BABYLOKISCRE TEXTE.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BABYLONISCHE TEXTE. HEFT VI B. INSCRIPTIONS OF THE REIGNS OF EVIL-MERODACH, NERIGLISSAR (B. 562-559) (B. C. 559-555) AND LABOROSOARCHOD (B. C. 555) COPIED AND AUTOGRAPHED BY B. T. A. EVETTS. M. A. OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EGYPTIAN AND ASSYRIAN ANTIQUITIES BRITISH MUSEUM. LEIPZIG VERLAG VON EDUTARD PFEIFFER 1892. PREFACE. The following inscriptions are published with the intention of filling up, in the series of Babylonische Texte, a gap between the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar and Nabonidus, which represents the interval occupied by the three short reigns of Evil-Mero- dach, Neriglissar and Laborosoarchod. Evil-Merodach was, as we are informed by Josephus, on the ultimate authority of Berosus, the son of Nebuchadnezzar, and reigned, according to same authority and the Canon of Ptolemy, for two years. Now this period is shown by our inscriptions to be exactly the length of his rule, since the first contract here published bears the date of Elul 26 in this monarch's years of accession, and the last has the date of Ab 4 in his second year; while the first published contract of his successor Neriglissar is of Elul 12, and the last date of his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar is Tammuz 27 of his 43rd. and last year. Evil-Merodach is said by Berosus to have ruled lawlessly, but the incident recorded in II. Kings XXV., 27-30 and in Jer. LII. 31-34 shows at least that he could show generosity to his enemies. The same historian relates that Evil-Merodach was assassinated at the instigation of Neriglissar, who was his sister's husband and therefore the son-in-law of Nebuchadnezzar. Neriglissar reign- ed for four years all but four months, as the Canon of Pto- lemy compared with the contracts here published proves, and then died and was succeeded by his son Laborosoarchod, a mere child. This is the Labasi-Marduk of the Babylonian VI PREFACE. contracts, who is shown by the first tablet of his reign here published so have been the successor of Neriglissar, but who only reigned a few months, for which reason his name is omitted in the Canon of Ptolemy, like the names of the Roman Em- perors Otho, Galba and Vitellius. Laborosoarchod is said by Berosus, according to Josephus, to have been king for nine months, but our Babylonian contracts seem to show that his reign lasted for an even shorter period, namely for two months only, since the latest text of Neriglissar bears the date of Nisan 2, and the first of Laborosoarchods' successor Naboni- dus bears that of Sivan 18, apparently in the same year. The youthful monarch, who showed signs of a bad disposition, was cruelly assassinated, according to Berosus, by a band of conspirators, the leader of whom, Nabonidus, was appointed king instead of him. In an appendix I have given, on account of their rarity, a tablet dated in the reign of Sin-sar-iskun, and four inscrip- tions bearing the name of Xerxes., Professor Sayce has sug- gested that the name of Sin-sar-iskun, the successor of Assur- banipal or Sardanapalus, and probably the last king of Nineveh, may be identical with the Saracus of Berosus. Is it possible that the name of the Persian princess Ittah- sah occurring in the second contract of the appendix, drawn up for her foster-mother Artim, may be the Babylonian form of the Persian name represented by the Greek Atossa? In that case the lady here mentioned is perhaps a daughter of Xerxes bearing the name of his mother, the celebrated daughter of Cyrus, and wife of Darius Hystaspis. I hope that the inconsistency in the arrangement of the two Indices of words may be excused. The index of proper names is arranged in order to agree, for the convenience of com- parison, with the other similar indices in the Babylonische Texte. I have to thank the Revd. J. N. Strassmaier for help in copying many of the texts. ERRATA. Ner. 1. 