ and H₂. With regard to the reliefs in the room, which are thought to depict Sargon's campaign to the east in his sixth regnal year (716), see Reade, JNES 35 (1976) pp. 96 and 102–104; and Reade, Bagh. Mitt. 10 (1979) pp. 78–81.

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2

The version of Sargon's Annals in Room V probably extended over thirty wall slabs (twenty-eight in the room itself and two in Entrance O). P.E. Botta prepared copies of the inscriptions for twenty of these, but appears to have numbered four of his copies incorrectly, leaving the impression that the inscription did not move regularly from one slab to the next, in a clockwise manner. It was recently possible to prove that at least one of the four passages had been assigned to the wrong slab and to raise suspicions about some other assignments. (See Frame, Studies Grayson pp. 89–102 for a study of the order of the wall slabs in this room.) As far as one can tell, each slab appears to have had seventeen lines, for a total of five hundred and ten lines. The last sixty-eight lines (lines 443–510) are not preserved in any other version of the annals, as is the case for lines 403–426. Assuming that the reassignment of the inscriptions on the four slabs is correct, there are two major gaps and one minor gap in the text due to a lack of copies by Botta: The first four inscribed slabs are missing (sections 1–4 = lines 1–68), as are the seventh through eleventh slabs (sections 7–11 = lines 103–187) and the fifteenth slab (section 15 = lines 239–255).

As mentioned, the beginning of the inscription is missing (lines 1–68), with the preserved text beginning at the very end of the description of the king's fifth regnal year (717; lines 69–70a). After giving an account of the sixth regnal year (716; lines 70b–95a), the text breaks off part way through the description of the seventh regnal year (715; lines 70b–102) and recommences toward the end of the account of the eighth regnal year (714; lines 188–195a). Following an account of the ninth regnal year (713; lines 195b–235), the text breaks off again shortly after the beginning of the description of the tenth regnal year (712; lines 236–238) and then recommences part way through the description of that regnal year (lines 256–267a). The text preserves the accounts of the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth regnal years (711–709; lines 267b–427). Following the description of the thirteenth year's campaign in Babylonia, and in particular the conquest of Dūr-Yakīn and the sending of a gift to Sargon by Upēri of Dilmun, are sections dealing with Mitâ of Musku, Silṭa of Tyre, Mutallu of Kummuḫu, and the sons of Daltâ of Ellipi (lines 428–467a). The text then describes the construction of the city of Dūr-Šarrukīn, and in particular its palace, and the festival that took place when the city was completed (lines 467b–494), in the second month of 706, as noted in the Assyrian Eponym Chronicle. The text concludes with blessing and curse formulae (lines 495–510).

Only one slab of the inscription is preserved today (section 6 = lines 86–102), on display in the Iraq Museum (Baghdad). This would have been slab 21 from the room, although Botta labeled it slab 17 on his copy (see commentary below). The rest of the inscription appears to have been lost in the Tigris disaster of 1855, unless some pieces were left in situ.

For a plan of the room and drawings of the reliefs in this room, see Figure 11 and Botta, Monument de Ninive 2 pls. 84–100. With regard to the reliefs in the room, which are thought to depict Sargon's campaign to the west in his second regnal year (720), see Reade, JNES 35 (1976) pp. 96 and 99–102; and Reade, Bagh. Mitt. 10 (1979) p. 82; cf. Tadmor, JCS 12 (1958) p. 83 n. 243.

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3

The texts on three wall slabs from the western end of Room XIII (slabs 4, 6, and 7) were copied by P.E. Botta and these preserve part of a version of Sargon's Annals. The room slabs were numbered in clockwise order and each of the three Annals slabs has 15 lines of text. The inscription describes events in Sargon's eleventh and twelfth regnal years (711–710): campaigns to Gurgum and Ashdod (lines 1´–13´a) and against Marduk-apla-iddina II (Merodach-Baladan) of Babylonia (lines 13´b–60´) respectively. As far as it is preserved, the Annals inscription in this room largely duplicates the version of the Annals in Room II (text no. 1 lines 248–266 and 276/277–340) and Room V (text no. 2 lines 267–292 and 309/310–338), but with some major variations.

