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STATE ARCHIVES OF ASSYRIA XIX
may have happened by “ensnaring” 170 Babylonian chieftains and sheikhs by
means of treaties and loyalty oaths which may have created animosity between
these tribal leaders. 171 For instance, a treaty similar to that imposed on
Merodach-baladan is also very likely to have been sworn by Balassu of the
Bit-Dakkuri and Nadinu of Larak. The asssumption that they were bound by
a treaty would help us understand their behaviour and obligations in certain
circumstances which are recorded in the Nimrud Letters and other contemporary
documents. In addition to the leaders of the most powerful Chaldean
tribes in Babylonia, Merodach-baladan, Balassu and Mukin-zeri (of the Bit-
Amukani) belong to this category; 172 some of the less influential tribal leaders
were also under strict obligations arising from unbalanced loyalty oaths they
concluded with the king of Assyria. For example, as is known from Tiglathpileser’s
royal inscriptions, Zakir, leader of the Chaldean tribe of Bit-Ša’alli,
broke his treaty and was captured by the Assyrians, 173 and it may be that the
events discussed in no. 87 sealed his destiny. According to the same inscriptions,
Nabû-ušabši, leader of the Bit-Šilani (also a Chaldean tribe), was
apparently Zakir’s partner in crime and suffered the fate of being impaled at
the hands of the Assyrians. 174 He may have received a mention in no. 104 r.2
and/or r.5, a letter from Nabû-nammir. In a Babylonian context, the importance
of adhering to the Assyrian treaties is carefully emphasized at the end
of no. 140, a letter from Hamapi (possibly likewise a tribal leader): “By that
very command, whoever transgresses your word (or) alters your treaty, will
be consigned into your hands” (lines r.5ff).
On Some Influential Figures in the Nimrud Letters
The pragmatically disposed Assyrians did not waste time exploiting conquered
areas. For instance, the Nimrud Letters reveal a network of people
whose responsibilities included Assyrian logistics. However, it is a typical
feature of Neo-Assyrian letters which deal with military matters including
deportations, that any clear statements about the position and function of the
people carrying out delicate operations are completely missing. Hence our
curiosity about their duties is aroused but not satisfied by the available
sources, and the titles of these high officials and their exact serving locations
have to be inferred from the available data.
The following is a selection (in alphabetical order) of some influential
figures in the Nimrud Letters, including Assyrian officials and tribal leaders;
some — but not all of them — may also be said to act as the main protagonists
in the corpus under Tiglath-pileser and Sargon:
Ašipâ may be the same person who later served as governor of Tušhan. 175
Nevertheless, in the Nimrud corpus, Ašipâ takes care of boat and water-skin
raft traffic and delivers goods, especially barley, to the cities in northern
Babylonia: Babylon, Cutha, Kar-Nergal and Sippar seem to be the main cities
to which he distributed barley or from which he collected it. Other significant
figures in his network are Balassu of the Bit-Dakkuri, Mušezib-ilu, Nergaleṭir
and Ṣil-Bel; 176 they are all providers of the barley to be distributed and
were involved in river transport in northern Babylonia. We may posit, with
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