RIM the Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia – serie

This is the sixth volume of ancient cuneiform texts being prepared under the auspices of The Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia, and the first volume for the Babylonian periods. The purpose of the project is to locate and publish standard editions of the texts known as the Royal Inscriptions from ancient Mesopotamia (Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, and Assyria). Since the texts were first deciphered in the nineteenth century, the close affinity between them and events and people in the Bible has stirred great interest.The texts presented in this volume are from the important transitional period extending from the fall of the Kassite dynasty in the middle of the twelfth century BC to the collapse of Assyrian power towards the close of the seventh century. During these five centuries there were a number of short-lived dynasties in Babylonia, and for a time the area was controlled by its northern neighbour, Assyria. The first part of this period has been described as a 'Dark Age' in Babylonia's history, and the nadir of its political existence occurred in the early seventh century when the capital, Babylon, was captured and destroyed by the Assyrian ruler Sennacherib. Nevertheless, in the final century and a half of this period conditions in Babylonia improved and various forces built up the momentum that was to bring about the formation of the Neo-Babylonian empire and the shift of hegemony over western Asia from Assyria to Babylonia. This volume contains a short introduction for each ruler. Every inscription is accompanied by an introductory statement, a catalogue of exemplars, a brief commentary, a bibliography, a transliteration and translation, and notes. Appropriate introductory materials and indexes are included. 'Scores,' originally published on microfiche, are located at the back of the book.

The time period covered by this volume extends from the accession of Sargon of Akkad to the end of the Gutian period (2334-2133 BC). In this corpus we find the first extensive use of the Akkadian language, in it oldest known dialect, for royal inscriptions. Nearly all the texts in this volume are recorded in that language; a few are in Sumerian, and four are bilingual. Invaluable for the reconstruction of the history of the period are a handful of large Old Babylonian tablets inscribed with collections of the Sargonic kings' triumphal inscriptions. Complete transliterations of the individual copies of these important documents appear for the first time in this volume.The introductions for the Sargonic kings include lists of all their known year names along with brief discussions of the major events of their reigns. A short introduction of each description gives its general contents and place of origin. There is a detailed catalogue of exemplars, along with a brief commentary, bibliography, and text in transliteration. In microfiche, now incorporated at the back of the book, 'scores' give transliterations of the individual exemplars of the inscriptions.

This volume provides editions of all known royal inscriptions of the five kings of the Third Dynasty of Ur (2112-2004 BC), from Ur-Nammu to Ibbi-Sin, as well as those of contemporaneous rulers of states on the periphery of the Ur III empire (excluding Elam). Ur III Period contains the first complete edition of the Fu-Sin inscriptions, the most complete and up-to-date information on the members of the Ur III royal family, and the first published charts of Ur III city governors, providing a wealth of new material for researchers.Douglas Frayne has provided indexes of museum numbers, excavation numbers, provenances, dimensions, and lines preserved of the various exemplars in an easy-to-read tabular mode. The accompanying microfiche, now incorporated at the back of the book, displays the text of selected inscriptions in a "musical score" format. Most of the inscriptions are in Sumerian, with a few in Akkadian and one in Hurrian.Ur III Period (2112-2004 BC) is yet another exhaustively researched and substantial contribution to the RIM project, and to the study of ancient Mesopotamia.