Botta had squeezes made of the inscriptions on all three slabs and they are still extant, stored in the Louvre (Paris). In addition, a small part of slab 4 (section 1´) is preserved today in the Louvre (Paris), on display in its galleries. The forty-five lines on the three slabs are to be associated with Winckler, Sar. Annals lines 209–232 and 250–278; Lie, Sar. pp. 38–39 lines 1–5, lines 248–266 and 277–280 (see also n. 9 to line 280), p. 48 lines 1–6, line 326 (see also n. 5 to line 326), lines 333–338, and pp. 50–53 lines 11–15; and Fuchs, Khorsabad Annals lines 235–258 and 269–295. For a plan of the room, see Figure 12 and Botta, Monument de Ninive 2 pl. 139; for drawings of the reliefs on the slabs in the room, see ibid. pls. 139–143, in particular 141–143 for the three slabs with the inscription edited here. With regard to the reliefs in Room XIII, see Reade, JNES 35 (1976) pp. 96 and 98; and Reade, Bagh. Mitt. 10 (1979) p. 83. The slabs found in the room depict the campaign of Sargon's eighth regnal year (714) against Urarṭu and Muṣaṣir. Slab 4 has an epigraph upon it (text no. 36) identifying the scene depicted as being the capture of the city Muṣaṣir.

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4

Two separate inscriptions were incised on stone slabs lining the walls of Room XIV of Sargon's palace at Khorsabad: a version of Sargon's Annals (this inscription) and a summary inscription (text no. 8). Only a small portion of the version of the Annals inscription in this room is currently known, attested by P.E. Botta's copies of the texts on three wall slabs and by squeezes of two of them. Surprisingly, this inscription was not written on a continuous sequence of adjoining wall slabs, only separated by occasional doorways. The first two slabs whose Annals inscriptions are known were on adjoining slabs in the southwestern end of the room to the left of Entrance r as you enter the room from Room XIII (Room XIV slabs 1 and 2); the next several slabs had either the Display Inscription of Room XIV (slabs 3, 5, 7, and 9, as well as slabs 3 and 4 from Entrance p; text no. 8) or no inscription (slabs 4, 6, and 8) on them. The Annals text picks up again on the first wall slab (slab 10) to the left of Entrance p as you enter the room from the northeastern terrace (façade N). Parts of the next three slabs (slabs 11–13) were also found by Botta and at least the first two had inscriptions on them based on E. Flandin's drawings, but these were not copied except for an epigraph on slab 12 (text no. 39). Thus, information on only three of the slabs with the Annals text from Room XIV is known. The wall slabs in the room were numbered in clockwise order, beginning at Entrance r, and each of the three Annals slabs has 15 lines of text. As far as it is preserved, the Annals inscription in this room largely duplicates the version of the Annals in Room II (text no. 1 lines 63–99) and the version in Room V (text no. 2 lines 69–92), but with some major variations. The inscription describes events in Sargon's third through sixth regnal years (719–716): campaigns to help the Mannean ruler Iranzi against rebels in the cities Šuandaḫul and Durdukka (lines 1´–6´a), against Kiakki of the city Šinuḫtu in Tabal (lines 6´b–12´), against Pisīris of Carchemish (lines 13´–20´a), and against the Mannean ruler Ullusunu (lines 20´b–45´).

The forty-five lines on the three slabs are to be associated with Winckler, Sar. Annals lines 37–73; Lie, Sar. Annals lines 63–99; and Fuchs, Khorsabad Annals lines 63–99. For a plan of the room, see Figure 13 and Botta, Monument de Ninive 2 pl. 144; for drawings of the reliefs on slabs in this room, see Botta, Monument de Ninive 2 pls. 144–147, in particular pls. 145 and 146 (top) for the three slabs with the text edited here. With regard to the reliefs in the room, see Reade, JNES 35 (1976) pp. 96 and 98–99, and Bagh. Mitt. 10 (1979) p. 84; he believes that the reliefs in this room depict the campaign of Sargon's seventh regnal year (715) into the Zagros. At least two or three of the wall slabs in the room with this inscription also had short epigraphs on them: slab 2 (text no. 37) and slab 10 (text no. 38); see also text no. 39 on slab 12.

