[JNES 78 no. 1 (2019)] © 2019 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. 0022–2968/2019/7801–0001$10.00. DOI: 10.1086/702011 87 Sargon’s Dūr-Šarrukīn Cylinder Inscription and Language Ideology: A Reconsideration and Connection to Genesis 11:1–9 SAMUEL BOYD, University of Colorado Boulder* Introduction In recent years, Sargon II’s Dūr-Šarrukīn cylinder in- scription has occupied center stage, particularly in the writings of biblical scholars, of discussions regarding the use of language in the Assyrian Empire to con- solidate subordinated groups, to indoctrinate them in Assyrian propaganda, and to suppress rebellious talk. Moreover, this inscription has also been used as a comparative text for the interpretation of the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1–9. In this ar- ticle, I explore why scholars locate the composition of Genesis 11:1–9 in the Neo-Assyrian period. I then assess the reasons behind reconstructing a language policy in Neo-Assyrian imperial strategy and identi- fying language ideology in the cylinder inscription specifically. I evaluate three features of an often-cited passage in the cylinder that have been, to varying de- grees of certainty, cited in support of viewing the in- scription as communicating language ideology. Based on usage elsewhere or on firmer linguistic analysis, I argue that none of these three features (on their own or in cooperation with one another) actually refers to language. Instead, the cylinder inscription refers to political fragmentation and unity, not to imperial policies of linguistic unification (no matter how much the latter has political implications itself). Finally, I connect this refined understanding of the inscription and the phrase pâ ištēn ušaškin to the Tower of Babel episode in Genesis 11:1–9, which, I argue, is a story that is not about language. Instead, the story is a reflection on where authority lies, par- ticularly in the realm of city- and temple-building. These issues were especially important when these texts were composed in ancient Israel and Judah dur- ing the eighth and seventh centuries BC, given the imperial ambition and building campaigns of succes- sive Neo-Assyrian kings. I show how the Tower of Babel episode reflects political anxiety on the part of the authors of the Bible, thereby shedding light on the passage as an expression of resistance in the face of Neo-Assyrian imperial ambition. * I would like to thank the following colleagues for graciously reading various iterations of this manuscript: Simeon Chavel, John Chavis, Liane Feldman, Bradley C. Gregory, Humphrey Hardy, Mark Lester, Seth L. Sanders, Jordan Skornik, Jefrey Stackert, and Jacqueline Vayntrub. Additionally, I would like to thank especially the anonymous reviewers, whose feedback, corrections, and push- back made my arguments much better, as well as Seth Richardson, whose careful eye saved many errors and also greatly improved my thesis. Finally, I would like to thank the participants of the 2017 Genesis panel at the Society of Biblical Literature conference in Boston, whose feedback greatly improved an early version of the arguments herein. All remaining errors are mine alone.