This is the sixth volume of ancient cuneiform texts being prepared under the auspices of The Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia, and the first volume for the Babylonian periods. The purpose of the project is to locate and publish standard editions of the texts known as the Royal Inscriptions from ancient Mesopotamia (Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, and Assyria). Since the texts were first deciphered in the nineteenth century, the close affinity between them and events and people in the Bible has stirred great interest.The texts presented in this volume are from the important transitional period extending from the fall of the Kassite dynasty in the middle of the twelfth century BC to the collapse of Assyrian power towards the close of the seventh century. During these five centuries there were a number of short-lived dynasties in Babylonia, and for a time the area was controlled by its northern neighbour, Assyria. The first part of this period has been described as a 'Dark Age' in Babylonia's history, and the nadir of its political existence occurred in the early seventh century when the capital, Babylon, was captured and destroyed by the Assyrian ruler Sennacherib. Nevertheless, in the final century and a half of this period conditions in Babylonia improved and various forces built up the momentum that was to bring about the formation of the Neo-Babylonian empire and the shift of hegemony over western Asia from Assyria to Babylonia. This volume contains a short introduction for each ruler. Every inscription is accompanied by an introductory statement, a catalogue of exemplars, a brief commentary, a bibliography, a transliteration and translation, and notes. Appropriate introductory materials and indexes are included. 'Scores,' originally published on microfiche, are located at the back of the book.

This volume provides editions of all known royal inscriptions of the five kings of the Third Dynasty of Ur (2112-2004 BC), from Ur-Nammu to Ibbi-Sin, as well as those of contemporaneous rulers of states on the periphery of the Ur III empire (excluding Elam). Ur III Period contains the first complete edition of the Fu-Sin inscriptions, the most complete and up-to-date information on the members of the Ur III royal family, and the first published charts of Ur III city governors, providing a wealth of new material for researchers.Douglas Frayne has provided indexes of museum numbers, excavation numbers, provenances, dimensions, and lines preserved of the various exemplars in an easy-to-read tabular mode. The accompanying microfiche, now incorporated at the back of the book, displays the text of selected inscriptions in a "musical score" format. Most of the inscriptions are in Sumerian, with a few in Akkadian and one in Hurrian.Ur III Period (2112-2004 BC) is yet another exhaustively researched and substantial contribution to the RIM project, and to the study of ancient Mesopotamia.

The time period covered by this volume extends from the accession of Sargon of Akkad to the end of the Gutian period (2334-2133 BC). In this corpus we find the first extensive use of the Akkadian language, in it oldest known dialect, for royal inscriptions. Nearly all the texts in this volume are recorded in that language; a few are in Sumerian, and four are bilingual. Invaluable for the reconstruction of the history of the period are a handful of large Old Babylonian tablets inscribed with collections of the Sargonic kings' triumphal inscriptions. Complete transliterations of the individual copies of these important documents appear for the first time in this volume.The introductions for the Sargonic kings include lists of all their known year names along with brief discussions of the major events of their reigns. A short introduction of each description gives its general contents and place of origin. There is a detailed catalogue of exemplars, along with a brief commentary, bibliography, and text in transliteration. In microfiche, now incorporated at the back of the book, 'scores' give transliterations of the individual exemplars of the inscriptions.

In this, the seventh volume to be published by the Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia Project, A. Kirk Grayson presents the texts of the royal inscriptions from the earlier phase of the Neo-Assyrian period, a time in which the Assyrian kings campaigned as far as the Mediterranean and came into direct contact with biblical lands. In this period the Assyrian empire embraced most of the civilized parts of western Asia including western Iran, Mesopotamia, southern Turkey, and the shores of the Levant. It was an exciting and tumultous period involving palace revolutions and harem intrigues, and it was a time in which the legendary Semiramis played a prominent role.The inscriptions speak of the kings' building of palaces and temples in various parts of Assyria, of the gods who were invoked to bless their enterprises, of revolutions and a multitude of military conquests. Each text is accompanied by a brief introduction, a catalogue of exemplars, commentary, bibliography, transliteration, translation, and notes. The book contains an introduction to the volume as a whole and indexes. 'Scores,' published on microfiche, are located in a pocket at the back of the book.