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7

This inscription, which is commonly known as the (Khorsabad) Display Inscription (Prunkinschrift), Great Display Inscription (Große Prunkinschrift), Grande inscription des salles de Khorsabad, or Fastes is inscribed on stone wall slabs lining Rooms I, IV, VII, VIII, and X of the palace of Sargon II at Khorsabad. After a brief introductory section giving the ruler's titles and epithets and mentioning the special privileges he had bestowed upon several Babylonian and Assyrian cities (lines 1–13a), the inscription describes his numerous military campaigns, which are arranged in a geographical or associative sequence, rather than in chronological order (lines 13b–153a). It then records the construction of the city of Dūr-Šarrukīn, and in particular its palace (lines 153b–186a), followed by an invocation to the god Aššur (lines 186b–194). The inscription refers to the ruler's fifteenth year (707) in line 23 and to various gods entering their sanctuaries in Dūr-Šarrukīn (lines 155b–157a), which the Assyrian Eponym Chronicle states took place in Tašrītu (VII) of that year. In addition, the text describes a great celebration that took place inside the palace that involved rulers from every land, as well as important Assyrians (lines 177b–186a); this likely refers to celebrations upon the completion of the city that the Assyrian Eponym Chronicle states happened on the sixth day of Ayyāru (II) in Sargon's sixteenth regnal year (706).

E. Frahm (Sanherib pp. 42–43 and ISIMU 6 [2003] pp. 145–149 and 157–160, especially p. 159 n. 63) notes several similarities between this text and Sennacherib's early cylinder texts (Grayson and Novotny, RINAP 3/1 pp. 29–40 no. 1) and suggests that the well-known royal scribe Nabû-zuqup-kēnu may have been the composer of all these inscriptions, as well as possibly other royal inscriptions of Sargon, in particular his Annals from Khorsabad. With regard to the reliefs in the rooms, see Reade, JNES 35 (1976) pp. 96–98; and Reade, Bagh. Mitt. 10 (1979) pp. 78, 81, and 83. For some comments on the connection between the reliefs on the wall slabs and the inscription, see J.M. Russell, Writing on the Wall pp. 111–115.

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8

This inscription is found on a series of wall slabs from the southwest end of Room XIV and Entrance p in the palace at Khorsabad. (A version of Sargon's Khorsabad Annals is found on other wall slabs in the room [text no. 4].) The number of lines of text on an individual slab with this inscription varies from twelve to eighteen. After the introduction with the king's titles and epithets, and the mention of his grant of special privileges to selected Babylonian and Assyrian cities (lines 1–5) and a summary description of his numerous military successes (lines 6–27a), the inscription describes the construction of the city Dūr-Šarrukīn, and in particular its palace and city wall (lines 27b–69a). The text then concludes with blessing and curse formulae (lines 69b–87). Since the text mentions the celebration held upon the completion of the city (lines 59b–69a), it must have been composed after that event, which took place in the second month of the king's sixteenth regnal year (706) according to the Assyrian Eponym Chronicle. The inscription is sometimes referred to as the Display Inscription of Room XIV (Die Prunkinschrift des Saales XIV), the Small Display Inscription (Die Kleine Prunkinschrift), the Small Summary Inscription, and the Annals of Room XIV. With regard to the reliefs on the slabs in the room, which are thought to depict events in the king's seventh regnal year (715), see Reade, Bagh. Mitt. 10 (1979) p. 84.

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9

Numerous bull colossi from Khorsabad bear an inscription recording the construction of that city by Sargon II. In most cases the inscription is found split between two bulls, one bull placed on either side of the same doorway, but the two bulls (exs. 4–5) from Entrance M (the middle doorway leading from the northeast terrace at the back of the palace into Room VIII) each appears to have had (at least originally) the full inscription. After a brief section giving the ruler's titles and epithets (lines 1–5a) and mentioning the various Babylonian and Assyrian cities to which he had granted special privileges (lines 5b–10), the inscription gives a summary of his conquests, arranged in a geographical rather than chronological sequence (lines 11–39a). It then describes at length the construction of the new city Dūr-Šarrūkīn, and in particular its palace and city wall (lines 39b–97a), and records a celebration that took place when the gods came to the city in the seventh month of 707 (lines 97b–99a) and the king's receiving gifts from various (vassal) rulers (lines 99b–100), which occurred during the festival when the city was inaugurated in the second month of Sargon's sixteenth regnal year (706). The inscripton ends with a brief section giving blessings and curses (lines 101–106). With regard to bull inscriptions in Sargon's palace and in Assyria in general, see J.M. Russell, Writing on the Wall pp. 103–108 and Senn.'s Palace pp. 10–16.

