ABC 7: The Nabonidus Chronicle

Nabonidus' chronicle. British Museum, London (Britain). Photo Marco Prins.

Nabonidus Chronicle, obverse (British Museum; ©*)

The Nabonidus Chronicle is a historiographical text from ancient Babylonia. It describes the reign of Nabonidus, the last king of the Babylonian Empire, who lost his realm to the Persian king Cyrus the Great in 539 BCE. These pages present a scholarly edition; an easy-to-read version can be found here.

General

Colum i-ii

This web-edition is based on A.K. Grayson, Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles (1975, repr.2000), but there are modifications, that are explained here.

Obverse (column i-ii)

Ancient-Warfare.com, the online home of Ancient Warfare magazine

Column i
1 [...] x x x [...]	[...] x x x [...]
2 [...]-šú iš-ši LUGAL (erasure)	[...] ... he carried, the king
3 [...] ma-ti-šú-nu ana Bābili₅(E)^kiú-bil-lu	... of] their land he/they brought to Babylon.
4 [...] ti	[...] ...
5 [...] šû is-hu-hu-ma ul iš-ši	[...] …his^? …they trembled^? and he did not carry.
6 [...t]i^? kimat(im.ri.a)-su-nu ma-la bašû(gál)^ú	[...] ... their whole family
7 [...] x šarru ummāni-šú id-ke-ma ana Hu-me-e	[...] the king mustered his army and to Hume [Cilicia]
8 [...] x kit	[he marched]. ...
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9 [MU II^?kám...] ina ^itiTebēti ina ^kurHa-ma-a-tú SID	[The second year (554/553): ...] the month Tebetu, in Hamath it was cold.
10 [...] x	[...] ...
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11 [MU III^?kám...^it]ⁱAbu ^kurAm-ma-na-nu šá-di-i	[The third year (553/552): ... the mon]th Abu, the Amanus Mountains
12 [...] x [^giš]sip-pa-a-tú inbu ma-la ba-šu-ú	[...] ... orchards, all of the fruit
13 [...] x ina lib-bi-ši-na ana qí-rib Bābili₅^ki	[...] ... from within them to Babylon
14 [... imr]us(gig)-ma ìblut^ut ina ^itiKislīmi šarru ummāni-šú	[... became i]ll but recuperated. In the month Kislimu, the king
15 [id-ke-ma^? ...] x tim u ana ^mdNabû-tat^!-tan-úsur	[mustered] his army¹⁴ and to Nabû-tat-tan-úsur
16 [...] x mu šá ^kurAmurri(mar.tu) a-na	... of Amurru to
17 [... ^uruA]-du-um-mu it-ta-du-ú	they/he encamped [against E]dom
18 [...] x-ma ummāni^meš ma-du-tu	[...] the large army
19 [...a]bul ^uruRUG-di-ni	[... the g]ate of RUGdini
20 [...] x idūk-šú	[...] ... he killed/defeated him
21 [...] x qu	[...] ...
22 [... um]māni^meš	[...] army
Lacuna	Lacuna
Column ii
1 [id]-/ke\-e-ma ana muhhi ^mKu-raš šàr An-šá-an ana ka-š[á-di i]l-lik-ma [...]	[The sixth year (550/549):] (Astyages) mustered (his army) and marched against Cyrus, king of Anšan, for conquest [...]
2 ^mIš-tu-me-gu ummāni-šú ibbalkit-su-ma ina qātē^II sa-bít a-na ^mKu-raš it-x[...]	The army rebelled against Astyages and he was taken prisoner. Th[ey handed him over] to Cyrus. ([...])
3 ^mKu-raš a-na ^kurA-gam-ta-nu āl šarru-ú-tu <il-lik-ma> kaspa hurāsa būša makkūra [...]	Cyrus <marched> to Ecbatana, the royal city. The silver, gold, goods, property, [...]
4 šá ^kurA-gam-ta-nu iš-lul-ú-ma a-na ^kurAn-šá-an il-qí būša makkūra šá ummāni^m[eš...]	which he carried off as booty (from) Ecbatana, he took to Anšan. The goods (and) property of the army of [...].
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5 MU VII^kám šarru ina ^uruTe-ma-a mār šarri ^lúrabûti^meš-šú ummāni ^meš-šú ina ^kurAkkadî^ki[šarru ana ^itiNisanni]	The seventh year (549/548): The king (was) in Tema (while) the prince, his officers, (and) his army (were) in Akkad. [In the month Nisannu, the king]
6 a-na Bābili₅^kiúl illiku^ku ^dNabû ana Bābili^kiúl illiku^ku ^dBēl úl ūsâ^a isin[nu a-ki-tú ba-til]	did not come to Babylon. Nabu did not come to Babylon. Bel did not come out. The [Akitu festiv]al [did not take place].
7 niqû(siskur.siskur) ina É-sag-gíl u É-zi-da ilāni^meš šá Bābìli^ki u Barsip^ki k[i šal-mu]	The offerings to the gods op Babylon and Borsippa, a[s in normal times], in Esagila and Ezida
