Gürçay Stele

Two fragments of the same stele were discovered in 2012 near the village of Gürçay, which lies about 7 km north of Karkamış on the west bank of the Euphrates. The two pieces belong to the right and left parts of a basalt stele with a relief and Hieroglyphic Luwian inscription. One of the pieces shows the left shoulder of a male figure carrying a bow, and the other piece shows the right elbow. The bow-carrying male figure is likely to represent a deity. There is a small section of a line of inscription over the left shoulder and a 4-line section of the inscription below the right elbow. The preserved sections appear to belong to a protective curse that threatens those who may cause damage with the wrath of the Storm God and possibly Goddess Kubaba. The complete stele is estimated to be over 2 m tall, 0.85 m wide, and 0.5 m thick. The fragments were moved to the Karkamış excavation area for temporary exhibition.


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