Darende Stele

This basalt stele measuring 79 x 30 x 20 cm was found in old Darende, about 2 km west of modern-day Darende in Malatya province. In the 1920s, it was said to be found in the wall of a mosque and moved to the Gök Medrese building, which was serving as Sivas Museum at the time. The original location of the stele is unknown. It is decorated with a 6-line Hieroglyphic Luwian inscription on one side and reliefs on the other three sides. On Side A is a relief of the goddess Hebat of the City seated on a chair holding a curved staff and a drinking cup. Her name is written twice on both sides of the head, and "of the City" is written behind the chair. Side D has a relief of the god Sharruma also holding a curved staff and a drinking cup and standing on a lion. His name is written behind him. Side B has a male figure facing right, standing on a lion and pouring libation. The inscription identifies this figure as a ruler of Malatya (Malizi) named Arnuwanti (II), son of PUGNUS-mili (II), and grandson of King Arnuwanti (I). He is also the author of İspekçür stele, and his grandfather King Arnuwanti (I) is possibly a brother of Runtiya of Gürün and Kötükale inscriptions. The inscription is a dedication to the gods for the founding of a city. Genealogical dating places the stele four generations after Kuzi-Teššub to somewhere around the early 11th century BCE. The stele is currently in the Anatolian Civilizations Museum in Ankara.


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