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Chronicle concerning Antiochus and the Sin temple (BCHP 5)

BCHP 5: Antiochus and Sin
Chronicle, obverse
(British Museum).**
 The Babylonian Chronicle concerning Antiochus and Sin ("Antiochus and Sin Chronicle"; BCHP 5) is one of the historiographical texts from ancient Babylonia. It describes how the Seleucid crown prince Antiochus, the son of king Seleucus Nicator, sacrificed to the moon god Sin and resettled Europeans living in Babylon in Seleucia. For a very brief introduction to the literary genre of chronicles, go here.

The cuneiform tablets (BM 32440 + 32581 + 32585 and others) are in the British Museum. On this website, a first reading is proposed by Bert van der Spek of the Free University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Irving Finkel of the British Museum.* Please notice that this is a preliminary edition. This web publication is intended to invite suggestions for better readings, comments and interpretations (go here to contact Van der Spek).
 

Previous editions

Grayson 1975 (ABC no. 11): 119-121, photo’s Plate xix; copy plate I; Glassner 1993 (CM no. 32): 210-211; Del Monte 1997 (TBE): 194-197.
Babylonian Chronicles
Description
Text and translation
Commentary

Literature
BCHP 5: Antiochus and Sin
Chronicle, reverse
All editions, except Glassner’s, are based on BM 32440 + 32581 + 32585; the other fragments have been joined by Irving Finkel.

Description of the tablet

The tablet is certainly a one-column tablet. The upper left edges are preserved, the right edge is missing, but not many signs are missing at the end of lines 7 and 8. The thickness at the upper edge is 2.5 cm, at the broken middle edges 4.2 cm. The bottom edge is broken; the thickness there is 3.8 cm. Hence, more than half of the tablet is preserved. The length of the tablet is 11.8 cm, the width 11.5 cm. The original tablet measured approximately15 x 12 cm.

