The Relation of Ispillurtu to the Assyrian Royal Ideology in the Letter SAA 10 030

Authors:

Pages: 331-341
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/BYPP9206

Abstract:

The present paper discusses some elements of the Neo-Assyrian royal ideology attested t the beginning of the letter SAA 10 030. In the text the Akkadian words 𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑡𝑢, 𝑘𝑖𝑧𝑖𝑟𝑡𝑢 and 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑡𝑢 refer to the position of the crown prince and his relationship with the god Nabu. This relationship is attested in different texts of the period, such as 𝐷𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝐴𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑁𝑎𝑏𝑢 and the so-called 𝐴𝑢𝑡𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑝ℎ𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑙. The author proposes that SAA 10 030 and two other texts, part of the royal correspondence, in which 𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑡𝑢 is mentioned, could be dated in the years when Esarhaddon and Assurbanipal were crown princes. Furthermore, the study explains the context of the letters SAA 10 030 and SAA 16 143 with the inauguration of the magistrates, who worked under the orders of the crown prince. In this way, we partially revive an old idea, suggested by the renowned Assyriologist S. Parpola in 1980s. The author also considers the possibility 𝑘𝑖𝑧𝑖𝑟𝑡𝑢 to represent a copy of the famous vassal treaties of Esarhaddon.

Keywords:

ancient Near East; Assyriology; Neo-Assyrian Empire; cuneiform texts; Assyrian royal correspondence,;Assyrian royal ideology.

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