Tashtepe (A 5-10)
The 23-line inscription of King Minua was carved on a rock at the location known as Taštepe in Iranian Azerbaijan. It was severely damaged in the early 1890s by the German missionary and antiquity collector Pastor Faber, who attempted to extract it with dynamite. He later donated the extracted fragments to the British Museum, where they remain today. The original inscription is estimated to have been about 95 cm high and 85 cm wide.
Transliteration:
1 dhal-di-ni-ni [uš-ma-ši-ni]
2 mmì-nu-a-še miš-pu-[i-ni-hi-ni-še]
3 i-ni É.⸢GAL-ni za⸣-[du-ú-ni]
4 URUme-eš15-ta-ha-⸢li⸣-[e KUR-ni-a/e?]
5 ha-u-ni e-di-ni KURma-[na-ni KUR-ni]
6 a-šú-ni iš-ti-ni [LÚir-dIMEŠ]
7 a-šú-ni LÚÉRIN GÌRMEŠ [PIT-HAL-LU]MEŠ
8 ú-lu-uš-ta-i-bi [dhal-di-ni]
9 [mmì]-⸢nu⸣-ú-a-⸢še⸣ [a-li-e]
10 [ha]-⸢ú⸣-[bi] KURma-na-⸢a⸣-[ni KUR-ni]
11 [e]-di-⸢i⸣-ni te-e-[ru-ú-bi]
12 [d]hal-⸢di-i⸣ pu-lu-si [iš-ti-ni]
13 [d]hal-di-ni-ni al-su-⸢i⸣-[ši-ni]
14 [mmì]-nu-ú-[a]-⸢ni⸣ [MAN] DAN-NU
15 [a-lu]-si ⸢URU⸣ṭu-uš-pa-a URU
16 [mmì-nu]-a-še ⸢a-li⸣ a-lu-še
17 i-ni [DUB-te pi?-tú-li]-i-e
18 a-⸢lu⸣-[še ú-li i-ni-li du]-⸢li⸣-i-⸢e⸣
19 tú-ri-[ni-ni dhal-di-še dIM-še] d[UTU]
20 ma-a-[ni dUTU-ni] pi-i-ni
21 mì-i [ar-hi ú]-ru-li-a-ni
22 mì-[i i-na-i-ni mì-i na-a]-ra-a
23 a-[ú-i-e ú-lu-ú-li-e]
Translation:
“(1) [Through the protection] of the god Haldi, Minua, son of Išpu[ini], (3) created this fortress [in the land(?)] of the city Mešta. (5) Furthermore he conquered [the territry of] the land Ma[na], (6) he settled there [garrisons], he settled infantry [and cavalry(?)]. (8) [The god Haldi] marched (ahead). Minua [says]: (10) I [conquered] the land] Mana
(11) Furthermore I se[t up there] a stele of the god Haldi. (13) Through the greatness of the god Haldi (I am) [Mi]nua, strong [king], [lor]d of Ṭušpa-City. (16) Minua says: (As for the one) who [dama]ges this [inscription], (18) (as for the one) wh[o makes] anyone else do [these things], may [the god Haldi, the Weather-God], and the [Sun]-god anni[hilate] him under [the sun] . . . (rest untranslatable)”
References:
Lehmann-Haupt, C. F. 1928–1935. Corpus Inscriptionum Chaldicarum, Berlin-Leipzig (No. 20).
Salvini, M. 1984. “L’iscrizione rupestre di Taštepe,” in Tra lo Zagros e l’Urmia. Ricerche storiche ed archeologiche nell’Azerbaigian iraniano, eds. P. E. Pecorella et al., Rome, pp. 19–21, 26, 65–69 and Plt. VIIIb.
Salvini, M. 2008–2018. Corpus dei Testi Urartei, v. 1 pp. 200–201, v. 3 pp. 123–124, v. 5 pp. 117–118.
eCUT – Electronic Corpus of Urartian Texts (https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ecut/Q006908).
CTU A 5-10 = CICh 20 = HchI 17 = UKN 29 = KUKN 45
Image Source:
M. Salvini, 2008