Merodach-Baladan at Dur-Jakin: A Note on the Defense of Babylonian Cities

Abstract

The defensive works consisted of moat 200 cubits (ca. 100 m.) wide and 18 cubits (ca. 9 m.) deep at distance of one allu (ca. 60 m.) from the city wall. Bridges were built across it, and it was flooded by making cut the Euphrates, effectively surrounding the city with In the face of the qssyrian advance the bridges were cut, and Merodach-Baladan drew up hi forces before the city in the space between the wall and the moat. As the Assyrian annalist put it: Like kuma-waterbird, he pitched his royal tent on the inside of the rivers. However, in spite of such elaborate works the Assyrians managed cross the moat using ramp, and battle was fought before the city in which the Assyrians were victorious. MerodachBaladan escaped, but the city itself was taken. It would be pointless refute all of the other interpretations of this passage point for point. The specialist will recognize, I believe, that only the interpretation just given takes into account all of the various bits of information contained in the various versions of the siege. It should be noted, however, that the metrological expressions dI-la-TA.AM // 10 NINDA.TA.AM2 can only be translated as a distance of an allu everywhere; thus the D-stem of nesa does not have the meaning to move