The Hearing Gods of the Assyrian Royal Inscriptions

What is it about?

Towards the end of the Early Assyrian period, the phrase “Then DN will hear his prayers” appears as a formulaic conclusion to the royal inscriptions. This phrase became routine during the first half of the Middle Assyrian period (1362-963 BCE). It invoked the names of various deities, and the rationale behind the appropriation of particular deities is often missing for modern readers. This paper investigates the assorted uses of this phrase and concludes that the inclusion of specific deities was not haphazard, but intentional.

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