The Correspondence of Assurbanipal, Part I
Letters from Assyria, Babylonia, and Vassal States
Simo Parpola
The Correspondence of Assurbanipal, Part I
Letters from Assyria, Babylonia, and Vassal States
Simo Parpola
The first half of Assurbanipal’s long reign (668–ca. 630 BCE) was a time of peace and great prosperity and political success for Assyria. But towards the middle of his reign a serious crisis broke out in Babylonia, unleashing a long, bitter and destructive conflict between Assyria, Elam and Babylonia, which was to shake the very foundations of the Empire. Less than a year after Assurbanipal had achieved a crushing victory over Elam, annexed the country to his realm and was at the apex of his political power, his brother Šamaš-šumu-ukin, installed years before as a puppet king in Babylon, rebelled with the aid of Elam and the Chaldean and Aramean tribes of Babylonia. The revolt was crushed only five years later, leaving Babylon in ruins and sowing insidious rancor and hate among its citizens; the conflict with Elam went on for three more years.
- Description
- Bio
- Table of Contents
- Subjects
The present volume presents a critical edition of all currently known letters authored by Assurbanipal as king of Assyria as well as 61 letters sent to him or his agents during his reign. Most of these texts pertain to the Šamaš-šumu-ukin revolt and the conflict with Elam, and provide a fascinating “ringside” view to these catastrophic events, which are otherwise known only from propagandistic and tendentious royal inscriptions. Almost half of the texts have never been edited or translated before and very few of them have been translated after 1935. They constitute an invaluable source not only for the study of Assyrian history but also of the personality and psyche of the last great king of Assyria.
Simo Parpola is Professor Emeritus of Assyriology at the University of Helsinki.
Foreword
Preface
Introduction
The Geographical Coverage of the Correspondence
The Correspondents
The Chronology of the Letters
The Contents of the Letters and Their Political and Historical Contexts
The Process of Composing the Royal Letters; Languages and Scripts
Bibliography
On the Present Edition
Abbreviations and Symbols
Transliterations and Translations
Royal Letters
1. Letters to Babylon, Borsippa, Cutha, and Nippur
2. Letters to Uruk, Ur, and Kissik
3. Letters to Bel-ibni and the Sealanders
4. Letters to Gambulu and Raši
5. Letters to Elam
6. Letters to Vassal Rulers, and Miscellany
Letters to Assurbanipal
7. Letters from the King’s Brothers
8. Letters from Babylonia
9. Letters from Elam and Urarṭu
10. Varia and Unassigned
Non-Royal Letters
Glossary and Indices
Collations
Also of Interest
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