In this, the seventh volume to be published by the Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia Project, A. Kirk Grayson presents the texts of the royal inscriptions from the earlier phase of the Neo-Assyrian period, a time in which the Assyrian kings campaigned as far as the Mediterranean and came into direct contact with biblical lands. In this period the Assyrian empire embraced most of the civilized parts of western Asia including western Iran, Mesopotamia, southern Turkey, and the shores of the Levant. It was an exciting and tumultous period involving palace revolutions and harem intrigues, and it was a time in which the legendary Semiramis played a prominent role.The inscriptions speak of the kings' building of palaces and temples in various parts of Assyria, of the gods who were invoked to bless their enterprises, of revolutions and a multitude of military conquests. Each text is accompanied by a brief introduction, a catalogue of exemplars, commentary, bibliography, transliteration, translation, and notes. The book contains an introduction to the volume as a whole and indexes. 'Scores,' published on microfiche, are located in a pocket at the back of the book.

Gudea ruled over the Sumerian city-state of Lagas during the 21st century B.C.E., and left an incredible wealth of inscriptions pertaining to his building activity and pious donations, displayed on statues, clay cylinders, mace heads, vessels and many other objects. The central part of the book is Gudea's incription dedicated to the construction of the Eninnu, the main sanctuary of his city-god Ningirsu. It is composed of two parts, each displayed on a huge clay cylinder measuring 60 cm in height and 33 cm in diameter. The composition as a whole has 1366 cases or lines, and is among the longest Sumerian literary texts known at present. Although formally a building inscription, it is at the same time Sumerian poetic art at its best, and also a rich source for the study of Sumerian religion. Gudea's inscriptions and those of his predecessors and followers are offered in the Latin transliteration of the original cuneiform texts, in translation, and they are provided with introductions, commentaries and explanatory notes, with the volume as a whole highlighting a century which was part of the so-called Neo-Sumerian period.

This volume covers the Isin-Larsa and Old Babylonian periods, a period marked initially by the struggle of two city-states, Isin and Larsa, for control over the land of Sumer in southern Babylonia. In the end the city-state of Babylon, under its energetic ruler Hammurabi, intervened. At an opportune moment, Hammurabi struck swiftly, defeated Larsa, and incorporated the southern domains into his own realms, thereby creating an empire that for a short time united the lands of Sumer and Akkad.The inscriptions in this volume are grouped by dynasties and arranged in order by ruler within each dynasty. Further, the inscriptions are arranged chronologically within each king's reign. A short introduction for each inscription gives its general contents, place of origin, and relative dating. Also included are a detailed catalogue of exemplars, a brief commentary, bibliography, and text in transliteration facing an English translation. The appended microfiches contain a transliteration of each individual exemplar displayed in a format reminiscent of a musical score.

The book Presargonic Period (2700-2350 BC) provides editions of all known royal inscriptions of kings who ruled in ancient Mesopotamia down to the advent of King Sargon of Akkad. Most of the inscriptions come from the city states of Lagsh and Umma; inscriptions from other sites are rather poorly attested. The volume includes a handful of new inscriptions recently uncovered in Iraq.Information on museum numbers, excavation numbers, provenances, dimensions, and lines preserved in the various exemplars are displayed for multi-exemplar texts in an easy-to-read tabular form. Also included in several commentary sections are notes on the find-spots of the inscriptions from Lagas and references about various toponymns to be discussed in a forthcoming study of the author on the geography of Lagas and Umma provinces.Indexes of museum numbers, excavation numbers, and concordances of selected publications complete the volume.

The book Presargonic Period (2700-2350 BC) provides editions of all known royal inscriptions of kings who ruled in ancient Mesopotamia down to the advent of King Sargon of Akkad. Most of the inscriptions come from the city states of Lagsh and Umma; inscriptions from other sites are rather poorly attested. The volume includes a handful of new inscriptions recently uncovered in Iraq.Information on museum numbers, excavation numbers, provenances, dimensions, and lines preserved in the various exemplars are displayed for multi-exemplar texts in an easy-to-read tabular form. Also included in several commentary sections are notes on the find-spots of the inscriptions from Lagas and references about various toponymns to be discussed in a forthcoming study of the author on the geography of Lagas and Umma provinces.Indexes of museum numbers, excavation numbers, and concordances of selected publications complete the volume.