A New Slab Back Inscription on the Construction Of The Kalhu (Nimrud) And The North-West Palace Of Ashurnasirpal II from The Museum Of Anatolian Civilizations (Ankara)

Abstract

Ashurnasirpal II represents an important turning point for the Assyrian State. With this king, Assyria transformed into a conquering state and made signif- icant gains towards becoming an empire. Ashurnasirpal II used some of the wealth transferred to Assyrian centres through great military campaigns for the reconstruction of Kalhu, a former administrative centre, and the construction of a great palace for himself. The walls of the North-West Palace built in Kalhu were adorned with reliefs and inscriptions, reflecting the state ideology. These buildings, created as a product of this mindset, and the reliefs and inscriptions covering their walls, served as significant tools of propaganda. In this study, we present the transliteration, translation and explanations of a royal inscription in the palace of Ashurnasirpal II. The inscription contains a summary of the As- syrian king’s lineage, title, military campaigns, the reconstruction of Kalhu, and the reconstruction of the North-West Palace. This inscription, like all other royal inscriptions, is the product of state ideology and tends to glorify the king and to portray him as a victorious warrior and a successful builder. However, we prefer to consider this inscription as a “Slab Back Inscription” rather than a standard inscription. This feature of the inscription makes our study important. The exis- tence of such inscriptions is lesser-known, and modern researchers often ignore them in their studies. We believe that this study will increase the recognition of such inscriptions and that this distinction will be taken into consideration in future studies on royal inscriptions.