Bushe Ifyo Bakalemba wa Lyashi Balanda fya Cine?

Bakalemba wa lyashi lya kale abaliko mupepi ne nshita Yerusalemu bayonawile balanda ifyapusanapusana pa shamfumu ishatekele mu Babiloni.c Bakalemba we lyashi beta iyi Babiloni ukuti Ubuteko bwa Babiloni Ubwalenga Bubili. (Belengeni akabokoshi kaleti “Imfumu Shatekele mu Buteko bwa Babiloni Ubwalenga Bubili.”) Ifyo balemba pa shamfumu shatekele mu Babiloni ne myaka shatekele fyalipusana ne fyo Baibolo ilanda. Lelo bushe ifyo balemba fyalilungama?

Kalemba we lyashi umo uwaliko pa numa fye ya mitekele ya bena Babiloni ni Berossus, “shimapepo wa kwa Bel” uwa bena Babiloni. Ibuuku lya Babyloniaca, ilyo alembele nalimo mu 281 B.C.E., lyaliluba, kwashala fye utupimfya tumo tumo uto bakalemba wa malyashi bambi baabika mu fitabo balemba. Berossus atile pa kulemba ili ibuuku, abomfeshe “ifitabo ifyo basungile bwino bwino mu Babiloni.”¹ Bushe ifyo Berossus alembele fya cine? Natulande pa ca kumwenako cimo.

Berossus alembele ukuti Imfumu ya Asiria, Sankeribu apyene “munyina”; kabili “umwana wakwe [Esarihadone] uwamupyene, [atekele imyaka] 8; e lyo pakonkele Sammuges [Shamash-shuma-ukin] uwatekele imyaka 21.” (III, 2.1, 4) Lelo ifyalembwa fya bena Babiloni ifyalembelwe kale sana ilyo Berossus talabako filanga ukuti Sankeribu tapyene munyina, lelo apyene wishi Sarigone II; Esarihadone atekele imyaka 12, te myaka 8 nakalya; kabili Shamash-shuma-ukin atekele imyaka 20, te 21. Uwasoma R. J. van der Spek alembele ukuti nangu ca kutila Berossus alebomfya ifyalembwa fya bena Babiloni, “na lyo line alilundilemo ifyebo fimo kabili alembele ifyo umwine aletontonkanya.”²

Bushe abasoma bambi balandapo shani pali Berossus? S. M. Burstein uwasomene sana ifyo Berossus alembele atile: “Kale Berossus balemumona ukuti ni kalemba we lyashi umwine mwine.” Lelo asondwelele ukuti: “Ifyo alembele tafyafikapo, filanga ukuti te kalemba we lyashi umwine mwine. Na mu tupimfya twine utwe buuku lya Babyloniaca ilyo alembele, mwaliba ifilubo na pa tuntu fye utunono ica kutila kuti wapapa no kupapa . . . Te kuti mwenekele kalemba we lyashi ukupanga ifilubo fya musango yu. Lelo kwena Berossus taiminine pa kulemba pa fintu ifyacitike kale.”³

Ukulingana ne fi twalondolola, bushe muletontonkanyapo shani? Bushe kuti twatila ifyo Berossus alembele fyalilungama? Nga balya bakalemba wa lyashi bambi abalembele ifitabo ukubomfya sana ifyalembele Berossus, bushe kuti twatila ifyo balembele fyalilungama?

Ifyalembele Ptolemy

Ifyo Claudius Ptolemy, uwaliko mu ma 100 C.E. kabili uwasomene ifya maplaneti alembele pa mfumu shatekele Babiloni na fyo fyalenga abantu ukusumina ukuti Yerusalemu bayonawile mu 587 B.C.E. Ifyo Ptolemy alembele pa fyo ishamfumu shakonkene ne nshita shatekele, e fyo abalemba ilyashi lya kale abengi bakonka pa kupenda inshita ya fyalecitika kale, ukusanshako ne nshita ishamfumu sha bena Babiloni shaleteka.

Ptolemy alembele umutande wa shamfumu ninshi palipita ne myaka nalimo 600 ukutula apo Ubuteko bwa Babiloni Ubwalenga Bubili bwawilile. Nomba aishibe shani umwaka imfumu ya kubalilapo pa mutande yatendeke ukuteka? Ptolemy alondolwele ukuti ukubomfya ifya maplaneti pamo nga ifiilisha fya mweshi, “twalipendele no kusanga umwaka Nabonassar atendeke ukuteka,” imfumu ya kubalilapo pa mutande.⁴ E mulandu wine Christopher Walker umubomfi wa pa British Museum alandile ukuti ifyo Ptolemy alembele “fyaleafwa fye abasambilile ifya maplaneti ifya kukonka pa kupenda inshita” lelo “tafyaleafwa bakalemba wa lyashi ukwishiba bwino bwino ifyo ishamfumu shakonkene na lintu shafwile.”⁵

Leo Depuydt, umo pa baletungilila ifyo Ptolemy alembele atile: “Pa myaka iingi caishibikwa ukuti ifyo Ptolemy alembele pa fya maplaneti fya cine, lelo ici tacipilibula ukuti fyalilungama ukulingana ne lyashi lya kale.” Profesa Depuydt alandile pa mutande wa shamfumu isho Ptolemy alembele ukuti: “Pa kwishiba bwino bwino ilyo imfumu imo na imo iya ku kale yatekele, [apasanshiwe ne shamfumu sha bena Babiloni], kano mwalinganya ifyo Ptolemy alembele ku fyalembwa fya kale sana ifya cuneiform.”⁶

