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‎Discovery and publication

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The '''Babylonian Chronicles''' are many series of [[clay tablet|tablet]]s recording major events in [[Babylon]]ian history. They are thus one of the first steps in the development of [[ancient]] [[historiography]]. The Babylonian Chronicles were written from the reign of [[Nabonassar]] up to the [[Parthian Empire|Parthian Period]], by Babylonian astronomers ("Chaldaeans"), who probably used the ''[[Astronomical Diaries]]'' as their source.

Almost all of the tablets were identified as chronicles once in the collection of the [[British Museum]], having been acquired via antiquities dealers from unknown excavations in the 19th century. All but three of the chronicles are [[provenance|unprovenanced]].<ref name=waerzeggers/>

The Chronicles provide the "master narrative" for large tracts of modern Babylonian history.<ref name=waerzeggers>[http://www.academia.edu/3268307/The_Babylonian_Chronicles_Classification_and_Provenance_Journal_of_Near_Eastern_Studies_71_2_2012_285-298 The_Babylonian_Chronicles_Classification_and_Provenance]</ref>

==Discovery and publication==
The chronicles are thought to have been written in [[Babylon]] during the [[Achaemenid]] period, c. 550–400 BCE. They are thought to have been transferred to the [[British Museum]] after 19th century excavations in Babylon, and subsequently left undeciphered in the archives for decades. The first chronicle to be published was BM 92502 (ABC1) in 1887 by [[Theophilus Pinches]] under the title "The Babylonian Chronicle". This was followed in 1923 by the publication of the Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (ABC 3), in 1924 by Sidney Smith's publication of the Esarhaddon Chronicle (ABC 14), the Akitu Chronicle (ABC 16) and the [[Nabonidus Chronicle]] (ABC 7), and in 1956 by [[Donald Wiseman]]'s publication of four further tablets including the [[Nebuchadnezzar Chronicle]] (ABC 5).<ref>[http://www.scribd.com/mobile/doc/10493581# Wiseman, 1956, pages 1+2]</ref>

==Provenanced Chronicles==
* [[Dynastic Chronicle]] (''ABC'' 18) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc18/dynastic1.html translation]) ([http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/farfarer2001/chronicles/chronicle_18.htm&date=2009-10-25+22:03:48 another version of Column 5])

* Weidner Chronicle (''ABC'' 19) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc19/weidner.html translation])

* Synchronistic History (''ABC'' 21) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc21/synchronistic1.html one translation] and [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/farfarer2001/chronicles/synchronistic_history.html%23_edn1&date=2009-10-25+22:03:58 another translation])

==Unprovenanced Chronicles==

* Chronicle of the Kassite and Isin Dynasties, also known as Walker's Chronicle (called "Chronicle 25", but not available in ABC) ([http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/farfarer2001/chronicles/walkers_chronicle.html&date=2009-10-25+22:04:01 translation])

* Chronicle of Early Kings (''ABC'' 20) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc20/kings.html translation])

* [[Chronicle P]] (''ABC'' 22) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc22/p.html translation] and [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/farfarer2001/chronicles/chronicle_p.html&date=2009-10-25+22:03:55 another translation])

* [[Chronicle of the Market Prices]] (''ABC'' 23) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc23/prices.html translation])

* [[Eclectic Chronicle]] (''ABC'' 24) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc24/eclectic.html translation])

* [[Religious Chronicle]] (''ABC'' 17) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc17/religious_chronicle1.html translation])

* [[Nabonassar]] to [[Shamash-shum-ukin]] Chronicle (''ABC'' 1) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc1/abc1_col_i.html translation])

* Esarhaddon Chronicle (''ABC'' 14) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc14/esarhaddon.html translation])

* Shamash-shuma-ukin Chronicle (''ABC'' 15) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc15/samas-suma-ukin.html translation]) ([http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/farfarer2001/chronicles/chronicle_15.htm&date=2009-10-25+22:03:46 another translation])

* Akitu Chronicle (''ABC'' 16) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc16/akitu.html translation])

* Early Years of [[Nabopolassar]] Chronicle (''ABC'' 2) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc2/early-nabopolassar.html translation])

* Fall of [[Nineveh]] Chronicle (''ABC'' 3) ([http://www.livius.org/ne-nn/nineveh/nineveh02.html translation])

* Late Reign of Nabopolassar Chronicle (''ABC'' 4) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc4/late-nabopolassar.html translation])

* [[Nebuchadnezzar Chronicle]], also known as Jerusalem Chronicle (''ABC'' 5) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc5/jerusalem.html translation])

* Third year of Neriglissar Chronicle (''ABC'' 6) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc6/neriglissar.html translation])

* [[Nabonidus Chronicle]] (''ABC'' 7) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc7/abc7_nabonidus1.html text and translation])

* [[Artaxerxes III]] Chronicle (''ABC'' 9) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc9/artaxerxes.html translation])

* [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]] Chronicle (''ABC'' 8 = ''BCHP'' 1) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-alexander/alexander_01.html text and translation])

* Alexander and Arabia Chronicle (''BCHP'' 2) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-arabia/arabia_01.html text and translation])