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10

Many of the stone thresholds or pavement slabs in the main area of the palace at Khorsabad bear inscriptions of Sargon II. P.E. Botta published copies of the inscriptions found on 21 or 22 slabs (Botta, Monument de Ninive 3 pls. 1-21 and likely 4 pl. 181c no. 5 [probably from Entrance P; see text no. 14 ex. 3]). J.M. Russell (Writing on the Wall p. 108) has noted that several more doorways in the main part of the palace had inscriptions on their thresholds: Entrances D, F, V, X, Z, b, e, and r (see E. Flandin's detailed plans of the palace in Botta, Monument de Ninive 1–2 pls. 11, 51, 79, 121, 137, and 139) and possibly Entrance C´´ of the throne room (see Loud, Khorsabad 1 fig. 71, p. 65, and p. 139 sub thresholds, which appears to indicate that the threshold described on p. 65 was inscribed).

Five different inscriptions (text nos. 10–14) are attested on the thresholds of the main part of the palace and a sixth such inscription may be text no. 15. The inscriptions vary in length from 23 lines (text no. 10) to 150 lines (text no. 13). In two, or more likely three, inscriptions (text no. 12, text no. 14, and likely text no. 15) the king is described in the first person, while in the other three (text nos. 10, 11, and 13) the third person is used for him. The mention of Karduniaš (Babylonia), Chaldea, and "Bīt-Yakīn, which is on the shore of the sea, as far as the border of Dilmun," in the areas ruled by Sargon in text nos. 10–14 would suggest that those inscriptions were composed after the king's Babylonian campaigns in his twelfth and thirteenth regnal years (710–709). Moreover, the mentions of the gods being invited into the city Dūr-Šarrukīn in text no. 13 and of the festival that took place when the city was completed in text nos. 12 and 15 indicate that these texts were composed no earlier than the seventh month of 707 and the second month of 706 respectively (see the Introduction, under "Building Activites" at Khorsabad).

Short inscriptions are also found on paving slabs in the entrances to several chapels within the palace (text nos. 16–21). In addition, several copies of an inscription invoking the god Nabû have been found in the nearby temple of that god (text no. 22). With regard to inscribed threshold slabs in Sargon's palace in general, see J.M. Russell, Writing on the Wall pp. 108–111; see also J.M. Russell, Senn.'s Palace pp. 17–19.

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11

The second of the five inscriptions on stone thresholds in doorways in the main part of the palace at Khorsabad was found on two exemplars. Following the king's name and titles, and a description of the extent of the king's realm, it records the construction of the new city Dūr-Šarrukīn and, in particular, the construction and decoration of its palace.

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12

The third inscription on stone thresholds in doorways of the palace at Khorsabad was found on five exemplars. After recording the name, titles, and extent of the king's realm, the text briefly records the construction of the city Dūr-Šarrukīn and its palace, as well as a festival to commemorate its completion. The reference to the festival, which is also mentioned in text no. 15, may be connected to the statement in the Assyrian Eponym Chronicle that the city of Dūr-Šarrukīn was inaugurated on the sixth day of Ayyāru (II) in the eponymy of Mutakkil-Aššur (706).

