The first part of the volume contains the Babylonian correspondence of Esarhaddon. Letters from the king and the crown prince are followed by letters from a wide range of locations, from Akkad in the north to the Sealand in the south.
In 681 B.C. Esarhaddon, son of Sennacherib and grandson of Sargon II became king of Assyria and its empire, including Babylonia, after defeating his brothers in a succession dispute. He died in 669 B.C. and was succeeded by his sons Assurbanipal and Šamaš-šumu-ukin, who ruled Assyria and Babylonia respectively as their father had decreed in 672 B.C.
TABLE V. Summary of Key Chronological Data in the Correspondence of Esarhaddon
| Date B.C. | Text | Key chronological data |
|---|---|---|
| c . 681 | no. 100 | Arda-Mullissi's conspiracy to murder Sennacherib |
| 680 | no. 91 | Zer-kitti-lišir is hostile to Nikkal-iddin |
| c. 680 | no. 14 | Ubaru wel comed in resettled Babylon |
| 680-678? | no. 1 | Šamaš-ibni appropriates BabyIon's land |
| 680-678? | no. 69 | Refe rence to Šamaš-ibni; plan to kill Nikkal-iddin |
| 680-675 | no. 68, 85-87 | Conflict between Naʾid-Marduk and Nabû-ušallim of the Sealand |
| 680-675? | no. 131 | Nabû-iqbi wants to convict Ašaredu before the governor of HAR and Sasiya |
| 680-673? | no. 54 | Bel-ipuš from Dilbat in a legal case |
| 678-669? | no. 57-60 | Nabû-ušallim of Bit-Dakkuri takes Marad (possibly reign of Assurbanipal) |
| 676-669? | no. 56 | Bel-iqiša of Gambulu takes Babylon's land |
| 675? | no. 92 | Sasiya, Erišu, and Bel-eṭir conspire against the king |
| 674-669 | no. 80, 82 | Itti-Marduk-balaṭu in office in Uruk |
| 673-669? | no. 3 | Nabû-eṭir is governor of the Sealand; Ṣillaya active |
| 673-669? | no. 7 | Elamite-Assyrian treaty is valid |
| 671 -670? | no. 101 | Ša-Nabû-šû, Erišu, and Nabû-eṭir in conspiracy |
| 671 -669? | no. 106 | Mar-Issar active |
Frances Reynolds
Frances Reynolds, 'The Correspondence of Esarhaddon', The Babylonian Correspondence of Esarhaddon and Letters to Assurbanipal and Sin-šarru-iškun from Northern and Central Babylonia, SAA 18. Original publication: Helsinki, Helsinki University Press, 2003; online contents: SAAo/SAA18 Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2020 [http://oracc.org/saao/saa18/esarhaddoncorrespondence/]