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Primary sourceDocument1907 (transcription of ancient original)

Rassam Cylinder, Urdamanee Section

Theophilus Goldridge Pinches · 1907 (transcription of ancient original)

A section of cuneiform text from Ashurbanipal's own Rassam cylinder, recording his Egyptian and Elamite campaigns, copied by Theophilus Pinches in 1907.

This is a scholarly transcription of Ashurbanipal's own account of his Egyptian and Elamite campaigns.

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Close-up scan of several cuneiform signs in black wedge-shaped strokes on a light background, arranged in a horizontal row. The signs appear to be taken from an inscription, likely the Rassam cylinder text.
Rassam cylinder, Urdamanee section, transcribed by Theophilus Pinches, 1907.

About this source

What it is

This image shows cuneiform signs from the Rassam cylinder, part of Ashurbanipal's own royal inscription describing his campaigns in Egypt and Elam. The text was transcribed by scholar Theophilus Pinches in 1907.

Why it matters

This section of the cylinder records Ashurbanipal's military actions beyond Assyria's borders. Because it comes from his own inscription, it is a primary source for how the king wanted his conquests remembered, and scholarly transcriptions like this one helped make the ancient text accessible to later readers.

Look closer

  • What do you notice about how the wedge signs are grouped and spaced?
  • Why might a king record his wars abroad in such permanent form, carved into clay?
  • What questions does this fragment leave unanswered about the actual campaigns?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Ashurbanipal on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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