A stele of Nebuchadnezzar II [Tower of Babel stele]. CUSAS 17 (2011) 153–69 (original) (raw)
References (6)
duplicate inscriptions accompany Neb- uchadnezzar II's rock relief at Wadi Brisa in northern Lebanon. Catalogued by Berger 1973: 316-18 Wadi Brisa-Inschrift, Da Riva 2008: 122 WBA, WBC. Text edited by Weiss- bach 1906, Langdon 1912: 150-77 Nbk no. 19. The passage about the ziqqurrat is duplicated (and enlarged) by BM 45619, a draft inscription on a large multi-column clay tablet probably from Babylon, catalogued by Berger 1973: 322
Tontafelfragment VI, 1, text edited by George 1988: 139-51.
é-temen (BM: te-me-en)-an-ki zi-qú-ra-at b⁄bili(ká.dingir.ra) ki Ía md nabû (BM: na-bi-um)- apla(ibila)-ú-‰u-ur Íàr b⁄bili(ká.dingir.ra) ki a-bi ba-nu-ú-a te-me-en-Íu ú-ki-in-nu-ma 30 ammat (kùÍ) (BM: Ía-la-Íá-a a[m-ma-at]) ú-za-aq-qí-ru- (ú)-ma la (ú)-ul-lu-um (BM: ú-ul-lu-ù) re-e-Ía-a- [Íu] ia-a-ti a-na e-pe-Íi-Íu q⁄t‹(Íu) min (B: qá-ta, BM: qá-ti) aÍ-ku-um-ma (B: aÍ-ku-un-ma) er¤n‹ ( giÍ eren. giÍ eren) da-(an)-nu-tim Ía i-na kur la-ab-na- na qí-iÍ-ti-Íu-nu i-na q⁄t‹(Íu) min (B, BM: qá-ti)-ia el/e-le-(e)-tim ak-ki-sa a-na Íi-pi (BM: Íi-i-p[í])- Íu aÍ-ta-ak-[ka-an] ká-nun-abzu k[á-é-temen- an-ki] ká-nun-Óé-gál ká-‚u 6 Ÿ-[nir] b⁄b⁄ti(ká.ká) -Íu Ía-ad-[la-a-ti] i-ta-at é.temen.[an.ki] Weissbach 1906 pl. 10 A iv 1-13 // pls. 24-25 B ii a 13-24 // George 1988: 140 ii 23'-39' dal-ba-an [ . . . . . . ] é-te-me-e[n-an-ki . . . ] ù ká-x[ . . . . . . ] George 1988: 140 ii 40'-42' ki-ma Ía u 4 -u[m ullûti] ú-ra-ki-[is-ma] giÍ er¤n‹ (eren) meÍ d[an-nu-ti] a-na [‰]ú-l[u-li-Íi-na] ú-Íá- [at-ri-i‰] giÍ talla(da[l]) giÍ Óitta(Óé.[du 7 ]) giÍ-ka-[na- ku] giÍ [dal⁄]ti(ig) meÍ el-l[e-t]i Íá giÍ er[¤ni(eren) a]Í- ták-kan-[Íi-na]-ti Weissbach 1906 pl. 11 A iv 14-22
Translation E-temen-anki, the ziqqurrat of Babylon, whose foundation platform Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, my father who begot me, made firm, and which he raised by a height of thirty cubits but did not finish (to) the top-I myself set to work on it. Mighty cedars, which in Leb- anon, their forest (home), I had cut down with my own pure hands, I set in rows for its joists. I constructed Ka-nun-abzu, Ka-[E-temen- anki,] Ka-nun-Óegal and Ka-[unir,] its huge gates, around [E-temen-anki,] (BM inserts: the passage of [. . . of] E-temen-[anki, the . . .,] and the gate Ka-. . .) as in [bygone] times [and] had mighty cedars stretched [across] for [their] roofs. I equipped them all with a cross-beam, lintel, gate-beam and pure door-leaves of cedar. B. Wadi Brisa Inscription An inscription made to record Nebuchadnez- zar's construction of the north palace in Baby- lon reports his work also on the ziqqurrats of Babylon and Borsippa. Sources catalogued by Berger 1973: 289-90 Zyl. III, 5, Da Riva 2008: 121 C35. Provenance: no doubt Babylon (BM exemplar bought from Shemtob). Text edited by Langdon 1912: 112-21 Nbk no. 14. é-temen-an-ki zi-qú-ra-at ká.dingir.ra ki é-ur 4 - me-imin-an-ki zi-qú-ra-at bár-sipa ki pí-ti-iq-Íi-na ka-la-mu i-na ku-up-ri ù a-gur-ri e-pú-uÍ ú-Ía-ak- li-il-ma ki-i‰-‰i el-lu ma-aÍ-ta-ku ta-ak-né-e i-na a- gur-ri na 4 uqnî(za.gìn) el-le-tim i-na re-e-Ía-a-Íi-na na-am-ri-iÍ e-pú-uÍ Ball 1889: 160 ff. pl. 3 i 38-43 // VAS I 38 i 44-50
E-ur-me-imin-anki, the ziqqurrat of Borsip- pa-I built their entire structure of bitumen and baked brick (and) brought them to com- pletion, and on top of (each of) them I built a holy sanctum, a chamber of repose, resplen- dently of pure tiles (glazed with) lapis lazuli.