God Šarruma stele with inscription

The basalt and four-sided stele was found in the vicinity of Gaziantep. It is 72 cm in height, 27 cm in width, and 20 cm in depth. The bottom section of the stele is broken. On the front face is a God relief with a horned cap, a mace on the right hand, and a spear on the left hand. The figure is identified with a Hieroglyphic Luwian relief label above as God Šarruma. On the left and right sides of the stele, there are male figures facing the front, likely representing the dedicator of the stele. Both have round caps and hold maces that rest on their shoulders. God Šarruma writing is also present above those figures, and the one on the left is accompanied by two more signs that may be interpreted as "man of the king." On the back side is a badly eroded 4- or 5-line Hieroglyphic Luwian inscription of which only some characters of the lower section are recognizable. A date between the 11th and 10th centuries BCE has been suggested. It is in the inventory of the Gaziantep Archaeology Museum.


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