The tablet has the same crude handwriting as the other tablets concerning the Crown Prince (i.e., the Antiochus and India and Juniper garden chronicles).
TEXT: OBVERSE
TRANSLATION
& = tet
line numbers with link refer to commentary
1 /MU 20+5? KAM ITI\ [KI]N ITI BI mA[n?.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] /Year 20+5?, month Ulûlu (VI)\. That month A[ntiochus, the crown prince..........]
2 ina URU Ba?-ši-i AN TA UR[U .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] in the city of Bašî above the city […… .]
3 ITI DU6 ITI BI 1-en LÚ /NA or TE ?\ x[ .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] Month Tašrîtu (VII). That month a certain ..[...........]
4 [.. .. .. .. .. .. ..]/ x x \ [.. .. .. ..] /x x x\ [.. .. .. ..] [.. .. .. .. .. .. ..]/ x x \ [.. .. .. ..] /x x x\ [.. .. .. ..]
5 [.. .. .. .. ..] KU4 -ub MU BI SAHAR.HI.A šá É.SAG.I[L (...) id-di-ku-ú] [..........] That year debris of Esagi[la was (not?) removed]
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6 [MU .. ? KAM ITI ..] ITI BI UD 20 KAM mAn-ti-' -uk-su DUMU LUGAL [šá É UŠ-tum] [Year .., month ..]. That month, the 20th day, Antiochus, the [crown] prince
7 [ana E.KI -KU4 UD2]7.KAM a-na BAR-tum  ú-ma-mu ana BAL-ri dUT[U UD.DU (or ŠU.A) .. ..] [entered Babylon. Day 2]7, [they moved] the animals to the [east (or: west)] side (of the river) to outside regions/for putting out to pasture.
8 [ITI .. UD .. K] AM DUMU LUGAL šá É UŠ-tum ina qí-bi šá 1-en lúDUMU E.[KI] [Month .., ..]th [day], the crown prince at the instruction of a certain Bab[ylonian]
9 [.. .. .. .. ..] gi-nu-ú šá 30 É.GIŠ.NU11.GAL u 30 EN.TE.[EN.NA .. .. ..] [performed] regular [offerings] for Sin of Egišnugal and Sin of Enit[enna].
10 [mAn-ti-'-uk-s]u DUMU LUGAL ina É d30 É.GIŠ.NU11.GAL u É [d30 EN.TE.EN.NA] [Antiochu]s, the son of the king, [entered] the temple of Sin of Egišnugal and in the tem[ple of  Sin of Enitenna]
11 [KU4  DUM]U LUGAL MU-/tim\ uš-kin-nu DUMU LUGAL 1-en UDU.NITA ana nin-[da-be-e .. .. ..] [and the s]on of the king aforementioned prostrated himself. The son of the king [provided] one sheep for the offering
12 [.. .. uš-ki]n-nu ina É d30 É.GIŠ.NU11.GAL u É d30 EN.T[E.EN.NA .. .. ..] [of Sin and he bo]wed down in the temple of Sin, Egišnugal, and in the temple of Sin, En[itenna].
13 [ITI BI DUMU LUGAL T]A E.KI ana URU É Gu-ra-’  UD.DU ITI [.. .. .. ..] [That month, the son of the king] departed [fr]om Babylon to Bit Gura. Month [ ... That month]
14 [.. ..-i]s?-ta-tum T[A UR]U Si-lu-ku-a lúERIN.MEŠ-šú [.. .. .. ..] [the epi]states? [led] his troops out[of] Seleucia
15 [.. .. .. .. UG]U-hi  LUGAL [.. .. ]ku ŠÉ[Š.. ..] /ITI\ .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] [to .. .. .. ..] towards the king [ .. ..]ku anoi[nted? .. ..] /Month\ [.. . That month .. .. ..
16 [.. .. .. .. .. ..]x KÙ.GI [ .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] [.. .. .. .. ..] gold [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]
Lacuna ca. 15 lines Lacuna ca. 15 lines
TEXT: REVERSE
TRANSLATION
Lacuna of ca. 4 lines Lacuna of ca. 4 lines
1’ [MU n.KAM ITI .. ITI B]I UD 28!.KAM A.MEŠ ana lìb-/bi\ x[ .. .. ..] [.. .. .. .. .. .. Month Kislîmu (IX). That month], 28th day, water in[to .. .. ..]
2’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. UD 28.KAM mP[u?-l]u?-u&?-&u-da-alúE-man-na-a [.. .. Month Tebêtu (X). That month], 28th day, P[ol]yteudas?, the Greek,
3’ [.. .. .. .. .. ..] ITI ZÍZ ITI B[I UD] /28\ mAn-ti-’-ku-su DUMU LUGAL [.. .. .. .. .. ..]. Month Šabatu (XI). That month, [day 2]8th, Antiochus, the son of the king,
4’ [.. .. .. .. .. .l]ú{A (erased)} SIPA x[. .. .. ..] x ana URU É Gu-r[a-’  .. ..] [.. .. .. .. .. ..] the herdsman[. .. ..] to the city of Bit Gur[a’ .. ..]
5’ [.. .. .. ú-ma-m]u ina BAL.RI dUTU [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] [.. .. .. .. the anima]ls on the [east (or: west)] side [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]
6’ [ITI .. IT]I BI mAn-ti-’-ku-su DUMU L[UGAL šá É UŠ-tum] [Month ..]. That month Antiochus, the crown [prince],
7’ [lúMa-ak-k]a-/da\-na-a-a ma-la šá ina E.KI [šá mA-lik-sa-an-dar (?) LUGAL] settled [the Mace]donians, as many as there were in Babylon, [whom king Alexander?]
8’ [ina E.KI] ú-še-ri-bu{KU4}-’ TA E.K[I ana URU Si-lu-ku-a] [into Babylon] had forced to enter, from Babylon [into Seleucia]
9’ [šá ina muh-h]i ID MAŠ.GÚ.GÀR ú-še-šib ú-[.. .. .. ..] x [.. .. .. ..] [which is o]n the Tigris. .. [.. .. ..] x [.. .. .. ..]
10’ [.. .. .. .. ..] x mi-ik-su dan-nu ana E.KI [.. .. .. .. ..]- [.. .. .. ..] x a heavy taxation (share of the yield) upon Babylon [he imposed]
11’ [ITI BI mAn-ti-’-u]k?-ku-su DUMU LUGAL šá É [UŠ-tum .. .. ..] /DA\ A[.. .. ..] [That month, Antio]chus, the crown princ[e .. .. ..] .. .. [.. ..]. 
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12’ [MU .. KAM IT]I APIN ITI BI UD 20[+1? KAM .. lì]b?-bi10 UDU.NITÁ.MEŠ UD.[MEŠ] [Year x, mo]nth Arahsamna (VIII). That month, the 20[+th] day. [Fro]m? 10 pure sheep [.. .. .. .. ..]
13’ [.. .. .. .. ..] ŠUK ana lúDUMU E.K[I.MEŠ .. lì]b-bi  10  UDU.NITÁ.M[U]-tim x [.. .. ..] [.. .. .. ] as ration? to the Babylo[nians. Fro]m? the 10 sheep aforementioned [.. .. .. ..]
14’ [.. .. .. .. ..]-’  ina lìb-bi [É.SA]G.GÍL  ana /dEN dAG\ u dGA[ŠAN?-ia(?)] [they provid]ed?; within [Esa]gila /to Bêl, Nabû and Bêltia(?)\
15’ [.. .. .. .. ..] x TA [.. .. ..] UD 22 K[AM. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] [.. .. .. .. ..] .. É [.. .. ..] day 22t[h  .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]
16’ ina maš x x [ .. .. .. .. .. ITI GAN] ITI BI U[D ...KAM .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] x [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]. That month, day [..th, .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..].
17’ lúUN.MEŠ KUR i[a?.. .. .. ..] x EGIR-šú a-a-x [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] The people of the land x[ .. .. ..] .. .. .. .. [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]
18’ [..] UD 18 KAM šá ITI [.. .. .. ] -ka-an x x [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] [Month .. . That month], 18th day of month [.. .. .. ] .. .. .. .. [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]
19’ ITI ZÍZ ITI BI U4-mu NU ZU m[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]  Month Šabatu (X). That month, on an unknown day, PN[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]
20’ /ana\ URU Se-lu-uk-ia-a [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]  /to\ Seleucia [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]
to part two (commentary)
 
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