lated the inscription in his "_Histoire des Empires
de Chaldee et d'Assyrie_," and M. Menant has given another rendering of it
in his "_Annales des Rois d'Assyrie_" (1874). A copy of the text will be
found in Layard's "Inscriptions in the Cuneiform Character" (1851).

BLACK OBELISK OF SHALMANESER

FACE A

1 Assur, the great Lord, the King of all
2 the great gods; Anu, King of the spirits of heaven
3 and the spirits of earth, the god, Lord of the world; Bel,
4 the Supreme, Father of the gods, the Creator;
5 Hea, King of the deep, determiner of destinies,
6 the King of crowns, drinking in brilliance;
7 Rimmon, the _crowned_ hero, Lord of canals;[1] the Sun-god
8 the Judge of heaven and earth, the urger on of all;
9 (Merodach), Prince of the gods, Lord of battles; Adar,
the terrible,
10 (Lord) of the spirits of heaven and the spirits of earth,
the exceeding strong god; Nergal,
11 the powerful (god), King of the battle; Nebo, the bearer
of the high sceptre,
12 the god, the Father above; Beltis, the wife of Bel, mother
of the (great) gods;
13 Istar, sovereign of heaven and earth, who the face of heroism
perfectest;
14 the great (gods), determining destinies, making great my
kingdom.
15 (I am) Shalmaneser, King of multitudes of men, prince
(and) hero of Assur, the strong King,
16 King of all the four zones of the Sun (and) of multitudes
of men, the marcher over
17 the whole world; Son of Assur-natsir-pal, the supreme
hero, who his heroism over the gods
18 has made good and has caused all the world[2] to kiss
his feet;

[Footnote 1: Or, "fertility."]

[Footnote 2: Or, "the countries the whole of them."]

FACE B

19 the noble offspring of Tiglath-Adar
20 who has laid his yoke upon all lands hostile to him, and
21 has swept (them) like a whirlwind.
22 At the beginning of my reign; when on the throne
23 of royalty mightily I had seated myself, the chariots
24 of my host I collected. Into the lowlands[1] of the country
of 'Sime'si
25 I descended. The city of Aridu, the strong city
26 of Ninni, I took. In my first year
27 the Euphrates in its flood I crossed. To the sea of the
setting sun[2]
28 I went. My weapons on the sea I rested. Victims
29 for my gods I took.[3] To mount Amanus [4] I went up.
30 Logs of cedar-wood and pine-wood I cut. To
31 the country of Lallar I