NEW ALPHABETIC INSCRIPTION FROM ZINCIRLI

On July 21, 2008, the Neubauer Expedition to Zincirli, directed by
Prof. David Schloen of the University of Chicago and by associate
director Amir Fink, found an inscribed basalt stele at the site of
Zincirli (pronounced "Zin-jeer-lee") in Gaziantep province in
southeastern Turkey. The remarkably well-preserved stele, 70
centimeters wide and 95 centimeters tall, was found intact in its
original location. It was set into a stone wall with its protruding
tenon still inserted into the stone-paved floor. The alphabetic
inscription on the stele is written in Sam'alian, the language spoken
in the region of Zincirli (ancient Sam'al) during the Iron Age. It
commemorates the life of "Kattammuwa servant of Panamuwa," probably a
high official of King Panamuwa, who reigned during the eighth century
B.C. A bearded figure is depicted on the stele, seated in a chair in
front of a table laden with food. Beside him is a thirteen-line
inscription, elegantly carved in raised relief and preserved in almost
pristine condition nearly three millennia after it was inscribed. It
describes the establishment of the memorial stele and associated
mortuary rites. This stele is unique in its combination of pictorial
and textual features and thus is an important addition to our
knowledge of ancient language and culture. An analysis and translation
of the inscription will be presented by Prof. Dennis Pardee of the
University of Chicago at the November 2008 meeting of the Society for
Biblical Literature in Boston and will be published soon thereafter.

Zincirli is the site of the ancient walled city of Sam'al, capital of
an Iron Age kingdom that inherited both West Semitic and Neo-Hittite
(Luwian) cultural traditions. The 40-hectare (100-acre) site was first
excavated more than a hundred years ago and produced a number of royal
inscriptions and other fascinating finds that are on display in
various museums. Since 2006, Zincirli has been excavated annually by a
team from the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago—the
Neubauer Expedition, a large-scale and long-term project of
archaeological research at this important site.

Posted by Foy Scalf (scalffd@...)