Hasanbeyli Inscription

The inscribed stele was acquired in 1894 by Felix von Luschan at Hasanbeyli, which lies just 13 km to the west of Zincirli, but on the western slopes of the Amanus Mountains. It had been reused as a boundary marker during Byzantine times with a short Greek inscription and a couple of crosses carved over it. Of the original Phoenician inscription, only 5 lines are partially preserved. It mentions the "king of the city of Adana," "king of Assur," and the name Awariku, which is a name also known from the Karatepe inscription. Paleographically, the stele is dated to a time slightly earlier than Karatepe, so perhaps to the mid-8th century BCE. Whether Awariku is the same person as Warika of Çineköy and İncirli remains debated. The basalt stele is about 42 cm wide, 34 cm high, and 23 cm thick and is currently in the inventory of the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin.


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