The Royal Inscriptions Of Esarhaddon King Of Assyria 680 669 Bc

The Royal Inscription of Esarhaddon, King of Assyria (680–669 BC) is the inaugural volume of the Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period Project. The volume provides reliable, up-to-date editions of all of the known royal inscriptions of Esarhaddon, a son of Sennacherib who ruled Assyria for twelve years (680–669 BC). Editions of 143 firmly identifiable texts (which mostly describe successful battles and the completion of building projects, all done ad maiorem gloriam deorum), 29 poorly preserved late Neo-Assyrian inscriptions that may be attributed to him, and 10 inscriptions commissioned by his mother Naqia (Zakutu) and his wife Esharra-hammat are included. To make this corpus more user-friendly to both specialist and laymen, each text edition (with its English translation) is supplied with a brief introduction containing general information, a catalogue containing basic information about all exemplars, a commentary containing further technical information and notes, and a comprehensive bibliography (arranged chronologically from earliest to latest). The volume also includes: (1) a general introduction to the reign of Esarhaddon, the corpus of inscriptions, previous studies, and dating and chronology; (2) translations of the relevant passages of three Mesopotamian chronicles; (3) 19 photographs of objects inscribed with texts of Esarhaddon; (4) indexes of museum and excavation numbers and selected publications; and (5) indexes of proper names (Personal Names; Geographic, Ethnic, and Tribal Names; Divine, Planet, and Star Names; Gate, Palace, Temple, and Wall Names; and Object Names). The book is accompanied by a CD-ROM containing transliterations of selected inscriptions arranged in a ‘musical score’ format. The Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period (RINAP) series will present up-to-date editions of the royal inscriptions of a number of late Neo-Assyrian rulers, beginning with Tiglath-pileser III (744–727 BC). This new series is modeled on the publications of the now-defunct Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia (RIM) series and will carry on where its RIMA (Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia, Assyrian Periods) publications ended. The project is under the direction of G. Frame (University of Pennsylvania) and is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Neo-Assyrian king Sargon II was one of the most important and famous rulers of ancient Mesopotamia. In this volume of critically important ancient documents, Grant Frame presents reliable, updated editions of Sargon’s approximately 130 historical inscriptions, as well as several from his wife, his brother, and other high officials. Beginning with a thorough introduction to the reign of Sargon II and an overview of the previous scholarship on his inscriptions, this modern scholarly edition contains the entire extant corpus. It presents more than 130 inscriptions, preserved on stone wall slabs from his palace, paving slabs, colossi, steles, prisms, cylinders, bricks, metal, and other objects, along with brief introductions, commentaries, comprehensive bibliographies, accurate transliterations, and elegant English translations of the Akkadian texts. This monumental work is complemented by more than two dozen photographs of the inscribed objects; indices of museum and excavation numbers, selected publications, and proper names; and translations of relevant passages from several other Akkadian texts, including chronicles and king lists. Informed by advances in the study of the Akkadian language and featuring more than twice as many texts as previous editions of Sargon II’s inscriptions, this will be the editio princeps for Assyriologists and students of the Sargonic inscriptions for decades to come.

