Kilamuwa scepter

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Kilamuwa scepter in the Pergamon Museum Kilamuwa scepter in the Pergamon Museum.jpg
Kilamuwa scepter in the Pergamon Museum

The Kilamuwa scepter or Kilamuwa sheath is a 9th-century BCE small gold object inscribed in Phoenician or Aramaic, which was found during the excavations of Zincirli in 1943. It was found in burned debris in a corridor at the front of the "Building of Kilamuwa".

Contents

King Kilamuwa is believed to have ruled in the area of Zincirli in ca. 830 - 820 BC.

The object measures 6.7 x 2.2 cm, and is ornamented with soldered gold wire and gold plates; two of the rectangular plates are inscribed with a total of seven lines or writing. Felix von Luschan concluded that it was once on the handle (or sheath) of a staff or scepter.

Text

Line numberPhoenician script inscription [1] [2] Transliteration [2] Translation by Galling [2]
1
𐤎𐤌𐤓𐤆𐤒𐤍
SMR Z QNThis smr
2
𐤊𐤋𐤌𐤅
KLMWKilamuwa
3
𐤁𐤓𐤇𐤉
BR ḤYson of Ḥay(a),
4
𐤋𐤓𐤊𐤁𐤏𐤋
L RKBʿL(made) for (the god) RKBʿL
5
𐤉𐤕𐤍𐤋𐤄𐤓
YTN LH RMay R(-KB'L) grant him
6
𐤊𐤁𐤏𐤋
KBʿL(R)-KB'L
7
𐤀𐤓𐤊𐤇𐤉
ʾRK ḤYlength of life

The inscription reads as follows: This smr Kilamuwa, son of Ḥay(a), made for (the god) RKBʿL. May RKB'L grant him length of life. [2]

Bibliography

References

  1. Dupont-Sommer, A. “Une Inscription Nouvelle Du Roi Kilamou et Le Dieu Rekoub-El” Revue de l’histoire Des Religions 133, no. 1/3 (1947): 21
  2. 1 2 3 4 Galling, Kurt. “The Scepter of Wisdom: A Note on the Gold Sheath of Zendjirli and Ecclesiastes 12: 11” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 119 (1950): 16.