Umtapo wezincwadi wase-Ashurbanipal: Umtapo wezincwadi omdala owaziwayo owaphefumulela umtapo wolwazi wase-Alexandria

Ngawo-1850, abavubukuli e-Kuyunjik, e-Iraq, bathola inqolobane yezibhebhe zobumba ezibhalwe umbhalo wekhulu lesi-7 BC. “Izincwadi” zasendulo kwakungezika-Ashurbanipal, owayebusa umbuso wasendulo wase-Asiriya kusukela ngo-668 ngaphambi kokuzalwa kukaKristu kuya cishe kuma-630 ngaphambi kokuzalwa kukaKristu. Wayeyinkosi yokugcina enkulu yoMbuso Wase-Asiriya.

Assurbanipal njengomPristi Ophakeme — Ashurbanipal njengomPristi Omkhulu. Kukhulunywa ngaye eBhayibhelini njengo-Asenapper. U-Ashurbanipal wayeyinkosi yokuqala yase-Asiriya eyaba nekhono lokufunda nokubhala. Ama-Asiriya, kamuva abizwa ngokuthi amaSiriya, abusa umbuso wawo iminyaka engamakhulu ayishumi nantathu. U-Ashurbanipal, inkosi yokugcina ebalulekile yase-Asiriya, wayeyingcweti kwezokugijima kwamahhashi, imifanekiso eqoshiwe kanye nokugibela amahhashi, futhi waphumelela ekubekeni indawo yokuncishiswa kukawoyela. © Umthombo Wesithombe: Wikimedia Commons (Isizinda Esisesidlangalaleni)

Phakathi kwezingcezu zokuloba ezingaphezu kuka-30,000 (izibhebhe ze-cuneiform) kwakunemibhalo yomlando, izincwadi zokuphatha nezomthetho (eziphathelene nezincwadi nezivumelwano zakwamanye amazwe, izimemezelo zezicukuthwane, nezindaba zezimali), izincwadi zezokwelapha, "omlingo" imibhalo yesandla kanye nemisebenzi yemibhalo, kuhlanganise "Epic of Gilgamesh". Okunye kwakumayelana nokubhula, amabika, imilingo, namahubo onkulunkulu abahlukahlukene.

Ithebhulethi equkethe ingxenye ye-Epic of Gilgamesh — Lesi sibhebhe sobumba sibhalwe ingxenye eyodwa ye-Epic of Gilgamesh. Cishe yebiwe endaweni yomlando ngaphambi kokuthi ithengiswe emnyuziyamu e-Iraq. © Ikhredithi Yesithombe: Farouk Al-Rawi

Umtapo wezincwadi wadalelwa umkhaya wasebukhosini, futhi wawuqukethe iqoqo lomuntu siqu lenkosi, kodwa wawuvulelwa abapristi nezazi ezihlonishwayo. Umtapo wolwazi waqanjwa ngenkosi u-Ashurbanipal.

Umtapo wezincwadi wase-Ashurbanipal — Imibhalo eqoqwe yayikhuluma ngezokwelapha, isayensi yezinkanyezi nezincwadi. Okungaphezu kuka-6,000 kokuqukethwe kwama-tablet atholakele kwakuphathelene nomthetho, izincwadi ezibhalelana zamazwe angaphandle kanye nezivumelwano, izimemezelo zezicukuthwane, nasezindabeni zezezimali. Okunye kwakumayelana nokubhula, amabika, imilingo, namahubo onkulunkulu abahlukahlukene. © Image Credit: takombibelot | Flickr (Isizinda Esisesidlangalaleni)

Imibhalo “inokubaluleka okungenakuqhathaniswa” ekutadisheni amasiko asendulo ase-Near East, ngokusho kweBritish Museum, lapho kugcinwe khona izingcezu eziningi ezivela eMtatsheni Wezincwadi wase-Ashurbanipal.

