SAA 03 041. Letter from Aššur to Šamši-Adad V (KAH 142)

Obverse
obeginning broken away; traces of one line

(Beginning destroyed)

o 1'1'

[a-na šu-zu]-ub ZI-MEŠ-šú [ana URU.-met-tiMAN e-ru-ub EGIR-šú ta-ar-te-di]

(1) [To sa]ve his life, [he entered the city Nemetti-šarri. You followed behind him] and defeated him. [You took away from him his] chariots, [his stallions and ... of battle.]

o 2'2'

[GAZ]-MEŠ-šú ta-du-ak GIŠ.GIGIR-[šú pet-ḫal-lu-šú x x x te-kim-šú]

o 3'3'

[i-na] -reb URU-šú mit-ḫu-ṣu ta-[sa-kan de-ek-tu ina .GAL-šú ta-du-ak GIŠ.SAR-MEŠ-šú ta-ak-šiṭ]

(3) You [did] battle within his city and [wrought a blood bath at the city gate. You cut down his orchards. Two] hundred and fifty-six cities in [its] vicinity [you razed, destroyed, and burned].

o 4'4'

[02]-me-56 URU-MEŠ-ni šá li-me--[šú ta-ta-pal ta-ta-qar ina IZI ta-sa-rap]



o 5'5'

ša taš-pu-ra-an-ni ma a-na URU.de-e-ri [at-ta-lak ma-a URU.de-e-ru ma-ḫa-zu GAL-a]

(5) As to what you wrote to me: "[I went] to Der. [Der is a great metropolis] whose foundations are as firm as the mass of a mountain. [......] I surrounded and captured that city. [The gods dwelling in Der] together with their extensive property, the property of the palace [......],

o 6'6'

ša ki-ma ki-ṣir KUR-e šur-šu-da SUḪUŠ-MEŠ-šú ma-[a x x x x x x x x x x x x]

o 7'7'

ma-a URU šú-a-tum al-te-me ak-ta-šad ma-a [DINGIR-MEŠ a-ši-bu-ut URU.de-e-ri]

o 8'8'

a-di NÍG.GA-šú-nu ma--di ma-a NÍG.GA É.GAL [x x x x x x x x x x]

o 9'9'

GIŠ. MAN-ti-šu ni-ṣir-ti É.GAL-šú .[sek-re-ti-šú DUMU-MEŠ-šú DUMU.-MEŠ-šú]

(9) his royal bed, the treasure of his palace, [his palace women, his sons and his daughters], 30,000 captives, their cattle [and their sheep without number I took as spoil]. Four hundred and seventy-six cities in their vicinity [I razed, destroyed and burned.]"

o 10'10'

ma-a 30-lim šal-la-su-nu ma-a GUD-MEŠ-šú-[nu ṣe-ni-šú-nu ina la me-ni a-sa-lal]

o 11'11'

ma-a 04-me-76 URU-MEŠ-ni šá li-me--šú ma-a [at-ta-pal at-ta-qar ina IZI a-sa-rap]

o 12'12'

ina pi-i DINGIR-ti-ia GAL-ti it-tuq-ta [x x a-na URU.de-e-ri ta-at-tal-lak]

(12) (That) happened at the command of my great divinity. [You went to Der] Der is a great metropolis, whose foundations [are as firm as the mass of a mountain]. You surrounded and captured that [city. The gods] of Der [together with] their [extensive] property, [the property of the palace, ......],

o 13'13'

URU.de-e-ru ma-ḫa-zu GAL-a ša ki-ma ki-[ṣir KUR-e šur-šu-da SUḪUŠ-MEŠ-šú]

o 14'14'

[URU] šú-a-tum ta-al-ti-me ta-ak-ta-[šad DINGIR-MEŠ a-ši-bu-ut URU.de-e-ri]

o 15'15'

[a-di] NÍG.GA-šú-nu [ma--di NÍG.GA É.GAL x x x x x x x x x]

