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The Seleucid Accessions Chronicle (BCHP 10)

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BCHP 10: The Seleucid Accessions Chronicle, obverse. Photo Bert van der Spek.

BCHP 10: The Seleucid Accessions Chronicle (obverse) (British Museum).**

The Chronicle concerning the reign of Antiochus II, the accession of Seleucus II and the accession of Seleucus III (the "Seleucid Accessions Chronicle"; BCHP 10 or ABC 13) is one of the historiographical texts from ancient Babylonia. For a very brief introduction to the literary genre of chronicles, go here.

The cuneiform tablet (BM 32171 = 76-11-17, 1898) is 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).

Babylonian Chronicles
Description
Text and translation
General commentary
Obverse
Reverse

Literature

BCHP 10: The Seleucid Accessions Chronicle, reverse. Photo Bert van der Spek.

BCHP 10: The Seleucid Accessions Chronicle (reverse) (British Museum).**

Previous editions

Grayson 1975 (ABC no. 13): 122-123, photo's Plate xix; copy plate iv;
Glassner 1993 (CM no. 34): 212;
Del Monte 1997 (TBE): 200-202.

Description of the tablet

The fragment is the small remainder of the lower right side of a larger tablet. The maximum preserved length is 6.5 cm, the maximum width of the obverse is 4.8 cm. The thickness of the right edge, which is partly preserved, is 2.8 cm., the broken left edge is 3.3 cm. The length of the longest line on the reverse is 5.5 cm. Thanks to the fact that line 6' can be reconstructed, we have an idea about the entire width of the tablet and the approximate number of lost signs. Some lines continue on the right edge. This is indicated by a vertical stroke (|) in the transliteration.

TEXT: OBVERSE @ = tsade; & = tet line numbers with link refer to commentary	TRANSLATION
1’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] /x\ [.. .. .. ..]	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] /x\ [.. .. .. ..]
2’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ]/x MA^?\. šú GA[Z^? .. .. ..]	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] his [...] (was^?) ki[lled? .. .. ..]
3’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. kal-ba^?]-na-tum MAH-tum [.. .. ..]	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. siege eng]ines^? in great number [.. .. ..]
4’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. n]i^?-ia šá KUR šá ina URU An-ti-u[k-\|'-ia]	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .]. .. of the land, which (are) in the city of Antio[ch]
5’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]x x ^mSi-lu-ku ^lúpa-hat	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .]. .. Seleucus, the epistates
6’ [URU Si-lu-ki-'-ia^?šá ina muh-hi ÍD UD.KIB.NUN.K]I^!? u ÍD LUGAL mi-@ir-šú KI	[of Seleucia which is on the Euphrat]es! and the King's Canal, its boundary with
7’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]-i KI-šú iš-kun-ma ^mMi-ni\|-su	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]x with him/it established^sg and Menes (Eumenes?)
8’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]x.MEŠ-šú ^mAn-ti-'-uk A šá	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]....... Antiochus, son of
9’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ina ^gi]^š?TUKUL GAZ^lúUN.MEŠ MAH.\| MEŠ	[.. .. .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ] killed/defeated^sg [by the] sword^?. Numerous people
10’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. É.SA]G.GÍL ^lúUŠ.KU TA	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Esa]gila. A lamentation priest from
11’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ki-i]a-a-am ZÁH-ma	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. to Seleuc]ia^? fled^sg and
12’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]x ITI KIN ITI \| BI	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]x. Month Ulûlu (VI). That month

TEXT: REVERSE	TRANSLATION
lacuna
1’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..]E.K[I .. .. \| .. x	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] in Babylo[n .. .. ..]x
2’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] KI SAR-'	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] x they wrote/plundered
3’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. K]Á ^dLAMMA.RA.BI u KI-šú	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] the Lamassu-rabi Gate and with him
4’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ] x ana^? lìb-bi É.SAG.GÍL GAR-'	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ] x inside Esagila they set up.
------------------------------------------	------------------------------------------
5’ [MU 66^? KAM ITI MN ITI B]I al-te-me um-ma ^mSi-lu-ku A šá	[Year 66? (246/5 BC). Month MN. Tha]t [month] I heard as follows: "Seleucus, son of
6’ [^mAn-ti-'-uk-su .. .. ina URU Sa^?]-at^?-ta-a-gu URU SIG u ina ^gišGU.ZA LU[GAL]/-ú\-[tú TUŠ-a]b	[Antiochus, (was) in the city of Si]ttakê^?, a renowned city, and he [ascen]ded the roy[al] throne."
------------------------------------------	------------------------------------------
7’ [MU 86 KAM ITI MN ITI BI UD n KAM ^mSi-lu-ku L]UGAL A šá ^mAn-ti-'-uk-su x[ x bi-ki-tú\|ina KUR] GAR-at	[Year 86? (226/5 BC) . Month MN. That month, the nth day, Seleucus, the k]ing, son of Antiochus, x[died. A mourning] was held.
8’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ^mSi-lu-k]u A šá ^mSi-lu-ku [.. .. .. .. ..]	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Seleuc]us son of Seleucus [.. .. .. .. ..]
9’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ina ^gišGU.ZA TU]Š-ab ITI /AB\ [ITI BI .. .. .. .. ..]	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. and the royal throne he asce]nded. Month Tebêtu (X = 14 January - 11 February 225). [That month .. .. .. .. ..]
10’ [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] x x x [.. .. .. .. ..]	[.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] x x x [.. .. .. .. ..]
lacuna

to part two (commentary)

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Babylonian Chronicles