ABC 20 (Chronicle of Early Kings)
The Chronicle of Early Kings (ABC 20) is a historiographical text from ancient Babylonia.
Although the Chronicle of Early Kings (ABC 20) purports to offer information about the oldest period and the Old-Babylonian empire, it was probably written much later. One anachronism is the reference to Babylon during the reign of king Sargon of Akkad. However, in outline, much information is more or less correct. The last seven lines of tablet A are identical to the beginning of tablet B, so we can be confident that we have a more or less complete text. Related subject matter can be found in chronicle CM 41.
For a very brief introduction to the literary genre of chronicles, go here. The translation on this webpage was adapted from A.K. Grayson, Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles (1975) and Jean-Jacques Glassner, Mesopotamian Chronicles (Atlanta, 2004).
Translation of tablet B |
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[B.obv.1-7] [Identical to tablet A 31-36.] |
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[B.obv.8] Hammurabi,note king of Babylon, mustered his army and |
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[B.obv.9] marched against Rim-Sin [I], king of Ur. |
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[B.obv.10] Hammurabi captured Ur and Larsa and |
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[B.obv.11] took their property to Babylon. |
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[B.obv.12] He brought Rim-Sin in a ki-is-kap to Babylon. |
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[B.obv.13] Samsu-iluna,note king of Babylon, son of Hammurabi, the king |
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[B.obv.14] [...] he mustered and |
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[B.obv.15] [...] Rim-Sin [II] marched to [...] |
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[B.obv.16] [...] he captured and |
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[B.obv.17] [...] in good health in his palace |
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[B.obv.18] [...] he went and surrounded [...] |
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[B.obv.19] [...] his people [...] |
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[B.obv.20] [...] [Lacuna] |
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