| Zecharia Sitchin suggests the
conical object in the stela below is a rocket.
Unfortunately for this idea, the stela itself is proof against this
view. Notice that the stela itself has an inscription on it (the sort of
grayish diagonal shading in this picture). To the right are two close
ups of the inscription, and to the right of that is the translation
(source: William W. Hallo
and K. Lawson Younger, Context of Scripture (Leiden; Boston:
Brill, 2000), 244).
Notice that the inscription calls this conical shape: A
MOUNTAIN.
Perfectly obvious. Why is it that Zecharia Sitchin couldn't see this
in the text? |
|
INSCRIPTION
OF NARAM-SIN: CAMPAIGN AGAINST ARMANUM
AND EBLA (2.91)
Burkhart Kienast
This inscription was
originally carved on the socle of a statue also showing the relief of a
city on top of a mountain; it is preserved in three Old Babylonian
copies on clay tablets from Ur. Exemplar A contains lines 1–118 and
the captions describing the city, exemplar B has the lines 119–185 and
two short captions while exemplar C seems to contain the complete text
of A and B; the beginning of C is lost and therefore only a few lines
(100–106) are parallel with A. The text deals with a campaign of Naram-Sin to northern Syria and with the conquest of Armanum
and Ebla.
This
inscription was originally carved on the socle of a statue also showing
the relief of a city on top of a mountain; it is preserved in three Old
Babylonian copies on clay tablets from Ur. Exemplar A contains lines
1–118 and the captions describing the city, exemplar B has the lines
119–185 and two short captions while exemplar C seems to contain the
complete text of A and B; the beginning of C is lost and therefore only
a few lines (100–106) are parallel with A. The text deals with a
campaign of Narām-Sîn
to northern Syria and with the conquest of Armānum
and Ebla.
Summary
of the campaign
(lines 1–60)
Concerning the fact from old from the creation of men no one among the
kings had overthrown Armānum
and Ebla:
With the help of the weapon of Nergal Narām-Sîn,
the Mighty, opened the only path (there) and he (Nergal) gave him Armānum
and Ebla. He also granted him the Amanus, the Cedar Forest, and the
Upper Sea. Indeed, with help of the weapon of Dagān,
who has made his kingship great, Narām-Sîn,
the Mighty, conquered Armānum
and Ebla. And from the bank of the Euphrates until Ulisum he subjugated
the people whom Dagān
granted him recently and they now carry the basket (in service) of Abā,
his god. Finally, he won control over the Amanus, the Cedar Forest.
Dedication
formula
(lines 61–81)
When Dagān
had
rendered judgement for Narām-Sîn,
the Mighty, and given Rīš-Adad,
king of Armānum,
in his hand, so that he (Narām-Sîn)
himself could take him (Rīšadad)
prisoner in the midst of his ‘entrance, he (Narām-Sîn)
fashioned his statue from diorite and dedicated it to Sîn.
Declaration
of Narām-Sîn
(lines 82–118)
Thus (said) Narām-Sîn,
the Mighty, king of the Four Quarters (of the world):
‘Dagān
gave me Armānum
and Ebla and I captured Rīš-Adad,
king of Armānum.
And at that time I fashioned a likeness of myself and dedicated it to Sîn.
No one shall remove my name! May my statue stand in front of Sîn.
What(ever) his god allots to someone may he perform; (but) the task I
had to perform was exceeding.
Curse
formula
(lines 119–185)
Whoever removes the name of Narām-Sîn,
the Mighty, king of the Four Quarters (of the world), and puts his name
on the statue of Narām-Sîn,
the Mighty, saying “(it is) my statue”, or shows (the statue) to
another man saying “remove his name and put my name in,” may Sîn,
the owner of this statue, and Ištar
Annunītum,
An,
Enlil, Abā,
Sîn,
Šamaš,
Nergal, Ūm,
Ninkarak (and) the great gods all together curse him with an evil curse;
he shall not hold the scepter for Enlil nor the kingship for Ištar;
he shall not last before his god; Ninḫursag
and Nintu shall not grant him a son or heir; Adad and Nisaba shall not
make his furrow prosper; Enki/E’a shall fill his (irrigation) ditch
with mud and not increase his understanding.
Captions according to exemplar A:
Description of Armānum
(a) From
the strong wall to the great wall:
130
cubits (is) the height of the mountain,
44
cubits (is) the height of the wall.
(b) From
the outer wall to the strong wall:
180
cubits (is) the height of the mountain,
30
cubits (is) the height of the wall.
(c) In
total: 404 cubits height
from
the ground to the top of the wall.
(d) He
destroyed (?) the city Armānum.
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