Early Years of Nabopolassar Chronicle

Museum number BM 25127 [1], ABC 2 [2, p. 17], CM 21 [3, p. 214].

Origin: Purchased by the British Museum from an antiquities dealer in 1898.

First Translated: 1956 by D.J. Wiseman [4, p. 50].

Translation

1  [...] when he/they had sent [...] to Babylon, at night
2  [...] ... they did battle within the city all day.
3  [...] ... of Sin-sharra-ishkun fled to Assyria.
4  He appointed [officials with]in the city. On the twelfth day of the month Elul the army of Assyria
5  [...] entered Shaznaku and set fire to the temple.
6  [...] and in the month Tishri the gods of Kish went to Babylon.
7  The [army of] Assyria went to Nippur and Nabopolassar retreated before them.
8  [The army of As]syria and the Nippureans followed him to Uruk,
9  they did battle against Nabopolassar in Uruk, and retreated before Nabopolassar.
10 In the month Iyyar the army of Assyria went down to Akkad. On the twelfth day of the month Tishri
11 when
10 the army of Assyria
11 had marched against Babylon (and) the Babylonians
12 had come out of Babylon;
11 on that day,
12 they did battle against the army of Assyria,
13 inflicted a major defeat upon the army of Assyria, and plundered them.
14 For one year there was no king in the land (Babylonia). On the twenty-sixth day of the month Marchesvan Nabopolassar
15 ascended the throne in Babylon. The accession year of Nabopolassar: In the month Adar
16-17 Nabopolassar returned to Susa the gods of Susa whom the Assyrians had carried off and settled in Uruk.
18 The first year of Nabopolassar: On the seventeenth day of the month Nisan panic overcame the city.
19 Shamash and the gods of Shapazzu went to Babylon.
20 On the twenty-first day of the month Iyyar the army of Assyria entered Sal[lat] (and) carried off the booty.
21 On the twentieth day <of the month Sivan/Tammuz> the gods of Sippar went to Babylon.
22 On the ninth day of the month Ab Nabopolassar and his army [marched] to Sall[at].
23 He did battle against Sallat but did not capture the city. (Instead) the army of Assyria arrived so
24 he retreated before them and withdrew.
25 [The second year] of Nabopolassar: At the beginning of the month Elul the army of Assyria
26 went down [to Akkad] and camped by the Banitu canal.
27 They did [battle against Nab]opolassar but achieved nothing.
28 [...] ... and they withdrew.
29 [The third year]: On the eighth [day of the month ... ] Der rebelled against Assyria. On the fifteenth day of the month Tishri
30 [...] ... the king of Assyria and his army went down to Akkad and
31 [...] ... and took (it) into Nippur. Afterwards Itti-ili
32 [... he]ard and stationed a garrison in Nippur.
33 [...] he went up [against] Syria and
34 [...]
33 against
34 [...] he ravaged [...] ... and set out for Nineveh.
35 [...] ... who had come to do battle against him
36 [... whe]n they saw him they bowed down before him.
37 [...] ...
38 The rebel king [...]
39 one hundred days [...]
40 ... [( ... )] ... when ... [...]
41 [...] rebel ... [...]

[2, p. 87]

Key Information

Line 14: For one year there was no king in the land (Babylonia)

Lines 14-15: On the twenty-sixth day of the month Marchesvan Nabopolassar ascended the throne in Babylon (26/VIII/Acc.)

References