A Sculpted Slab with an Inscription of Sargon II Mentioning the Rebellion of Yau-bi’di of Hamath

Abstract

The article presents a stone slab inscribed with a fragmentary annalistic text written in the name of the Assyrian king Sargon II (Šarru-ukin, 722-705 BCE). Based on photos of the slab recently posted on the internet, the author provides an edition of the text and discusses its historical significance.The main topic of the preserved portion of the text is the anti-Assyrian rebellion instigated by Yau-bi’di of Hamath at the beginning of Sargon’s reign, an uprising in which Samaria, Damascus, and a few other Western cities participated as well. The depiction on the slab, the recarving it experienced at some point, and the question where the slab might have been found are briefly examined as well.