Umtapo wolwazi wakhiwe enyakatho ye-Iraq yanamuhla, eduze nedolobha laseMosul. Izinto ezivela emtatsheni wezincwadi ziye zatholwa uSir Austen Henry Layard, umhambi oyiNgisi, nomvubukuli, endaweni yokuvubukula yaseKouyunjik, eNineve.

U-Austen Henry Layard (1883) © Wikimedia Commons (Isizinda Esisesidlangalaleni)

Ngokusho kweminye imibono, Umtapo wezincwadi wase-Alexandria yakhuthazwa yi-Library yase-Ashurbanipal. U-Alexander Omkhulu wamjabulisa futhi wayefuna ukudala embusweni wakhe. Waqala umsebenzi owaqedwa uPtolemy ngemva kokufa kuka-Alexander.

Umtapo wezincwadi wase-Ashurbanipal: Umtapo wolwazi wakudala owaziwayo owaphefumulela umtapo wolwazi wase-Alexandria 1 — Ukunikezwa kobuciko kwekhulu leshumi nesishiyagalolunye lomtapo wezincwadi wase-Alexandria ngumdwebi waseJalimane u-O. Von Corven, ngokusekelwe kancane ebufakazini bemivubukulo obabutholakala ngaleso sikhathi © Wikimedia Commons

Imibhalo eminingi yayibhalwe ngesi-Akkadian ngombhalo we-cuneiform kuyilapho eminye yalotshwa ngesi-Asiriya. Izinto eziningi zokuqala zonakalisiwe futhi akunakwenzeka ukuba zakhiwe kabusha. Eziningi zezibhebhe namabhodi okubhala ziyizingcezu ezilimele kakhulu.

Izibhebhe zobumba zase-Asiriya lasendulo — Izibhebhe zobumba zasendulo zase-Asiriya ezivela emtatsheni wezincwadi wasebukhosini wenkosi u-Ashurbanipal embukisweni we-archeologic eBritish Museum eLondon. © Ikhredithi Yesithombe: Bernard Bialorucki | I-Dreamtime (ID 175741942)

U-Ashurbanipal wayeyisazi sezibalo esihle kakhulu futhi engomunye waMakhosi ambalwa kakhulu ayekwazi ukufunda umbhalo we-cuneiform ngesi-Akkadian nesiSumerian. Komunye umbhalo, wayethe:

“Mina, Assurbanipal phakathi (esigodlweni), nganakekela ukuhlakanipha kweNebo, kwazo zonke izibhebhe eziqoshiwe nezobumba, zezimfihlakalo zabo nobunzima engazixazulula.”

Omunye umbhalo komunye wemibhalo uxwayisa ngokuthi uma umuntu eba izibhebhe zawo (zomtapo), onkulunkulu "mphonse phansi" futhi “Yesula igama lakhe, inzalo yakhe, ezweni.”

Ngaphezu kobuciko obuhle "Epic of Gilgamesh," inganekwane ka-Adapa, inganekwane yendalo yaseBabiloni "Ema Eliš," kanye nezindaba ezinjengalezi “Indoda Empofu YaseNippur” zaziphakathi kwama-epics nezinganekwane ezibalulekile ezatholwa eMtatsheni Wezincwadi wase-Ashurbanipal.

Ukuwa kweNineve, uJohn Martin — Ukuwa kweNineve, umdwebo ka-John Martin (1829), ugqugquzelwe inkondlo ka-Edwin Atherstone © Umthombo Wesithombe: むーたんじょ | I-Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Izazi-mlando zaphetha ngokuthi umtapo wolwazi womlando washa emlilweni phakathi no-612 BC lapho iNineve libhujiswa. Kodwa-ke, emlilweni alondolozwe ngendlela emangalisayo izibhebhe zeminyaka eyizinkulungwane ezimbili ezalandela kuze kube yilapho zitholwa kabusha ngo-1849.

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