Palanga

The lower part of a statue inscribed on one side with Luwian hieroglyphic inscription was found near the Palanga village of Malatya. It was first reported in 1891 and was moved to Istanbul around 1900. Largely worn-out 5-line inscription is the dedication of a funerary statue by a local ruler with the title of "River Lord" and preserves references to a king. The preserved section is 1.30 meters in height. A date around the 8th century BCE has been suggested. Currently in the Museum of Ancient Orient in Istanbul.

The Late Hittite-style gate lion was seen in Palanga by D. G. Hogarth and J. Munro in 1891. It was subsequently moved to the Gök Medrese in Sivas and later to the Sivas Museum. The basalt lion is roughly about 1 meter long and broken in lower sections. Its details seem largely unfinished or heavily weathered. The upward curling tail that can be seen on its right side suggests that the lion is in a crouching position and that it belonged to the right flank of a gateway (as also evidenced by the flat area on its left side). Interestingly, a very similar crouching lion that appears to belong to the left flank of a gateway was reportedly found in Elbistan (today in the Gaziantep Museum), although it seems to be made of limestone rather than basalt.


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