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13

This is by far the longest of the five texts found upon stone thresholds in various doorways of the palace at Khorsabad. Following Sargon's name, titles, and epithets (lines 1–13a), it presents a summary of the major military accomplishments of the king's reign (lines 13b–59a) — including laying waste to the land Urarṭu and plundering the city Muṣaṣir (lines 18b–19), conquering Samaria and Israel (lines 31b–32), defeating Marduk-apla-iddina II of Babylonia (lines 45b–54a), and receiving a gift from Upēri, the ruler of Dilmun (lines 54b–59a) — as well as a description of the full extent of his realm (lines 59b–89). The text then records the building of the city Dūr-Šarrukīn, including the construction and decoration of its palace, and the entry of (the statues of) gods into the palace (lines 90–130). It concludes with an invocation to the god Aššur to look with favor upon the palace's builder and the one who dwells in it (lines 131–150). The reference to gods being invited into the palace and receiving offerings there may be connected to the statement in the Assyrian Eponym Chronicle that "the gods of the city Dūr-Šarrukīn entered their temples" on the twenty-second day of Tašrītu (VII) in the eponymy of Ša-Aššur-dubbu (707).

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14

Following the king's name, titles, and references to his good treatment of several Babylonian cities and of the Assyrian cities Aššur and Ḫarrān (lines 1–11), the fifth threshold inscription from the palace at Khorsabad records the extent of the king's realm (lines 12–28a). Although the end of this fifth inscription is not fully preserved, the text clearly records the construction of the city of Khorsabad and in particular the erection and decoration of its palace (lines 29a–47).

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22

Numerous copies of an inscription referring to the building of the cella of the god Nabû — a god of wisdom and writing — were found upon thresholds and upon and near steps in the temple of that god at Khorsabad. This is the only independent temple within the citadel area and the largest one discovered at the city.

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41

An inscription on the back of a large number of the stone slabs and a few winged bulls from Khorsabad records the building of that city, and in particular its palace, by Sargon II. The text is less carefully inscribed than those texts found on the front of the slabs and winged bulls and mistakes and abnormal sign forms are often encountered. Since Sargon is not given the titles "governor of Babylon" and "king of the land of Sumer and Akkad," it is likely that the inscription was composed before his defeat of Marduk-apla-iddina II and his assumption of the throne of Babylon in his twelfth year (710). The inscriptions on the front of the pieces often refer to Sargon's defeat of Marduk-apla-iddina II. Thus, J.M. Russell has suggested that while the reverses of the slabs were inscribed and placed against the palace walls before the ruler's twelfth year, the texts on their fronts were inscribed after the twelfth year (J.M. Russell, Writing on the Wall p. 103). Because museums have generally placed these reliefs against walls, it has not been possible to collate many exemplars of this inscription from the originals. When the Louvre recently rearranged its Near Eastern galleries, photographs of the inscriptions on the backs of the reliefs were made and these have been kindly made available to the author by B. André-Salvini. For a study of this inscription and how it was written, see André-Salvini in Caubet, Khorsabad pp. 15–45, and note also J.M. Russell, Writing on the Wall pp. 101–103 for the general context of the inscription.

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43

Numerous prismatic clay cylinders from Khorsabad, as well as one from Nineveh, bear an inscription commemorating the construction of the city Dūr-Šarrukīn, and in particular the building of its palace and city wall. Following an introductory section giving the name of the king and his main epithets (lines 1–3), the text describes in summary fashion the major actions and achievements of Sargon's reign (lines 4–38) and then records the building of the city (lines 39–75), concluding with a curse on anyone who "alters the work of my hands, mutilates my features (on a relief), obliterates the reliefs that I have engraved, (or) effaces my own representation(s)" (lines 76–77). The latest events mentioned in the inscription (the deportation of the people of Bīt-Purutaš, lines 23–24) date to the king's ninth regnal year (713). V. Hurowitz states that this inscription "is marked by an especially high literary level and character" (Exalted House p. 72). The inscription appears in two forms, one that was sixty-seven lines in length (lines 1–33 and 44–77) and an apparently later one that added a further ten lines (lines 34–43). These ten lines dealt with the good things done by the king for the benefit of his land (e.g., resettling abandoned areas, opening up new agricultural land, providing abundant water for irrigation, and attempting to ensure that crops were abundant and food could be purchased cheaply). (With regards to the two versions, see Baruchi-Unna and Cogan, IMSA 9 [2018–2019] p. 47.) The inscription is often referred to as the Khorsabad Cylinder.

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49

This inscription dedicated to the Sebetti ("the divine Seven"), a group of seven beneficent deities, is found upon a large number of stone altars from Khorsabad. Most or all of these altars come from a temple dedicated to the Sebetti. With regard to the Sebetti, see Wiggermann, RLA 12/5–6 (2010) pp. 459–466 sub "Siebengötter."

