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Şırzı Inscription

The Şırzı inscription is located near the Şırzı village (now Boğazgören), about 8 km north of Hekimhan town of Malatya. It was first reported in 1936. The rock outcrop has a 4-line Hieroglyphic Luwian inscription and a 5th line on a horizontal surface above. Apparently the carver did not smooth the rock surface, and therefore letters skip over holes and cracks and thus do not follow regular lines. The inscription belongs to a ruler (Country Lord) of Malatya (Malizi) celebrating the construction of a structure. It includes favors towards the god Runtiya and protective curses. The ruler's name is given as "Runtiya(?), son of Sahwi." Hawkins suggests that Sahwi may be identified as Sahu from Urartu sources, who is the father of a Malatean King Hilaruada (Luwian Hilaruntiya(?)). If so, the Runtiya(?) of this inscription would be a brother of Hilaruada, and the inscription may date to the 8th century BCE.


Click on the pictures for larger images.

E. Anıl 2011 E. Süer 2011 C. Süer 2011 C. Süer 2011 J. D. Hawkins, 2000 5th line at the top - J. D. Hawkins, 2000


Literature:
Dillo, M. "The Name of the Author of ŞIRZI: A Text Collation," BiOr 70, 2013: 332–60.
Ehringhaus, H. Das Ende, das ein Anfang war: Felsreliefs und Felsinschriften der luwischen Staaten Kleinasiens vom 12. bis 8./7. Jahrh. v. Chr., Mainz, 2014: 91–94.
Hawkins, J. D. Corpus of Hieroglyphic Luwian Inscriptions, Vol 1, Berlin, 2000: 322–24 and plts. 157–59.
Hawkins, J. D. Corpus of Hieroglyphic Luwian Inscriptions, Vol 3, Berlin, 2024: 237, 326–27.
Simon, Z. "What was built in the Hieroglyphic Luwian inscription of ŞIRZI?," NABU 2014-4: 151–52.
(List of Abbreviations)


Image sources:
Ertuğrul Anıl, 2011.
Ercüment Süer, 2011.
Cüneyt Süer, 2011.
J. David Hawkins, 2000.