#sam'al

[bagdemagus]

Stele representing a king and attendant Excavated at Zincirli (ancient Sam’al), Turkey ca. 830-750 BCE Basalt

Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin (S 6580)

(On display in the exhibition “Royaumes oubliés” at the Louvre, 2019)

[dam-nugig]

Ishtar seated on a throne riding a lion.

Part of procession of gods on Victory stele of Esarhaddon.

At the height of his power, the Assyrian king Esarhaddon (680-669 BCE) led his troops all the way to Egypt to subdue his rival, Taharqa. During the campaign he plundered Memphis, taking capitve the Egyptian crown prince portraied here on his knees. On the homeward march, the king also stopped several times in Syria to exact obedience and tribute from the rulers of Syrian cities. To commemorate this successful campaign, he ereced a number of victory stelae, inclding this one at Sam’al.

The message of the stele would have been obvious even to those whou could not read: the fate of the two prisoners on the obverse, with their mouths gagged and their feet shackled, was intended to deter any vassals wishing to free themselves from Assyrian rule. The stele also bore a message about the internal politics of the empire: by showing, on the side panels, the crown princes Shamash-shum-ukin and Ashurbanipal wearing Babylonian and Assyrian costume respectively, Esarhaddon was also settling the question of the royal succession.

Source: Pergamon Museum

[mostly-history]

Aramaic inscription describing the capture of a creature called the “devourer” which produces “fire” (Sam'al, Turkey, c. 850 – 800 BC).

The inscription was written by Rahim son of Shadadan, on a stone container that had originally been used to store cosmetics.  The blood of the devourer was used to treat someone who had been suffering from its “fire”.  Pictures on the containers show a centipede, a scorpion, and a fish – the “devourer” may have been a scorpion.

This is the oldest Aramaic inscription ever found.  The writing itself is shown in the second photo.

[bagdemagus]

Orthostat of King Bar-Rakib (744-727 BCE) Excavated at Zincirli (ancient Sam’al), Turkey Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin VA 2817

From the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin website:

This orthostat from the Northern Hall of the city of Sam’al belongs to a group of relief-sculpted stone plaques that represent scenes of the life to come. The relief depicts the lord seated on a throne, with an official standing before him seeming to take instructions. A fly whisk-carrier behind the throne is visible only from the side.

Bar-Rakib holds in his left hand a symbol of rulership with a palmette top, and the right hand is slightly raised. The scribe carries under his left arm the bound writing-tablets and in his last hand a container in which scribal implements are kept. The beard and hairstyle of the king are indebted to the Assyrian fashion, by which he signals his vassal status to the Assyrian ruler. The headgear of the enthroned king, a smooth cap with raised side-flap and tassel, and the standing figure’s long garment portray the local dress. Because the smooth garment is only flatly carved, like the footwear, the zones of bare body and the headgear would be scarcely differentiated, were it not for the careful working of the heads and the details of the throne, footstool, and hems of garments. Archaeological finds confirm that these depict wooden pieces of furniture with metal decorative elements of copper or bronze.

The one-line Aramaic inscription is inscribed on the upper part of the picture. The text next to the ruler’s head proclaims: “I am Bar-Rakib, son of Panammuwa,” right next to the astral symbol reads: “My lord, Ba’al-Harran.” This “Lord of Harran” is identifiable with the moon god, depicted as a moon-disc and crescent, which are fitted with a small handle with grip and pommel.