Assyrians
& Nairi Text
Assyrian King Tukulti-Ninurta I 1243–1207 BC
“The god Ashur, my lord and master, sent me against the lands of the distant kings who dwell on the shore of the
Upper Sea (i.e., the
Black Sea), owning no master; and thither
I went. By toilsome paths and arduous passes, through which no king before me had gone, by hidden tracks and unmade roads I led my armies… Where the going was easy I travelled in my chariot; where it was difficult I advanced with the help of brazen axes (i.e.,
clearing a path)…
Twenty-three kings of the lands of Nairi gathered together chariots and warriors in their
countries and rose up against me
in war and strife.”ArcImaging - The Search For Noah's Ark