18. for mu read Ardia. ,, 1. 19. after si add u. 2. 1. add Saggil-sum-ibni. ,, 2. 6. for u read pap. ,, 2. 8. for se read bu. 2. 12. after u insert na. ,, 2. 13. after sangu insert parakku. 4. 7. for 6 read 5. 7. 11. at beginning read si bu. 14. 11. for ku su read mur su. 15. 9. for duk read ruh. 15. 12. omit i. ,, 16. 11. for a read lut. ,, 17. 5. add a at end. ,, 20. add at end Nirgal-sar-usur sar din . tir . ki. , 21. 10. at end add Marduk. ,, 26. 1. for us read pit. ,23. 1. after u read il. tim. ,, 31. 5. after ha add sa. ,31. 7. for as read ma. ,, 42. 8. for se read bu. ,, 49. 5. for hi read din. ,, 55. 5. after a add na. ,, 58. 2. for gi read mut. ,,59. 4. for sir read us. ,, 59. 5. for hi read umun. ,, 65. 2. 3rd. character is Gu. ,.66, 11. for mu read bu-ud. INDEX. I. TEXTS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER. The year during which the reign begins is designated ace. (year of acces- sion). The months are numbered as follows: 1. Nisan, 2. Airsu, 3. Simaniz, 4. Duizu, 5. Abu, 6. Ululu, 7. Tasritu, 8. Arah-samna, 9. Kisilimu, 10. Te- bitu, 11. Sabatu, 12. Addaru, 12b. Addaru makru. The inscriptions already published in Strassmaier "Die babylonischen Inschriften im Museum zu Liverpool" are marked by their proper number following the letter L in parenthesis. REIGN OF EVIL-MERODACH. Year Month Day Registration number Number in publication ace. 6. 26. 216. 82-7-14. 1 7. 19. (not. 21) S.-. 933. 76-11-1 7. * · . o 2 9,, 9. 24. 298. 82-5-22. 3 9. 28. 3932. 82-9-18. 4 I? 11. 19. (not. 21) 4952. 82-9-18. 5 11. 28. Sp. 5. (L. 126.) 6 12. 7. S.-V. 572. 76-11-17. 7 12. 28. S.t. 974. 76-11-17. (L. 127) . 8 1. 0. 0. S.--. 1126. 76-11-17. 9 51 6. 13. S.t. 20. 76-11-17. (L. 128.) 10 '7 7. 12. S.-. 827. 76-11-17. 11 7. 23. S.f. 1053. 76-11-17. 12 8. 13. S.f. 373. 76-11-17. (L. 129.) 13 10. 9. S.f. 971. 76-11-76. (L. 130.) 14 10. 13. S.t. 828. 76-11-17. 15 12. 15. S.f. '973. 76-11-17. 16 1 2 INDEX I. Number in Year Month Day Registration number publication 2. 1. 12. S.t. 829. 76-11-17. ..17. 18 7, 1. 18. S.f. 935. 76-11-17. (L. 131.) 1. 16. S.t. 22. 76-11-17. (L. 132.) . 19 2. 21. S.t. 346. 76-11-17. (L. 133.) . 20 4. 11. S.t. 830. 76-11-17. · . 21 4, 14. 1. 76-1-10. (L. 134.) . 22 4. 15. 371. 82-5-22. 23 .. 91 5. 4. S.t. 972. 76-11-17. (L., 135) . .24 REIGN OF NERIGLISSAR. ace. 6. 12. 33. 84-2-11. · ., . 1 7, 6. 16. 1. 74-6-9. 2 6. 24. 4014. 82-9-18. , o.· .·. 3 '7 82-9-18. ... 4 7, 6. 24. 3908. 11. 81-6-25. 5 7, 9. 4. 9. 16. 52. 81-11-3. · ·, ·.. 6 76-11-17. 7 '7 10. 23. S. t . 832. 1. 78-11-20. * . * 8 7' 12. 7. 1)1 '7 12b. 6. S.f. 133. 76-11-17. (L 9 0. 0. Sp. 6. 10 0. 0. 332. 84-2-11. · .. 11 0. 0. S.t. 141. 76-11-17. · · .- 12 1. 1. 1. 222. 81-11-3. (See Pinches in Rec. of Past, N. S., IV., p. 102)13 300. 82-5-22 . 14 7, 1. 25. 15 7, 2. 9. S.t. 300. 75-11-17. (L 111.) . 16 17 3. 1. S.t. 975. 76-11-17. (L. 112.) . 17 '71 3. 25. 361. 82-5-22 . ... 18 7, 4. 4. 3887. 82-9-18. 4. 8. 4711. 82-9-18. 19 17 4. 15. S.t. 1691. 76-11-17. (L 116.) . 20 7, 4. 27. Rm. IV. 118. .. 21 . 22 '7 4. 27. S.t. 278. 76-11-18. '7 5. 3. S.t. 301. 76-11-17. (L. 113.) . .23 7, 5. 15. 2. 76-10-16. (L. 114.) . 24 25 7' 6. 6. S.t. 252. 76-11-17. (L. 115.) . 7, 8. 14. S.t. 302. 76-11-17. 26 8. 30. S.t. 1285. 76-11-17. (L. 117.) . .27 '711 9. 16. 3802. 82-9-18 . 28 77 10. 20. 3981. 82-9-18 . 29 '7 11. 17. 17. 76-1-10 . 30 0. 0. 34. 84-2-11 . 31 INDEX I. 3 Year Month Day Registration number INumber in Ipublication 2. 1. 10. 1035. 76-11-17. 32 97 2. 23. S.f. 870. 76-11-17. 33 I' 2. 27. S.I-f. 575. 76-11-17. 34 3. 25. S.t. 811. 76-11-17 . * 35 7, 4. 28. 16. 85-4-30 . 36 5. 11. 3902. 82-9-18. * . 37 11 6. 2. S.f. 831. 76-11-17. 38 6. 10. S.f. 170. 76-11-16. (L. 118.) . 39 '711 7. 3. 5245. 82-9-18 . 40 8. 30. 3929. 82-9-18 . 41 8. 27. S.t. 181. 76-11-16. 42 9. 2. S.t. 51. 76-11-17. (L. 119.) . 43 11 9. 7. 35. 84-2-11. 44 7, 9. 9. S.t.