Reverse
r 1r 1

GIŠ.-mat-ti MAN-ti-šu ni-ṣir-[ti É.GAL-šú .sek-re-ti-šú DUMU-MEŠ-šú]

(r 1) his royal couch, the tre[asure of his palace, his palace women, his sons] and his daughters, 30,000 captives, [their cattle and sheep without number you took as spoils. Four hundred] and seventy-six cities [in the vicinity] you razed, destroyed and [burned].

r 22

DUMU.-MEŠ-šú 30-lim šal-la-su-nu [GUD-MEŠ-šú-nu ṣe-ni-šú-nu ina la me-ni ta-sa-lal]

r 33

[04]-me-76 URU-MEŠ-ni [ša li-me--šú]

r 44

ta-ta-pal ta-ta-qar [ina IZI ta-sa-rap]



r 55

ša taš-pu-ra-an-ni ma-a UN-MEŠ [x x x x x x x x x x]

(r 5) As to what you wrote to me: "The people of [......] feared the terrifying splendour of Aššur [......], aban[doned] their cities and [se]t out for Elam [to save] their lives.

r 66

ma-a TAv pa-an na-mur-rat -šur [x x x x x x x x x x]

r 77

ip-la-ḫu-ma ma-a URU-MEŠ-ni-šú-nu ú-[maš-še-ru-ma a-na šu-zu-ub]

r 88

ZI-MEŠ-šú-nu ma a-na KUR.NIM.MA.KI pa-ni-šú-nu [-ku-nu TAv URU.par-sa-maš]

(r 8) [From the city of Parsamaš] as far as the city of Bit-Bunakki, on the border [of ......],

r 99

ma-a a-di URU.Ébu-na-ki ša mi-ṣir [x x x x x x x x]

r 1010

ma-a GAZ-MEŠ-šú-nu i-du-ku ma-a šal-la-su-[nu x x x x x x x]

(r 10) [my ......] inflicted a defeat on them, and led away their spoil, [......] their cattle and sheep. [... cities within the vicinity] they devastated, destroyed and bur[ned]."

r 1111

GUD-MEŠ-šú-nu ṣe-ni-šú-nu ú-te-ru-ni ma-a [x x URU-MEŠ-ni ša li-me-ti-šú-nu]

r 1212

ip-pu-lu iq-qu-ru ina IZI [-ru-pu]

r 1313

[ina pi]-i DINGIR-ti-ia GAL-ti it-tuq-ta [UN-MEŠ x x x x x x x]

(r 13) (That) happened [at the comma]nd of my great divinity. [The people of ......] feared the terrifying splendour of Aššur, [abandoned their cities], and [set] out for [Elam to save] their lives.

r 1414

[x x x TAv] na-mur-rat -šur ip-la-ḫu-[ma URU-MEŠ-šú-nu ú-maš-še-ru-u-ma]

r 1515

[a-na šu-zu-ub] ZI-MEŠ-šú-nu a-na [KUR.NIM.MA.KI pa-ni-šú-nu]

r 1616

[-ku-nu TAv URU].par-sa-maš a-di URU.[Ébu-na-ki šá mi-ṣir x x x x]

(r 16) [From Pa]rsamaš to [Bit-Bunakki on the border of ......]

r 1717

[x x x x GAZ-MEŠ-šú]-nu i-du-ku šal-[la-su-nu x x x x x x]

(r 17) [......] They inflicted [a defeat on th]em, and led away [their] s[poil, ...... their cattle and sheep .....]

r 1818

[GUD-MEŠ-šú-nu ṣe-ni-šú]-nu ú-te-ru-[ni x x x x x x x x]

rest broken away

(Rest destroyed)


Adapted from Alasdair Livingstone, Court Poetry and Literary Miscellanea (State Archives of Assyria, 3), 1989. Lemmatised by Mikko Luukko, 2019-20, as part of the research programme of the Alexander von Humboldt Chair in the Ancient History of the Near and Middle East at LMU Munich (Karen Radner, Humboldt Professorship 2015). The annotated edition is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license 3.0. Please cite this page as http://oracc.org/saao/P336225/.