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66

A brief inscription of Sargon is found upon some glazed wall plaques for clay cones from Aššur. This is the only royal inscription known that states that Sargon was the son of Tiglath-pileser III. For a letter that might also indicate that Sargon was the son of Tiglath-pileser (Dietrich, SAA 17 no. 46 [=CT 54 no. 109]), see Thomas, Studies Bergerhof pp. 467–470.

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67

This inscription is found on several clay cones and one unidentifiable clay object from Aššur. It records the king's work on Eḫursaggalkurkurra, the cella of the temple of the god Aššur and was written in the fifth month of the eponymy of Nasḫur-Bēl (705). For brick inscriptions of Sargon recording work on Eḫursaggalkurkurra, see text nos. 69–70; note also text no. 84 line 3´ and likely text no. 74 i 25–27.

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73

This text from Kalḫu (modern Nimrud) is generally referred to as the Nimrud Inscription or the Juniper Palace Inscription. It describes Sargon's restoration of the "juniper palace" at Kalḫu, which had originally been built by Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BC), and his storing in it of gold and silver that had been taken as booty from Pisīri(s), king of Carchemish. It is found on two stone slabs from the North-West Palace. The text includes references to events down to at least the king's fifth regnal year (717) in view of the mention of the conquest of the city of Carchemish in line 10 (see also lines 21–22) that took place in that year and thus N. Naʾaman has argued that the text was composed in late 717 or early 716 (SAAB 8 [1994] pp. 17–20). For the archaeological context of the inscription, see J.M. Russell, Writing on the Wall p. 99.

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74

A fragmentary inscription of Sargon II is found on pieces of two clay prisms discovered during British excavations at Nimrud. The inscription commemorates the construction of Dūr-Šarrukīn and records various military actions carried out during Sargon's reign. These military actions are not recorded in chronological order. The inscription was probably composed in the king's sixteenth regnal year (706) since it refers to Sargon's fourth year as ruler of Babylonia (vii 19), which would have been 706; see van der Spek, JEOL 25 (1977–78) pp. 65–66 and Naʾaman, NABU 2000 p. 1 no. 1. This text is usually referred to as the Nimrud Prism and C.J. Gadd refers to the two exemplars of the text as prisms D and E (Iraq 16 [1954] p. 175).

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76

Five fragments of prismatic cylinders appear to have parts of the same inscription of Sargon II, an inscription that is written in Babylonian script and that summarizes a large number of his military actions. The latest actions mentioned — campaigns against Gurgum/Marqasi and Kammanu (lines 24´–27´, heavily restored) — occurred in the ruler's eleventh regnal year (711) and thus the inscription must have been composed no earlier than that year. The two fragments whose provenance is certain (exs. 2 and 5) come from Nimrud and Tell Baradān respectively. The text has sometimes been called the Nimrud Cylinder.

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77

A brief label mentioning Sargon is found on a green glass vase and on several stone jars; all exemplars whose provenance is known come from Nimrud. Each exemplar has a depiction of a lion before the inscription. This depiction may be an official mark indicating that the article derived from or belonged to the palace or treasury of the king, Sargon. With regard to the use of the figure of a lion, see Millard, Iraq 27 (1965) p. 15; Curtis and Reade, Art and Empire p. 146; Galter, Journal for Semitics 16/3 (2007) pp. 646–648; and Niederreiter, Iraq 70 [2008] pp. 51–86, esp. pp. 51–59.

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92

An inscription found on numerous fragments of clay cones from Nineveh records the king's restoration of the temple of the god Nabû (referred to as the temple of the gods Nabû and Marduk), which had been restored seventy-five years earlier, in the time of Adad-nārārī III (810–783). (For a brick inscription of Adad-nārārī III recording work on the temple of Nabû at Nineveh, see Grayson, RIMA 3 pp. 219–220 A.0.104.14.) Brick inscriptions of Sargon II also record work on this temple (see text nos. 95–96 and possibly no. 97). For the history of the temple, see Menzel, Tempel pp. 119–120 and P 12.