Bushe ifi fine fyalembwa fya kale ifya cuneiform ifingalenga twaishiba nga ca kuti ifyo Ptolemy alembele fya cine, e finshi? Fipaapatu apalembelwe ifintu ifyacindama ifyacitike mu Babiloni, imitande ya shamfumu, e lyo ne fipaapaatu apalembelwe ifya bunonshi, e kutila ifyalembwa ifyalembele bakalemba abaliko pa nshita Ubuteko bwa Babiloni bwaleteka nelyo pa numa fye ya iyi nshita.⁷

Bushe ifyo Ptolemy alembele fyalipalana ne fyaba muli ifi fyalembwa fya kale sana? Akabokoshi akali pe samba akaleti, “Bushe Ifyalembele Ptolemy Fyalipalana ne Fyalembwa pa Fipaapatu fya Kale?” kalelanga fimo ifyo Ptolemy alembele ne fyalembwa muli cuneiform. Nga mwamona, Ptolemy alembele fye pa shamfumu shine ishatekele mu Babiloni pa kati ka kwa Kandalanu na Nabonidasi. Lelo, Umutande wa Shamfumu uwa ku Uruk, uwaba pa fyalembwa fya cuneiform ulanga ukut ishamfumu 7 e shatekele pa kati ka kwa Kandalanu na Nabonidasi. Bushe ninshi ishi shamfumu tashali ishacindama kabili shatekele fye pa nshita iinono? Ukulingana ne fi fyalembwa fya kale sana, umo pali aba atekele imyaka 7.⁸

Kwaliba ubushininkisho na bumbi ubukalamba muli ifi fyalembwa ubulanga ukuti ilyo Nabopolassar, (imfumu ya kubalilapo mu Buteko bwa Babiloni Ubwalenga Bubili), ashilatendeka ukuteka, kwali imfumu na imbi (Ashur-etel-ilani) iyatekele mu Babiloni pa myaka ine. Cimbi ca kutila, ukucila pa mwaka umo, mu Babiloni tamwali uwaleteka.⁹ Lelo fyonse ifi tafyabamo mu fyalembwa fya kwa Ptolemy.

Mulandu nshi Ptolemy ashilileko bakateka bamo? Afwile alebamona ukuti tabali ni bakateka ba cine cine.¹⁰ Ku ca kumwenako, alishileko Labashi-Marduk, imfumu ya buteko bwa Babiloni. Lelo ukulingana ne fyalembwa fya cuneiform, ishamfumu isho Ptolemy ashileko shalitekelepo mu Babiloni.

Kwena fimo ifyo Ptolemy alembele fya cine. Nomba nga twatontonkanya pa fyo ashile mu fyo alembele, bushe kuti twatila ifyo alembele e fyo twingabomfya pa kwishiba bwino bwino ilyo ifintu fyalembwa mu lyashi lya kale fyacitike?

8. Sin-sharra-ishkun atekele imyaka 7, kabili pa fipaapatu 57 apalembwa ifya bunonshi bwa iyi mfumu balilembapo umwaka atendeke ukuteka ukwisafika mu mwaka walenga 7. Moneni Journal of Cuneiform Studies, Volyumu 35, 1983, amabula 54-59.

9. Icipaapatu apalembwa ifya bunonshi ica C.B.M. 2152 calembelwe mu mwaka walenga bune uwa kuteka kwa kwa Ashur-etel-ilani. (Legal and Commercial Transactions Dated in the Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian and Persian Periods—Chiefly From Nippur, icalembelwe na A.T. Clay, 1908, ibula 74.) E lyo na mu calembwa ca Harran Inscriptions of Nabonidus, (H1B), I, laini yalenga 30, babalilapo ukulumbula Ashur-etel-ilani e lyo pakonka Nabopolassar. (Anatolian Studies, Volyumu VIII (1958), amabula 35, 47.) Nga mulefwaya ukwishiba inshita ilyo mu Babiloni mushali imfumu, moneni icipapatu Chronicle 2, laini yalenga 14, muli Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles, amabula 87-88.

10. Abasoma bamo batila Ptolemy alishiileko ishamfumu shimo pa mutande wa shamfumu shatekele mu Babiloni, pa mulandu wa kuti ishi shamfumu shaleitwa ukuti “Imfumu ya Asiria.” Lelo nga mwamona mu kabokoshi akali pe bula 30, ishamfumu ishingi isho Ptolemy atantike pa mutande na sho shaleitwa ukuti “Imfumu ya Asiria.” Ifipaapatu apalembelwe ifya bunonshi bwa calo, ifilembo fya cuneiform, ne fyo bafwatike, filanga bwino bwino ukuti imfumu Ashur-etel-ilani, Sin-shumu-lishir, na Sin-sharra-ishkun balitekelepo mu Babiloni.

[Charti ne Cikope pe bula 29]

(Nga mulefwaya ukumona charti ne fikope, moneni muli magazini)

“IMFUMU SHATEKELE MU BUTEKO BWA BABILONI UBWALENGA BUBILI”

Nga ca kuti ifyo aba bakalemba wa lyashi balembele fya cine, mulandu nshi ifyo balemba fyapusanina?

BEROSSUS POLYHISTOR JOSEPHUS PTOLEMY

Ishamfumu

Nabopolassar 21 20 — 21

Nebukadnesari II 43 43 43 43

Amel-Marduk 2 12 18 2

Neriglissar 4 4 40 4

Labashi-Marduk imyeshi 9 — imyeshi 9 —

Nabonidasi 17 17 17 17

Imyaka iyo ishamfumu shatekele nge fyo bakalemba we lyashi lya kale balanda

[Abatusuminishe]

Photograph taken by courtesy of the British Museum