8 nadnū^nu urigallû is-ruq-ma bīta ip-qid ([...])	were presented. The urigallû-priest made a libation and inspected the temple. ([...])
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9 MU VIII^kám (Blank space of one line)	The eighth year (548/547): (Blank space)
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10 MU IX^kám mdNábû-nā'id šarru <ina> ^uruTe-ma-a mār šarri ^lúrabûti^meš u ummāniⁿⁱ ina ^kurAkkadî^ki šarru ana ^itiNisanni ana Bābìli^ki	The ninth year (547-546): Nabonidus the king (was) <in> Tema, (while) the prince, the officers, (and) the army (were) in Akkad. The king, in the month Nisanu, to Babylon
11 úl illiku^ku^dNabû ana Bābili^ki úl illiku^ku^dBēl úl ūsâ^a i-sin-nu a-ki-tú ba-til	did not come. Nabu did not come to Babylon. Bel did not come out. The Akitu festival did not take place.
12 niqû(siskur.siskur)^meš ina É-sag-gíl u É-zi-da ilāni^meš ša <Bābìli^ki> u Bar-sip^ki ki šal-mu nadna^na	The offerings were presented (to) the gods of <Babylon> and Borsippa as in normal times in Esagil and Ezida.
13 ^itiNisannu UD V^kám ummu šarri ina Dūr-ka-ra-šú šá ah(gú) ^ídPuratti e-la-nu Sip-par^ki	On the fifth day of the month Nisanu the queen mother, in Dur-Karašu, which is on the banks of the Euphrates upstream from Sippar,
14 im-tu-ut mār šarri u ummāni^meš-šú III ūmu^mu šu-du-ru bikītu(ér) šaknat^at ina ^itiSimāni ina ^kurAkkadî^ki	she died. The prince and his army were in mourning for three days (and) there was (an official) mourning period. In the month Simanu, in Akkad,
15 bi-ki-tú ina muhhi ummi šarri šaknat^at ina ^itiNisanni ^mKu-raš šàr ^kurPar-su ummāni-šú id-ke-e-[m]a	there was (an official) mourning period for the queen mother. In the month Nisanu, Cyrus, king of Parsu, mustered his army and
16 šap-la-an ^uruAr-ba-'-il ^ídIdiqlat i-bir-ma ina ^itiAiiari ana ^kur/Ú-\[raš-tu il-li]k	crossed the Tigris below Arbela. In the month Ajaru, he marched to the land of U[rartu].
17 šarra-šú idūk bu-šá-a-šú il-qí šu-lit šá ram-ni-šú <<AŠ>> lu ú-še-li [...]	He killed its king, took his possessions, (and) stationed his own garrison (there) [...]
18 /arki\ šu-lit-su ù šar-ri ina libbi ibašši(gál)^ši ([...])	Afterwards the king and his garrison was in it ([...])
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19 MU X^kám šarru ina ^uruTe-ma mār šarri ^lúrabûti^meš u ummāniⁿⁱ-šú ina ^kurAkkadî^ki šarru ana [^itiNisanni ana Bābìli^ki úl illiku^ku]	The tenth year (546/545): The king (was) in Tema (while) the prince, the officers, and his army (were) in Akkad. The king [did not come to Babylon in the month Nisanu.]
20 ^dNabû ana Bābili₅^ki úl illiku^ku ^dBēl úl ūsâ^a isinnu a-ki-tú ba-til niqû(siskur.siskur) ina /É\-[sag-gíl u É-zi-da]	Nabu did not come to Babylon. Bel did not come out. The Akitu festival did not take place. The offerings in E[sagil and Ezida]
21 ilāni^meš ša Bābìli^ki u Bar-sip^ki ki šal-m[u na]dna/^na\ ina ^itiSimāni UD XXI^ká[m ...]	were presented (to) the gods of Babylon and Borsippa as in normal times. On the twenty-first day of the month Simanu [...]
22 šá ^kurE-lam-mi-ia ina ^kurAkkadî^ki x x [...] /^lú?\šakin māti ina Uruk^k[i ...]	of Elammya in Akkad ... [...] the district governor of Uru[k ...]
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23 MU XI^kám šarru ina ^uruTe-ma-a mār šarri ^lúrabûti^meš u ummāniⁿⁱ-šú ina ^kurAkka[dî^ki šarru ana ^itiNisanni ana Bābìli^ki úl illiku^ku]	The eleventh year (545/544): the king (was) in Tema (while) the prince, the officers, and his army (were) in Akkad. [The king did not come to Babylon in the month Nisanu.]
24 [Nabû ana Bāb]ili₅^ki úl illiku^ku ^dBēl úl usâ^a isinnu a-ki-tú ba-til ni[qû(siskur.siskur) ina É-sag-gíl u É-zi-da]	[Nabu] did not come [to Bab]ylon. Bel did not come out. The Akitu festival did not take place. The of[ferings in Esagil and Ezida]
25 [ilāni^meš ša Bāb]ìli^ki u /Bar-sip\[^ki ki šal-m]u nadna/^na\ [...]	were presented [(to) the gods of Bab]ylon and Borsippa [as in normal times].
Lacuna	Lacuna

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Colum i-ii