The Inscription of Tiglath Pileser III
"The palace of Tiglath-pileser, the great king, the mighty king, king of the whole world, King of Assyria, King of Babylon, King of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four…
From: 745 B.C.E. To: 727 B.C.E.
Location: Nimrud, Iraq
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
“The Nimrud Inscription of Tiglath-Pileser III (745-727 B.C.),” from Assyrian and Babylonian Literature, compiled by Robert Francis Harper.
The palace of Tiglath-pileser, the great king, the mighty king, king of the whole world, King of Assyria, King of Babylon, King of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four quarters of the world; the hero, the warrior, who under the protection of Ashur, his lord, dashed to pieces like pots all those who were disobedient to him, swept over them like a cyclone, and gave them to the winds; the king who at the call of Ashur, Shamash, and Marduk, the great gods, marched here and there and ruled over lands from the Salt Sea of Bit-Yakin to Mount Bikni in the east, and from the Western Sea to Egypt, and from the horizon to the zenith, and exercised kingship over them.
From the beginning of my kingship until the seventeenth year of my reign I conquered the peoples of Itu, Rubu Hamarani, Luhuatu, Harilu, Rubbu, Rapiqu, Hiranu, Rabilu, Naciru, Gulusu, Nabatu, Rahiqu, Na[kru], Rummulutu, Adili, Kipri, Ubudu, Gurumu, Bagdadu, Hindiru, Damunu, Dunanu, Nilqu, Radi, Da * * *, Ubulu, Karma, Amlatu, Rua, Qabi, Litau, Marusu, Amatu, Hagaranu, the cities of Dur-Kurigalzi, Adidu (?), the fortresses of Sarragiti, Labbanat, Kar-belmatati, all of the Arameans living in the valleys of the Tigris, Euphrates, and Surappi as far as the river Uknu on the coast of the Lower Sea; I killed their warriors and carried away their spoil. I added the Arameans, as many as there were, to the territory of Assyria, and I set my military governor over them as ruler of the province.
Upon Tel-Kamri, which is called Humut, I built a city and called its name Kar-Ashur, and placed in it the inhabitants of lands conquered by my hands. In Sippar, Nippur, Babylon, Borsippa, Kutu, Kish, Dilbat, and Uruk—cities without equals, I offered pure sacrifices to Bel, Carpanit, Nabu, Tashmetu, Nergal, and Laz, the great gods, my lords, and they looked with love upon my priesthood. I took possession of the broad land of Karduniash throughout its entire extent and exercised kingship over it. I overthrew the Puqudu as with a net, slew their warriors and carried away great spoil from them. These Puqudu and the cities Lahiru of Idibirina, Hilimmu and Pillutu, which is on the border of Elam, I added to the territory of Assyria, and placed them under the administration of my military governor, the ruler of the city of Arrapha.
I carried away the Kaldudu, as many as there were of them, and settled them in Assyria. Chaldea throughout its entire extent I overthrew as with a bird-net. I killed the warriors of Nabushabshi, son of Shilani, close by Sarrabanu, his city, and I impaled him before the gate of his city, and reduced his country to submission. I captured Sarrabanu by means of earthworks and battering-engines; and I carried off as spoil fifty-five thousand inhabitants together with their possessions, his spoil, his goods, his property, his wife, his sons, his daughters, and his gods. That city together with the cities round about it I laid waste, destroyed, burned with fire and reduced to mounds and plough-land.
I captured the cities Tarbacu and Yaballu; and I carried away as spoil thirty thousand of their inhabitants together with their possessions, their goods, their property, and their gods. Those cities together with the cities round about them I destroyed, so that they were like a ruin of the flood.
Zaqiru, son of Sha'alli, violated the compacts sworn to by the great gods and made common cause with my enemies. I captured him together with his great men, put iron chains on them and took them to Assyria. The inhabitants of Bit-Sha'alli became afraid and took possession of Dur-[ilu Illat-ai], their [capital] for their fortress. I captured that city by means of mines and battering-engines and razed it to the ground. I carried away as spoil fifty thousand four hundred inhabitants together with their possessions, their spoil, their goods, his wife, his sons, his daughters, and his gods. I captured the city Amlilatu; its inhabitants together with their possessions, its spoil and its property I carried away as spoil. I swept over Bit-Sha'alli throughout its entire extent like a cyclone and laid waste its dwellings. I added those lands to the territory of Assyria.
