Verse Account of Nabonidus
The question what Nabonidus was doing in Tayma will probably remain unsolved for ever. From the following text, known as the Verse Account of Nabonidus, we may deduce that during his life time, there were strong rumors that the king suffered from a mental illness and proposed a religious reform (preferring the Moon god Sin to all other gods). These rumors were used by the author of the Verse Account of Nabonidus to explain Nabonidus' stay abroad: being mad, he ignored the supreme god Marduk and went away.
Nabonidus' devotion to the Moon is a historical fact, proven by an inscription found in Harran (in 1956). That he blasphemed against Marduk, however, must be an exaggeration.
The translation below was made by A. Leo Oppenheim and is copied from James B. Pritchard's Ancient Near Eastern texts relating to the Old Testament, 1950 Princeton. Some minor changes have been made.
Column ii |
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[ii.1] His form not even Eamummu could have formed, not even the learned Adapa knows his name. |
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[ii.2] Nabonidus said: "I shall build a temple for him, I shall construct his holy seat, I shall form its first brick for him, I shall establish firmly its foundation, I shall make a replica even of the temple Ekur. I shall call its name Ehulhul for all days to come. |
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[ii.3] When I will have fully executed what I have planned, I shall lead him by the hand and establish him on his seat. Yet till I have achieved this, till I have obtained what is my desire, I shall omit all festivals, I shall order even the New Year's festival to cease!" |
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[ii.4] And he formed its first brick, did lay out the outlines, he spread out the foundation, made high its summit, by means of wall decoration made of gypsum and bitumen he made its facing brilliant, as in the temple Esagila he made a ferocious wild bull stand on guard in front of it. |
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[ii.5] After he had obtained what he desired, a work of utter deceit, had built this abomination, a work of unholiness - when the third year was about to begin - he entrusted the army [?] to his oldest son, his first born, the troops in the country he ordered under his command. |
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[ii.6] He let everything go, entrusted the kingship to him, and, himself, he started out for a long journey. The military forces of Akkad marching with him, he turned to Tayma deep in the west. |
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[ii.7] He started out the expedition on a path leading to a distant region. When he arrived there, he killed in battle the prince of Tayma, slaughtered the flocks of those who dwell in the city as well as in the countryside. And he, himself, took residence in Tayma, the forces of Akkad were also stationed there. |
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[ii.8] He made the town beautiful, built there a palace like the palace in Babylon. He also built walls for the fortification of the town and he surrounded the town with sentinels. |
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[ii.9] The inhabitants became troubled. The brick form and the brick basket he imposed upon them. [lacuna] |
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