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109

Three fragmentary prismatic clay cylinders with an inscription of Sargon were found in 2015 during excavations at Carchemish by a Turkish-Italian expedition led by N. Marchetti. The text describes the conquest of Carchemish, the settlement of Assyrians there, the building activities carried out there by Sargon, and the expansion of irrigation in the area of that city. According to text no. 73, after Sargon's conquest of Carchemish in his fifth regnal year (717), booty taken from Pisīri(s), the king of Carchemish, was sent to Kalḫu and stored in the juniper palace there. A short colophon on the right end of ex. 1 states that the piece came from (or belonged to) the "Palace of Sargo[n]." Information on the text was kindly provided to the author by G. Marchesi before its recent publication in JNES.

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2001

In 1989, Iraqi excavations of a tomb chamber below Room 49 of the North-West Palace at Nimrud (Tomb II) uncovered the bodies of two women and numerous precious items, including four inscribed gold bowls, one inscribed jar apparently of rock crystal, and an electrum mirror. Inscriptions on them refer to three Assyrian royal wives: Yabâ, the wife of Tiglath-pileser III; Bānītu (or possibly Banītu), the wife of Shalmaneser V; and Atalia, the wife of Sargon II. Since only two bodies were found in the grave, their identities has been a matter of some discussion, with one suggestion being that they are Yabâ and Atalia (with the latter being buried with property inherited from Bānītu; Kamil in Damerji, Gräber p. 13), another suggestion being that they are Bānītu and Atalia (George, Minerva 1/1 [1990] p. 31), and the most recent suggestion being that Yabâ and Bānītu were one and the same person, so that the grave then holds Yabâ (=Bānītu) and Atalia (Dalley, New Light on Nimrud pp. 171–175). As pointed out by A.R. George, although the name Bānītu is a good Assyrian name, that of Atalia and possibly that of Yabâ are Northwest Semitic, suggesting that these two "were thus probably of Syrian or Levantine birth, entering the Assyrian harem as a result of diplomatic marriages or as spoils of the many western campaigns undertaken by the Assyrian armies of this period" (Minerva 1/1 [1990] p. 31). S. Dalley has proposed that Yabâ and Atalia were both princesses from Jerusalem (e.g., SAAB 12 [1998] pp. 83–98) and (as already mentioned) that Yabâ and Banītu were actually one and the same person since Yabâ means "beautiful" in Hebrew and Banītu is the Akkadian equivalent (New Light on Nimrud pp. 171–175). The evidence adduced by Dalley to support a Judean ancestry, while intriguing, is open to other interpretations. E. Frahm, for example, has tentatively suggested that Atalia might have been of Israelite background, although noting that "the uncertainties in identifying Atalyā's true background are so substantial that it seems preferable to abstain from further speculation" (Last Days p. 81; see also Frahm in Sennacherib at the Gates of Jerusalem pp. 186–189). For a linguistic discussion of the name Atalia suggesting that it might be of Arabian derivation, see Zadok, Studies Ephʿal pp. 327–329. See also Kertai, AoF 40 (2013) pp. 114–116 with regard to the three queens and note Tadmor and Yamada, RINAP 1 p. 164.

A short proprietary inscription of Atalia's is written on a gold bowl, a jar of (apparently) rock crystal, and an electrum mirror found in the tomb chamber.

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2002

An inscription of Sîn-aḫu-uṣur, a brother of Sargon II, is found upon three stone pavement slabs from doorways in Residence L (or Palace L) in the citadel at Khorsabad; he is also the owner of an bronze macehead (text no. 2003). Residence L was the second largest building in the citadel, exceeded in size only by Sargon's palace. The inscription on the paving slabs identifies the residence as belonging to the grand vizier (sukkalmaḫḫu) Sîn-aḫu-uṣur. A Sîn-aḫu-uṣur is mentioned in the eighth campaign of Sargon II (text no. 65 line 132) and it is quite likely that that individual is to be identified with the king's brother.

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Grant Frame

Grant Frame, 'Information on Sargon II Scores', RINAP Scores, The RINAP Scores sub-project of the RINAP Project, 2020 [http://oracc.org/rinap/scores/sargoniiscores/]

 
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