TÜRKÇE
Storm-god stele with an inscription
The stele was excavated in Babylon at the palace complex of Nabuchadnezzar II in 1899. It is about 1.28 m in height, 0.53 m in width and 0.35 m in thickness. On the front is a relief of the Storm-god in a typical pose holding an axe in one hand and a symbol of lightning in the other. The 7-line Hieroglyphic Luwian inscription (BABYLON 1) on the back is a dedication by a person named Lapariziti(?) to the Storm-god of Aleppo and it ends with a curse against anyone who may damage it. It is believed that the stele originates from the Storm-god temple in Aleppo and that it may have been carried away as a trophy after the conquest of the city by Nabuchadnezzar II in the 6th century BCE. The stele originally may date to sometime in the 10th to 9th century BCE. It is currently on display in Istanbul Archaeology Museum.
