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Latmos Inscriptions

In the year 2000, a group of lightly carved Hieroglyphic Luwian inscriptions was discovered on the back wall of a rock shelter by archaeologist Anneliese Peschlow-Bindokat. The location known as Suratkaya is about 1000 meters high in the Beþparmak Mountain (ancient Mt. Latmos), near the lake of Latmos (ancient Gulf of Latmos). There are 6 groups of signs distributed over a 12 by 4 meter rock surface. The leftmost group of the signs mentions Mira, but whether that is part of a person's name or a reference to the land is uncertain. The largest and the most clear one of the signs is the 5th group, which includes the unusual title "Great Prince" or "Son of the Great King," which is not encountered anywhere else. Its implications and the reading of the title bearer's name (Ku-x-ya) remain uncertain. The rightmost group mentions "Pihamuwa, prince."


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T. Bilgin, 2012 T. Bilgin, 2012 Groups 2–4 - T. Bilgin, 2012 Group 1 - T. Bilgin, 2012 Group 2 - T. Bilgin, 2012 Group 3 - T. Bilgin, 2012 Group 4 - T. Bilgin, 2012 Group 5 - T. Bilgin, 2012 J. D. Hawkins, 2024 (çizim S. Herbordt)


Literature:
Hawkins, J. D. Corpus of Hieroglyphic Luwian Inscriptions, Vol 3, Berlin, 2024: 101–103 and plts. 74–75.
Oreshko, R. "Hieroglyphic Inscriptions of Western Anatolia: Long Arm of the Empire or Vernacular Tradition(s)?" Luwian Identities, 2013: 345–420 (346–68)
Peschlow-Bindokat, A. "Die Hethiter im Latmos. Eine hethitischluwische Hieroglyphen-Inschrift am Suratkaya (Besparmak/Westtürkei)," Antike Welt 33.2, 2002: 211–15.
Peschlow-Bindokat, A. and S. Herbordt, "Eine hethitische Großprinzeninschrift aus dem Latmos," AA 2001: 363–78.
(List of Abbreviations)


Image sources:
Tayfun Bilgin, 2012.