* Diadochi Chronicle (''ABC'' 10 = ''BCHP'' 3) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-diadochi/diadochi_01.html text and translation])

* Arses and Alexander fragment (''BCHP'' 4) ([http://www.livius.org/aj-al/alexander/alexander_t56.html translation])

* Antiochus and [[Sin (god)|Sin]] Temple Chronicle (''ABC'' 11 = ''BCHP'' 5) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-antiochus_sin/antiochus_sin_01.html text and translation])

* Ruin of Esagila Chronicle (''BCHP'' 6) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-ruin_esagila/ruin_esagila_01.html text and translation])

* Antiochus, Bactria, and India Chronicle (''ABC'' 13A = ''BCHP'' 7) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-india/antiochus_india_01.html text and translation])

* Juniper garden Chronicle (''BCHP'' 8) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-juniper/juniper_01.html text and translation])

* End of [[Seleucus I]] Chronicle (''ABC'' 12 = ''BCHP'' 9) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-end_seleucus/seleucus_01.html text and translation])

* Seleucid Accessions Chronicle (''ABC'' 13 = ''BCHP'' 10) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-dynastic/dynastic_01.html text and translation])

* Invasion of [[Ptolemy III]] Chronicle (''BCHP'' 11) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-ptolemy_iii/bchp_ptolemy_iii_01.html text and translation])

* [[Seleucus III]] Chronicle (''ABC'' 13B = ''BCHP'' 12) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-seleucus_iii/seleucus_iii_01.html text and translation])

* Politai Chronicle (''BCHP'' 13) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-politai/politai_1.html text and translation])

* Greek Community Chronicle (''BCHP'' 14) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-greeks/greeks_01.html text and translation])

* Gold Theft Chronicle (''BCHP'' 15) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-gold/theft_1.html text and translation])

* Document on land and tithes (''BCHP'' 16) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-tithes/tithes_1.html text and translation])

* Judicial Chronicle (''BCHP'' 17) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-jud/jud_1.html text and translation])

* Bagayasha Chronicle (''BCHP'' 18)

* Chronicle Concerning an [[Arsacid Empire|Arsacid]] King (''BCHP'' 19) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-arsacid/arsacid_king_1.html text and translation])

* Euphrates Chronicle (''BCHP'' 20) ([http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/bchp-euphrates/euphrates_1.html text and translation])

==Literature==
* Leo Oppenheim's translation of the [[Nabonidus Chronicle]] can be found in [[James B. Pritchard|J. B. Pritchard]] (ed.) ''[[Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament]]'' (= ''ANET''; 1950, 1955, 1969).
* The standard edition is [[Albert Kirk Grayson|A.K. Grayson]], ''Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles'' (= ''ABC''; 1975)
* A translation of Chronicle 25, discovered after the publication of ''ABC'', was published by C.B.F. Walker "Babylonian Chronicle 25: A Chronicle of the Kassite and Isin Dynasties", in G. van Driel e.a. (eds.): ''Zikir Šumim: Assyriological Studies Presented to F.R. Kraus on the Occasion of His Seventieth Birthday'' (= ''Fs. Kraus''; 1982).
* John Brinkman revises Grayson's reading of [http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc1/abc1_col_i.html ''ABC'' 1] in: "The Babylonian Chronicle revisited" in T. Abusch, J. Huehnergard, P. Steinkeller (eds.): ''Lingering over words. Studies in ancient Near Eastern literature in honor of William L. Moran'' (1990 Atlanta)
* Fragments of the chronicles that are relevant to the study of the [[Bible]], can be found in [[William W. Hallo]] (ed.), ''The Context of Scripture'', volume 1 (2003 Leiden and Boston). This book also contains the Weidner Chronicle.
* A recent update of ''ABC'' is Jean-Jacques Glassner, ''Mesopotamian Chronicles'' (= ''CM''; 2004, French version 1993)
* An even more recent update of ''ABC'' is Amélie Kuhrt, ''The Persian Empire: A Corpus of Sources of the Achaemenid Period'' (Routledge, 2007)
* The publication of I. Finkel & [[R. J. van der Spek]], ''Babylonian Chronicles of the Hellenistic Period'' (= ''BCHP'') has been announced.

==See also==
*[[List of artifacts significant to the Bible]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/chron00.html Mesopotamian Chronicles]: all Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles
*[http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/farfarer2001/chronicles/chronicle_index.html&date=2009-10-25+22:03:51 Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles, and King Lists]
*[http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/chron_literature.html Literature]: Aa list of relevant secondary literature
*[http://utenti.lycos.it/homegape/mesopot/histor/index.html Synchronistic King List, Assyrian King List]: translations and bibliographies
*[http://www.onderzoekinformatie.nl/en/oi/nod/onderzoek/OND1297087/ Cuneiform sources for the history of Hellenistic Babylonia. Edition and Analysis]: information about the BCHP Project

{{British Museum}}

[[Category:Babylonia]]
[[Category:Chronicles]]
[[Category:Akkadian inscriptions]]
[[Category:Clay tablets]]

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