their precious lives I cut through like a knot; like a heavy rain, their trophies and arms I scattered over the wide field. 80 The chargers of my chariot swam in the masses of blood as in a river, crushing evil and bad; blood and filth ran down its wheel. With the corpses of their warriors, as with herbs I filled the field. I cut off their testicles, COLUMN VI Their pudenda I tore from them like the seed of cucumbers. I cut off their hands. The bracelets of gold and silver, which were on their arms, I took off. With sharp swords I cut off their noses. 5 The gold and silver girdle-daggers, which they carried, I took away. The rest of his officers, and Nabu-sum-iskun, the son of Marduk-baladan, who feared my line of battle, but had gone with them, in the midst of the battle I seized them alive, with my hands. Their chariots 10 with their horses, whose drivers, in the onset of battle, night it went on. Until the fourth hour of the Then I stopped their slaughter. Umman-minanu, 15 King of Elam, together with the King of Babylon, the princes of Chaldea, who had helped them, the vehemence of my battle-line, like a bull overwhelmed them. They left their tents. To save their lives they trampled over the bodies of their soldiers and fled. Like young captured birds they lost courage. 20 With their urine they defiled their chariots and let fall their excrement. To pursue them I sent my chariots and horses after them. Their fugitives, who had gone out to save their lives wherever they were overtaken, were thrown down by arms. 25 In those days, after I had finished the palace adjoining the wall of Nineveh for a royal dwelling, and to the astonishment of all people had adorned it; the side building, for keeping in order the train, for the keeping of horses, and all sorts of things 30 which the kings, my forefathers and fathers, had built, it had no foundation, its room was too small, the workmanship was not tasteful. In the course of time, its base had become weak, the part under ground had given way, and the upper part was in ruins. That palace I tore down completely. 35 A great mass of building-material I took out of the ground. The surrounding part of the city I cut off and added to it. The place of the old palace I left. With earth from the river-bed I filled it up. The lower ground I raised 200 tipki 40 above the level. In a favorable month on an auspicious day I built on this foundation according to the wisdom of my heart a palace of pilu stone and cedar-wood, in the style of the Hittites, and a great palace in the Assyrian style, which far exceeded the former in adaptation, 45 size, and artistic excellence, through the work of the wise builders of my royal rule. Great cedar-beams from Khamanu,16 a snow-capped mountain, I brought hither. The doors of liari wood I surrounded with a cover 50 of gleaming bronze, and I put in the doors. With white pilu stones, which were found in the 16 Mount Amanus. environs of Buladai, I made great bull colossi and placed them by the doors on the left and right. For the equipment of the black-headed men, for the receiving 55 of horses, mules, calves, asses, chariots, bow-strings, quivers, bows and arrows, every sort of tool for war, 60 I made rooms and greatly enlarged them. I brought into it. My inscription For future days, whoever - among the kings, my successors, whom Ashur and Ishtar 65 shall call to rule over the land and people the prince may be, if this palace becomes old and ruined, who builds it anew may he preserve my inscription, anoint it with oil, offer sacrifices, return it to its place; 70 then will Ashur and Ishtar hear his prayer. Whoever alters my writing and name him may Ashur, the great lord, the father of gods, afflict like an enemy and take scepter and throne from him and destroy his rule. Dated the month Adar of the archonate of Bel-imurani, 75 prefect of Carchemish. (889-626 B.C.) PRAYERS AND MAGIC INCANTATIONS "Let health of body and joy of heart be my daily portion." |