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Lot Essay
Known as the "Slab Back Text" this cuneiform fragment preserves a section from the back of a larger relief once reading (the preserved portions highlighted): "Ashurnasirpal, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, son of Tukulti-Ninurta (II), great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, son of Adad-narari (II) (who was) also great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria; valiant man who acts with the support of Aššur, his lord, and has no rival among the princes of the four quarters, marvelous shepherd, fearless in battle, mighty flood-tide which has no opponent, the king who subdued (the territory stretching) from the opposite bank of the Tigris to Mount Lebanon and the Great Sea, the entire land Laqû, (and) the land Su?u including the city Rapiqu. He conquered from the source of the River Subnat to the interior of the land Nirbu..." For a complete translation, see pp. 301-302 in. A.K. Grayson, Assyrian Rulers of the Early First Millennium BC, vol. 1.
As J.M. Russell informs (pp. 19-23 in The Writing on the Wall: Studies in the Architectural Context of Late Assyrian Palace Inscriptions), the “Slab Back Text” was carved on the backs of every wall relief panel of Ashurnasirpal II’s Northwest Palace. These were among the first inscriptions discovered by Sir Austen Henry Layard in the mid-19th century during his excavations of the palace. Given the thickness and weight of these relief panels, most of the examples now in European and North American collections had their backs removed by local stonecutters in order to facilitate their transport abroad. In the process, many of the Slab Back Texts were discarded.
As J.M. Russell informs (pp. 19-23 in The Writing on the Wall: Studies in the Architectural Context of Late Assyrian Palace Inscriptions), the “Slab Back Text” was carved on the backs of every wall relief panel of Ashurnasirpal II’s Northwest Palace. These were among the first inscriptions discovered by Sir Austen Henry Layard in the mid-19th century during his excavations of the palace. Given the thickness and weight of these relief panels, most of the examples now in European and North American collections had their backs removed by local stonecutters in order to facilitate their transport abroad. In the process, many of the Slab Back Texts were discarded.