I shut up Ukin-zir of Amukkani, in Sapia, his capital, and killed his many warriors before its gate. I cut down the palm-groves which were close by its wall and I left not a tree standing. I destroyed his date-palms which were in his land, plucked off their fruit, and filled the fields with it. All of his cities I laid waste, destroyed and burned with fire. I devastated the lands of Bit-Shilani, Bit-Amukkani, and Bit-Sha'alli throughout their entire extent so that they were like a ruin of the flood, and I reduced them to mounds and plough-land. I received tribute of Balasu of Dakkuri, and of Nadin, of Larak, consisting of silver, gold, and precious stones. Fear of the brilliance of Ashur, my lord, overcame Merodachbaladan, of Yakin, king of the sea (-land), who had not come into the presence of any of the kings my fathers nor kissed their feet, and he came to Sapia, into my presence, and kissed my feet. Gold—the dust of his land—in abundance, vessels of gold, necklaces of gold, precious stones, the product of the sea, beams of ushu-wood, ellutu-wood, * * * party-coloured clothing, spices of all kinds, cattle and sheep, I received as his tribute.
The lands of Namri, Bit-Sangibuti, Bit-Hamban, Sumurzu, Barrua, Bit-Zualzash, and Bit-Matti; the city Niqu, of the land of Umliash; the lands of Bit-Taranzai, Parsua, Bit-Zatti, Bit-Abdadani, Bit-Kapsi, Bit-Sangi, Bit-Tazzakki, and Bit-Ishtar; the city Zakruti; the lands of Gizinikissi and Nissha; the cities of Cipur and Urimzan; the lands of Rausan, [Ni]paria, Bustus, Ariarmi, Tarsharranihu, Saksukni, Araquttu, Kar-Zibra, Gukinnana, Bit-Sagbat, Silhazi, which men call the strength of the Babylonian; the mountain Ruadi; the lands Bit-tabti, Ushqaqqana, and Shikraki, (a land) of gold; districts of the mighty Medes, throughout their entire extent I covered as with a bird-net and I slew their warriors in great numbers. I carried away as spoil sixty-five thousand people, together with their possessions, their horses, their mules, their dromedaries, and their cattle and sheep without number.
Their cities I laid waste, destroyed and burned with fire, and reduced them to mounds and plough-land. The lands of Namri, Bit-Sangibuti, Bit-Hamban, Sumurzu, Bit-Barrua, Bit-Zualzash, and [Bit-]Matti; the city Niqu, of the land of Umliash; the lands of Bit-Taranzai, Parsua, Bit-Zatti, Bit-Abdadani, Bit-Kapsi, Bit-Sangi, and Bit-Tazzakki; and the cities of Bit-Ishtar and [Zak]ruti, of the land of the mighty Medes, I added to the territory of Assyria. I built anew the cities which were in them, established the authority of Ashur, my lord, therein and placed in them people from the lands which my hands had conquered. I set my military governor over them as ruler of the province. I erected an image of my lordship in the land of Tikrakki, in the cities of Bit-Ishtar and Cipur, in the lands of Ariarmi and Tarsharranihu, and in the city Silhazi, which are called the strength of the Babylonian. I received tribute of Media, Ellip, and the rulers of all the cities of the mountains as far as Bikni [which is in the east], consisting of horses, mules, dromedaries, cattle, and sheep * * *
The might and majesty of Ashur, my lord, which I had exercised in all the mountains [he heard of and] fear of the brilliance of Ashur, my lord, overwhelmed him, and to the city Dur-Tiglath-pileser * * * into my presence he came and kissed [my feet]. [Horses], mules, cattle and sheep, weapons, * * * [I received as his tribute]. I sent my military governor Ashurdaninani to the land of the mighty Medes which is in the east; [he seized five thousand horses, people, cattle and sheep without number]. I conquered the lands of Ulluba and Kilhu in their entirety and added them to the territory of Assyria. [I built a city in the land of Ulluba and called its name Ashur-iqi-sha] . I founded a palace therein as the abode of my kingship; I established there the authority of Ashur, my lord; I settled therein people from the lands that my hands had conquered; and I set my military governor over them as ruler of the province. [Sardurri] of Urartu, Su~ lumal of Milid, Tarhulara [of Gurgum] * * * and Kushtashpi of Kummuh, [made common cause] for conquest and plunder * * * between Kishtan and Halpi, districts of Kummuh [I brought about their defeat]. * * * [with the blood of] their [slain I coloured] the Sinzi canal like dyed wool * * * I seized them in the midst of * * * royal beds * * *
[About one hundred lines missing here]
