Assyrian Historiography: A Source StudyOlmstead, A. T. (Albert Ten Eyck)
History
Assyrian Historiography: A Source Study
Olmstead, A. T. (Albert Ten Eyck)
Assyria -- History -- Historiography; Assyria -- History -- Sources
No relationship has been made out between the fragments, but the
four-fairly complete prisms fall into two groups, A and C, B and D, as
regards both the form of writing and the character of the text. All
date seemingly from the same month of the same year, though from
separate days. The most fragmentary of these, D, seems the best, as it
has the smallest number of unique readings and has also the largest
number of omissions, [Footnote: II. 21b-23a; III. 37b-39a; IV. 36.]
all of which are clearly interpolations in the places where they are
given. This is especially true of the one [Footnote: IV. 36.] which
refers to the Anu-Adad and Ishtar temples, for not only is the
insertion awkward, we know from the Obelisk [Footnote: II. 13.] that
the Anu-Adad temple was not completed till year five, so that it must
be an interpolation of that date. In spite of its general resemblance
to D, especially in its omissions, B is very poorly written and has
over two hundred unique readings. One of its omissions would seriously
disarrange the chronology, [Footnote: IV. 40-42.] others are clearly
unwarranted, [Footnote: II. 79081; V.4; VIII. 29b-33.] and one long
addition [Footnote: VII. 17-27; also I. 35; different in VI. 37.]
further marks its peculiar character. Our conclusion must be that it
is a poor copy of a good original. C is between A and B, agreeing with
the latter in a strange interpolation [Footnote: III. 2a-c.] and in
the omission of the five kings of the Muski. [Footnote: I. 63b. King,
_Supplement_, 116 follows C.] A is the latest but best preserved,
while the character of the text warrants us in making this our
standard as it has but few unique readings and but one improbable
omission. [Footnote: VII. 105-8.] The same account, in slightly
different form and seemingly later in date [Footnote: K.2815 is dated
in the eponomy of Ninib nadin apal, the LAH MA GAL E official. He
probably is after the rab bi lul official in whose year the hexagons
are dated.] is also found in some tablet inscriptions. [Footnote:
Budge-King, 125 n.3; K.2815, with different conclusion; 81-2-4, 220,
where reverse different; K.12009; K.13840; 79-7-8, 280; 89-4-26, 28;
Rm. 573: Winckler, AOF. III. 245.]
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