Juniper garden chronicle (BCHP 8)
BCHP 8: The Juniper Garden
Chronicle (obverse)
(British Museum).**
The cuneiform tablet (BM 32266 = 76-11-17, 1994) is 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 version of what will be the chronicle's very first edition. This web publication is therefore intended to invite suggestions for better readings, comments and interpretations (go here to contact Van der Spek).
Description
Text and translation
Commentary
BCHP 8: The Juniper Garden
Chronicle (reverse)
(British Museum).**
Description of the tablet
The fragment is the lower left part of a larger tablet. The lower left edge is preserved and has a thickness of 2 cm. as has the worn out lower edge. The broken upper edge measures 3.5 cm. The written surface of the obverse measure 5x5 cm, of the reverse 6x6 cm. Not too much is lost on the right edges: see Rev. lines 21’ and 22’.The script of the tablet has a resemblance with the other documents of the early third century and it is likely that this tablet belongs to the same group (i.e., the Antiochus and Sin, Ruin of Esagila and Antiochus and India chronicles).
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@ = tsade line numbers with link refer to commentary |
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| 1’ [.. .. .. .. M]EŠ ša d[ .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] | [.. .. .. ..]s of the god [ X .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] |
| 2’ [.. .. .. ..] x il x [ .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] | [.. .. .. ..] .. .. .. [ .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] |
| 3’ [.. .. .. a-n]a PAD.dIN[NIN .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] | [.. .. .. fo]r the offe[ring of .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] |
| 4’ [.. .. .. .. ..]u?-DUMU? LUGAL ana E.KI [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] | [.. .. .. ] and? the son? of the king to Babylon [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] |
| 5’ [..] x x x šá LUGAL ana muh-hi KÙ.BABBAR [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] | [.. .. ..] of the king? concerning the silver [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] |
| 6’ [..] at x x u šu-kut-tum KÙ.BABBAR [.. .. .. .. .. .. ..] | [..] .. .. .. and silver jewelry [.. .. .. .. .. .. ..] |
| 7’ /ina\ É dul-lu.MEŠ IGI.MEŠ u x[.. .. .. .. .. .. ..] | /in\ the workshops they received and x[.. .. .. .. .. .. ..] |
| 8’ ina GIS.KIRI6 ŠEM.LI ina É il-[ki .. .. .. .. .. ..] | in the Juniper garden in the service estate[.. .. .. .. .. the service (ilku)] |
| 9’ ina É il-ki il-lak? ana É [.. .. .. .. .. .. ..] | in the service estate he will perform.? To the [...] temple/estate? [.. .. .. .. .. .. ..] |
| 10’ ù 2 LÚ /TU.É\.[ME]Š x [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] | and 2 temple enterers x [.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..] |
| 11’ (traces) |
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| 12’ [l]ú TU.É.MEŠ?x ’ x x qu-um x | [ the] temple enterers .. .. .. .. .. .. .. |
| 13’ u 1+enlúE-man-na-a-a ana É /il\-ki šá /d\ [.. .. .. .. a-na] | and a certain Greek to the service estate of the /god\ [.. .. .. .. .. for] |
| 14’ ši-pir DINGIR.MEŠ-ú-tu šá ina l[ìb-b]i É x[ .. .. .. .. .. ..] | the service to the gods, which within the [...] temple/estate? x[ .. .. .. people] |
| 15’ TA ki-di-šú id-ke-e ITI /MN\ ITI BI x [.. .. .. .. .. ..] | from its environment he mustered. Month /x\. That month [.. .. .. .. .. ..] |
| 16’ [b]i-ki-tum u si-ip-du ina É il-ki [GAR-MEŠ .. .. KA.MEŠ] | weeping and mourning in the service estate [he/was established. The gates of] |
| 17’ É.SA.BAD TAB-ú x x x TA NA4 u x[.. .. .. .. .. ..] | Esabad they locked. x x x with? stone and x[.. .. .. .. .. ..] |
| 18’ [T]A UD 22 šá ITI ZÍZ EN TIL ITI ŠE ina lìb-bi ina É i[l-ki] | [fr]om 22 Šabatu (XI) until the end of Addaru (XII) within the se[rvice] estate |
| 19’ [ ina GIŠ.KI]RI6 ŠEM.LI pa-na-at KÁ.GAL dURAŠ? E[N? .. .. ..] | [in] the Juniper [gard]en in front of the Uraš? Gate t[o? the .. .. ..] |
| 20’ [h]a-ri-@u EN muh-hi A.MEŠ ina lìb-bi ta-[mir-tum] | [a mo]at to the water in the ir[rigated land] |
| 21’ [TAR.MEŠ] ina il-@u EZEN u ri-iq-du ina É [il-ki GAR-MEŠ] | [they dug.] In joy a festival and dancing party in the [service] estate [was held]. |
| 22’ [ITI BI SAHA]R.HI.A šá ma-la-k[u] šá dEN i[d-de-e-ku-’] | [That month, deb]ris of the procession road of Bêl was re[moved]. |
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| 23 (traces) | |
| (remainder lost) |
Babylonian Chronicles