* * * her [heavy tribute she brought] to me [and I set a prefect over] her. [The people of Birai I subdued beneath my feet.] [The people of Mas]ai, Tema, Saba, Haiappa, Badana, [Hatte, Idibaila] * * * on the border of the lands [of the setting] sun, whom no one knows and whose location is far off, heard of the majesty of my lordship and * * * [gold, silver,] camels, she-camels, and spices of all kinds as one man [they brought] to [me] as their tribute [and kissed my feet]. I made Idibi'il prefect over Egypt. In all the lands which [I had overthrown I established the authority of Ashur]. [The tribute] of Kushtashpi, of Kummuh; and of Urik, of Que; and of Sibittibi'il, [of Gebal] * * * [and of In] il, of Hammat; and of Panammu, of Samal; and of Tarhulara, of Gurgum; and of Sul[umal, of Melid]; * * * and of Uassurme, of Tabal; and of Ushhitti, of Tuna; and of Urballa, of Tuhan; and of Tuhamme, [of Ishtunda]; * * * and of Matanbi'il of Arvad; and of Sanipu, of Beth Amnion; and of Salamanu, of Moab; * * * and of Metinti, of Askelon; and of Jauhazi, of Judah; and of Kaushmalaka, of Edom; and of Muqri * * * and of Hanno, of Gaza; gold, silver, lead, iron, tin, party-coloured clothing, linen, the purple robes of their land * * * [whatever] was precious, products of sea and land, the desirable things of their land, the treasures of royalty, horses, mules, yoked teams, * * * [I received]. Uassurme, of Tabal, sought to rival the deeds of Assyria and did not come into my presence. My military governor, the chief officer, * * * Hulli, the son of a nobody, I placed on his royal throne; ten talents of gold, one thousand talents of silver, two hundred horses, * * * I sent my military governor, the chief officer, to Tyre; from Mitenna, of Tyre, [I received] one hundred and fifty talents of gold * * *
With the understanding, skill, and far-reaching thought which the messenger of the gods, the prince Nugimmut had given me, a palace of cedar * * * and a porch, like a palace in the land of the Hittites, I built for my enjoyment in the city of Kalhi * * * I increased the area of ground more than that of the former palaces of my fathers from the middle of the Tigris * * * I employed the architectural skill (?) of all the clever workmen * * * Twenty great cubits below the mighty waters I piled up strong granite like a mountain-pile and * * * [on right] * * *
I laid out their terraces, made their foundations firm and reared their turrets aloft. One half gar, two thirds cubit the house * * * I joined together and I set up their gates on the north side. With ivory, ushu-wood, urkarinu-wood, palm-wood * * * [cypress,] * * * [pistachio,] juniper, the tribute of the kings of the Hittites, the princes of Aram and Chaldea, whom by the might of my strength I had brought to my feet * * * I filled. Five and a half gar, four cubits from the bottom of the water to the battlements I bound their structure together and made their work greater than that of the palaces of the lands. I covered them with long beams of cedar, which like the fragrance of hashurri-wood are good for their perfume, and are the product of Amanus, Lebanon, and Ammanana, and I joined them firmly. In order to make the decorations splendid * * * with stones hewn by the stone-cutter I built and adorned the gate. Doors of cedar and cypress, in pairs, whose entrance brings blessing and whose fragrance arouses the heart, I bound with a rim of zahalu-metal and bright metal and hung in the gateway. Lions and bull-colossi, whose forms were exceedingly artistic and clothed with splendour, I made to hold the entrances and set them up as objects of wonder. I laid thresholds of Im-tu stone and alabaster beneath them and made the entrance bright. I also built a statue to keep guard over the great gods; I surrounded the sides with the product of the ocean depths and I invested it with terror. I surrounded them with braces (?) of gold, silver, and copper for their completion and I made their forms resplendent.
For my royal dwelling, a habitation of sassu precious stones, the work of * * * I built therein. “Palaces of joy, yielding abundance, bestowing blessing upon the king, causing their builder to live long," I called their names. "Gates of righteousness, guiding the judgment of the prince of the four quarters of the world, making the tribute of the mountains and the seas to continue, causing the abundance of the lands to enter before the king, their lord," I named their gates.
Harper, Robert Francis. Assyrian and Babylonian Literature. Appleton, 1904.
About TOTA
TOTA.world provides cultural information and sharing across the world to help you explore your Family’s Cultural History and create deep connections with the lives and cultures of your ancestors.
