İstanbul

The rectangular block with Hieroglyphic Luwian inscriptions is unprovenanced but likely originated from the Neo-Hittite kingdom of Tabal in central Anatolia and date to around the 9th to 8th century BCE. The block has been known since the early years of the 20th century and was purchased by the Istanbul Museum from an antiquities dealer. It is the bottom part of a rectangular stele with a line of inscription surrounding all four sides and measures about 39 cm in width and 25 cm in thickness, and the preserved section is 21 cm in height. Due to damage, the context is unclear. The ending is probably a curse formula.

(For İSTANBUL 2, see EREĞLİ 2).


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