The Layered History of the Incirli Stela
There is no question that this the monument had a very long life. Its
use as a garden ornament was only one phase of its existence. As for its
origins, we suggest that one of the sites located during the surveys of
the Valley, the Iron Age mound of KM 50 = Emirler
might be a likely place. It is the major Iron Age site in the vicinity
and it lies 3.5 km to the north of Incirli where the stela was found. We
could also imagine that the Sakje-Gözu plain
about 10km to the south across the hills might have been the original location
of the stele. The stela was clearly a valued object. It was special enough
to be preserved, recycled and reused, and it was heavy enough to be difficult
to transport.
Multiple Inscriptions
The round-topped basalt stele (h=1.05 m; w=47-48
th=19-22cm. ) shows a figure (h=44.7; w=17) in profile who is placed in
a stela-like frame in the upper left-hand corner of the obverse--a
stele in a stele. The piece carries multiple inscriptions:
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in Phoenician on three sides; obverse, reverse and left side.
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It is possible that just under the figure on the front and on the right
side are traces of straight lines suggesting that originally a cuneiform
inscription was part of the text. Some see suggestions of Luwian (hieroglyphic
Hittite) characters in front of the figure's face.
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These differences in script size as well as the Greek
boundary inscription on the back of the stele again underscore that
the monument had a long history.
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In the original study of the inscription it became apparent that some
of the letters were of different sizes and overwriting was common.
Return to the Main Page for the Incirli
Stela (with images)
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(no images)
This page last modified on June 21, 1998.