Sennacherib Prism
Column 4


TRANSLATION
Adapted from Luckenbill (1924:36-40)
COLUMN 4
1and my relentless warriors, 2I, like a strong wild-ox, went before them. 3-4I surmounted gullies, mountain torrents and waterfalls, dangerous cliffs in my sedan-chair. 5Where it was too steep for my chair, I advanced on foot. 6Like a young gazelle, I mounted the highest peakss pursuing them. 7Wherever my knees found a resting-place, 8I sat down on some mountain boulder and drank the cold water from a waterskin 9for my thirst. To the summits 10of the mountains I pursued them and brought about 11their overthrow. I captured their cities and carried off their spoil, 12I destroyed, I devastated, I burned with fire.

The front of my yoke
13I turned. Against Maniae, king of Ukku 14of the land of Daie, who was not submissive, I took the road. 15-17Before my day, none of the kings who lived before me, had traveled the unblazed trails and wearisome paths which run along these rugged mountains. 18At the foot of Mt. Anara and Mt. Uppa, mighty mountains, 19I had my camp pitched, and on a house-chair I 20together with my seasoned warriors, 21made my wearisome way through their narrow passes, 22and with great difficulty climbed to the highest peak of the mountains. 23That Maniae saw the clouds of dust raised by the feet of my armies, 24abandoned Ukku, his royal city, 25and fled to distant parts. 26I besieged Ukku, I captured it, and took away its spoil. All kinds of goods and merchandise, 27the treasure of his palace, 28I carried away from it and counted it as booty. Furthermore, 33 cities 29within the bounds of his province I captured. People, asses, cattle 30and sheep, I carried away from them as spoil. 31I destroyed, I devastated, and I burned with fire.

32In my sixth campaign the rest of the people of Bît-Yakin, 33who had run off before my powerful weapons like wild asses, 34who had gathered together the gods of their whole land in their shrines, had 35crossed the great sea of the rising sun and 36in Nagitu of Elam had established their abodes; 37in Hittite ships I crossed the sea. Nagitu 38Nagitu-di'bina, together with the lands of Hilmu, Billatu 39and Hupapanu, provinces of Elam, I conquered. 40The people of Bît-Yakin, together with their gods, and the people 41of the king of Elam, I carried off; 42not a rebel escaped. I had them loaded in vessels, 43brought over to this side, and started on the way 44to Assyria. The cities which were in those 45provinces I destroyed, I devastated, I burned with fire. Into tells and ruins 46I turned them. On my return, Shuzubu, 47the Babylonian, who during an uprising in the land 48had turned to himself the rule of Sumer and Akkad, 49I accomplished his defeat in a battle of the plain. 50I seized him alive with my own hands, I threw him into bonds and fetters of iron and 51brought him to Assyria. The king of Elam, who 52had gone over to his side and had aided him, I defeated. 53His forces I scattered and I shattered his army.

54In my seventh campaign,Aššur, my lord, supported me, 55and I advanced against Elam. Bît-Ha'iri and 56Rasâ, cities on the border of Assyria 57which the Elamite had seized by force during the time of my father 58—in the course of my campaign I conquered and I despoiled them. 59I settled my garrisons in them 60and restored them to the borders of Assyria. 61I placed them under the commandant of Dêr. The cities of Bubê, Dunni-Shamash, Bît-Risia, 62Bît-ahlamê, Duru, Kalte-sulai 63Shilibtu, Bît-Asusi, Kar-Zêr-ikîsha, 64Bît-Gissi, Bît-Katpalani, Bît-Imbia, 65Hamânu, Bît-Arrabi, Burutu, 66Dimtu-sha-Sulai, Dimtu-sha-Marbîti-etir, 67Harri-ashlaki, Rabbai, 68Râsu, Akkabarina Tel-Uhuri, 69Hamranu, Naditu, together with the cities 70of the passes of Bît-Bunaki, tel-Humbi, 71Dimtu-sha-Dume-ilu, Bît-Ubia, 72Balti-lishir, Tagab-lishir, 73Shanakidate, the lower Masutu, 74Sar-hudiri, Alum-sha-bêlit-bîti, 75Bît-ahê-iddina, Ilte-uba, 7634 strong cities, together with the small cities 77in their areas, which were countless, 78I besieged, I conquered, I despoiled, I destroyed, I devastated, 79I burned with fire, with the smoke of their conflagration 80I covered the wide heavens like a hurricane. 81-1The Elamite, Kudur-nahundu, heard of the overthrow of his cities,

Luckenbill, Daniel David. The Annals of Sennacherib. Oriental Institute Publications 2. 1924. Reprint, Ancient Texts and Translations. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2005.


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