The Royal Inscriptions of Sennacherib, King of Assyria (704–681 BC), Part 1 (Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period 3/1) provides reliable, up-to-date editions of thirty-eight historical inscriptions of Sennacherib. The texts edited in RINAP 3/1, which comprise approximately a sixth of the Sennacherib known corpus of inscriptions, were inscribed on clay cylinders, clay prisms, stone tablets, and stone steles from Nineveh; describe his many victories on the battlefield; and record numerous construction projects at Nineveh, including the city’s walls and the “Palace Without a Rival.” Each text edition (with its English translation) is supplied with a brief introduction containing general information, a catalogue containing basic information about all exemplars, a commentary containing further technical information and notes, and a comprehensive bibliography. RINAP 3/1 also includes: (1) a general introduction to the reign of Sennacherib, his military campaigns, his building activities at Nineveh, the corpus of inscriptions, previous studies, and dating and chronology; (2) translations of the relevant passages of several Mesopotamian chronicles and kinglists; (3) several photographs of objects inscribed with texts of Sennacherib; (4) indices of museum and excavation numbers and selected publications; and (5) indices of proper names (Personal Names; Geographic, Ethnic, and Tribal Names; Divine, Planet, and Star Names; Gate, Palace, Temple, and Wall Names; and Object Names). The RINAP Project is under the direction of G. Frame (University of Pennsylvania) and is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Amēl-Marduk (561–560 BC), Neriglissar (559–556 BC), and Nabonidus (555–539 BC) were the last native kings of Babylon. In this modern scholarly edition of the complete extant corpus of royal inscriptions from each of their reigns, Frauke Weiershäuser and Jamie Novotny provide updated and reliable editions of the texts. The kings of the Neo-Babylonian Empire left hundreds of official inscriptions on objects such as clay cylinders, bricks, paving stones, vases, and stelae. These writings, ranging from lengthy narratives enumerating the deeds of a monarch to labels identifying a ruler as the builder of a given structure, supplement and inform our understanding of the empire. Beginning with a historical introduction to the reigns of these three kings and the corpus of inscriptions, Weiershäuser and Novotny then present each text with an introduction, a photograph of the inscribed object, the Akkadian text in a newly collated transliteration, an English translation, catalogue data, commentary, and an updated bibliography. Additionally, Weiershäuser and Novotny provide new translations of several related Akkadian texts and chronicles. Featuring meticulous yet readable transliterations and translations that have been carefully collated with the originals, this book will be the standard edition for scholars and students of Assyriology, the Neo-Babylonian dialect, and the Neo-Babylonian Empire for decades to come.

The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III (744–727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726–722 BC), Kings of Assyria (Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period 1) carries on where the Assyrian Periods sub-series of the Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia (RIM) Project ended. The volume provides reliable, up-to-date editions of seventy-three royal inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III and of his son and immediate successor Shalmaneser V, eleven late Neo-Assyrian inscriptions which may be attributed to one of those two eighth-century rulers, and eight texts commissioned by Assyrian queens and high-ranking officials. Following the style of the now-defunct RIM series, each text edition (with its English translation) is supplied with a brief introduction containing general information, a catalogue containing basic information about all exemplars, a commentary containing further technical information and notes, and a comprehensive bibliography. RINAP 1 also includes: (1) a general introduction to the reigns of Tiglath-pileser III and Shalmaneser V, the corpus of inscriptions, previous studies, and dating and chronology; (2) translations of the relevant passages of Mesopotamian king lists and chronicles; (3) several photographs of objects inscribed with texts of Tiglath-pileser III and Shalmaneser V; (4) indices of museum and excavation numbers and selected publications; and (5) indices of proper names (Personal Names; Geographic, Ethnic, and Tribal Names; Divine Names; Gate, Palace, and Temple Names; and Object Names). The RINAP Project is under the direction of G. Frame (University of Pennsylvania) and is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

King Manasseh of Judah is one of the most intriguing characters in the Bible. 2 Kings presents him as the wickedest of monarchs. In 2Kgs 24:3–4, he is accused of having provoked God to destroy Judah on account of the innocent blood he had shed in Jerusalem (cf. 2Kgs 21:16). In his study Krzysztof Kinowski investigates this accusation, viewing it against the biblical and ancient Near East backgrounds, and casts a new light upon Manasseh's role in the fall of Jerusalem. The mention of bloodshed in this affair appears to be the outcome of a process of scapegoating of Manasseh, ongoing in 2 Kings and reflecting both the legal and the cultic paradigms governing the biblical historiography. The link between Manasseh's bloodshed and the destruction of Judah on account of the cultic land's blood-defilement points towards a group of priestly scribes involved in the production of the 2Kgs 21 and 24 narratives. This assumption lies behind the scholarly discussion about the Priestly-like strata and priestly touches in the Books of Kings.