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Antiochus, Bactria, and India (BCHP 7)
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The Antiochus and India Chronicle (obverse). Photo Bert van der Spek.
BCHP 7: The Antiochus and India Chronicle (obverse) (British Museum).**
 The Babylonian Chronicle concerning Antiochus, Bactria, and India ("Antiochus and India chronicle"; BCHP 7 = ABC 13A) is one of the historiographical texts from ancient Babylonia. It is important because it mentions a Seleucid crown prince, probably the future king Antiochus I Soter, ordering repairs in Babylon and preparing for war. For a very brief introduction to the literary genre of chronicles, go here.

The cuneiform tablets (BM 32310 [76-11-17, 2039] + 32398 [S† 76-11-17,2131] + 32384) are in the British Museum. On this website, a new 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
Commentary

Literature
The Antiochus and India Chronicle (reverse). Photo Bert van der Spek.
BCHP 7: The Antiochus and India Chronicle (reverse) (British Museum).**

Description of the tablet

The fragments as preserved constitute the upper right part of the original tablet. Not much seems to be lost from the right part, but a considerable part, possibly two thirds, of the left part is lost. The textual remnants of the obverse measure 8 cm. height 6 cm. width. The right edge is 2.2 cm. thick, the left part 4 cm, the upper edge 2.5 cm., the lower part 4 cm.

The edition of Grayson, ABC 13A, is based on BM 32310 only. Irving Finkel has now joined the other fragments.

The tablet has the same crude handwriting as the other tablets concerning the Crown Prince (i.e., the Antiochus and Sin and Juniper garden chronicles).

Previous edition: ABC 13A; CM no. 36, p. 213-4; D.A. Kennedy copied BM 32398 as CT 49, 188.
TEXT: OBVERSE
@ = tsade
line numbers with link refer to commentary
TRANSLATION
1’ ..... .. .. .. .. ] x x [ .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..  …..]  ..... 
2’ ..... .. .. .. ] MU-a-tim x [ .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .....] .....  .. .. .. ] aforementioned [ .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .....]
3’ ..... .. .. ]x MEŠ šá É.SAG.G[ÍL .. .. .. .. .. .. .....] ..... the .. ]s of Esag[ila.. .. .. .. .. .. .....]
4’ ..... .. ] x šá lúGAL.UKKIN KUR URI.K[I .. .. .. .. .. .. .....] ..... .. ] which/of the satrap of Akkad [ .. .. .. .. .. .. .....]
5’ ..... lúDUMU(?) LU]GAL? kap-du?ana a-ma-ru [.. .. .. .. .. .. .....] ..... the son? of the ki]ng immediately in order to inspect [.. .. .. .. .. .. .....]
6’ ..... .. ] šá É.ZI.DA ina ku-šá-[ar-ti .. .. ..] x x [.. .....] ..... .. ] of Ezida  in the rep[air work of?.. ..] x x [ .. .....]
7’ ..... .. ] x [p]i?-in-du šá lúUN[UG.KI-]/a\-a ana UGU[......] ..... .. ] ..... of/which the Ur[uk]aean to/against [ .....] 
8’ ..... .. .. K]UR URI.KI UMUŠ šá LUG[AL ana] lúDUMU.MEŠ E.[KI .....] ..... the satrap of] Akkad the order of the ki[ng to ] the Babylonians [ .....]
9’ ..... .. .. .. .. ME]Š e-piš šá g[iš ? .. .. ..] ana @i-bu-[tu šá LUGAL] ..... .. .. .. .. ..]s the making of x[ .. .. ..] at the requ[est of the (son of the) king]
10’ ..... .. .. .. .. ] x in-na-nu x [.. .. ..] UD 20 KAM [.....] ..... .. .. .. .. ] .. .. .. x [.. That month,] day 20th,  [.....]
11’ ..... .. .. ] x BAR ana e-peš šá gišpi-[i]t??-nu x x [.....] ..... .. .. ] .. .. , for the making of a wooden?  ca[binet .....]
12’ ..... ME]Š šá ina E.KI ana 1+en lúHa-n[i-]/e\ x x [.....] ..... the ...]s, who are in Babylon, to a certain Han[aea]n x x [.....]
13’ ..... m]Si  LUGAL ina e-bir ID KI ? [ .. ..] x x [.....] ..... ] Se(leucus), the king, in Transeuphratene with [ .. ..] x x [.....]
14’ ..... ] KUR Ba-ah-tar u KUR In-du? [.. ..] x [.....] ..... elephants? from ] Bactria and Ind [ia?.. ..] x [.....]
15’ ..... ]-ú? GAZ u i-nap-pal x[ .. ..] .... ] .. killed (or: defeated) and he is destroying x[.. .. ..]
16’ (.....)] (blank)  

 
TEXT: REVERSE
TRANSLATION
1’ ..... ..] x [ .....]  .....
2’ ..... ] x MU-a-tim [ ..... ] ..... ] aforementioned [ ..... ]
3’ ..... P] AD DINNIN šá GIM /GIŠ\.H[UR KUR Ia-a-man-nu] ..... ] an offering in the [Greek] fashion
4’ ..... ] sá? LUGAL lúERÍN.[MEŠ .....] ..... ] of? the king the troop[s .....]
5’ ..... ] lúE-man-/na-a-a\ [.. .. ..] x ..... ] the Greek [.. .. ..] x
6’ ..... ] x EGIR LUGAL ana ma-dak-tum ul-t[e-rib] ..... ] afterwards the king se[nt] [ ... ] to the camp [.....]
7’ ..... ] x x x MEŠ GUR-ru UD 23 KÙ.GI M[U-a-tim ..... ] ..... the ...]s returned. Day 23th. Gold x [ ..... ]
8’ ..... ].MEŠ-ni ina KI-šú ina GIŠ.KIRI-6 ŠEM.LI [ ..... ] ..... ] x x x .. .. in its place in the Juniper garden [ ..... ]
9’ ..... ] x TI-qí   (blank) ..... ] x he took. (vacat)
10’ ..... T]A? lúERIN.MEŠ-šú sámAn-ti-’[-ku-su] Month .. (the troops of) PN wi]th? the troops of Antio[chus]
11’ .....m]a?-la-gi-im lúERIN.MEŠ-šú [(.....)] did battle …..] x-lagim his troops […..]
12’ ..... ] ú-kin-nu-’  ina gišTUKUL G[AZ.MEŠ?] ..... ] they established, by the sword [they (were)] k[illed (or: defeated) .....]
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to part two (commentary)
 
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