Relief: bearded figure holding staff; hieroglyphic inscription

This stele depicts a bearded male figure facing left, surrounded by a shallowly incised inscription divided into seven lines. The figure is shown with attributes characteristic of ruling elites, including the long, fringed garment, the staff he holds in his right hand, his rounded headdress, and his hairstyle, in which the hair is gathered at the nape of the neck in a bunch. The surface of the stele is worn and details are no longer visible in many areas, including the face. The feet are damaged, but the upturned toes of the figure’s shoes can still be seen.

The text is written in Luwian, a form of hieroglyphic writing that dates to the early first millennium B.C. and was used by the Neo-Hittite kings. Their kingdoms were located in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria, regions that had been ruled by the powerful Hittite and Mitanni empires from about 1600-1200 B.C. After the collapse of the great imperial powers at the end of the Late Bronze Age, these lands were divided into small states ruled by local populations as well as by nomadic groups from the Syrian-Arabian steppe who had migrated north. These small kingdoms produced a wealth of carved stone steles (freestanding monuments) and orthostats (slabs which covered the interior or exterior wall of a structure), which borrowed from the distinctive imagery and styles of their Hittite and Mitanni predecessors. The long inscription on this stele allows us to identify the figure as Laramas, king of Gurgum (modern Marash), who reigned sometime between 1000-950 B.C. The text lists the king’s ancestors and seems to describe his deeds, although it is difficult to understand. Vineyards and granaries are mentioned, perhaps referring to a time of abundance under Laramas’ rule. The text ends with a curse against those who would erase his name. It reads, in part:

I am Laramas, Astuwaramanzas's

grandson, Muwatalis's son.

[...]

He who shall erase my name,

if he is a king,

let him surrender his kingdom,

but he who is a country-lord,

let him surrender his power

and...his head, house, wife, child...