The inscriptions of the Aleppo temple

Abstract

The location of the Temple of the Storm-God of Aleppo, one of the most famous cult-centres of antiquity, has long been a matter of speculation, but was finally revealed by excavations on Aleppo citadel begun in 1996. These have gradually uncovered the central cult-room of the temple with a rich inventory of sculptures datable to several phases of the construction. In 2003 came the dramatic exposure of a substantial Hieroglyphic Luwian inscription recording a dedication to the Storm-God by a ruler, Taita King of Palistin, incised alongside his own image standing in an attitude of reverence before the deity. This was followed in 2004–2005 by the discovery of a further, but broken, inscription on portal figures of the entrance, attributable to the same ruler. These inscriptions are datable by their palaeography approximately to the 11th century BC, a period previously regarded as a dark age lacking written records. They suggest the existence of a large and powerful kingdom in an area where the increasingly known archaeology shows an influx of people of Aegean connections bringing with them the distinctive Mycenaean IIIC pottery. A combination of the archaeological data and the evidence of the inscriptions begins to offer an outline history for this little-known age. This paper presents the first full publication of the inscriptions together with some comments on their background and implications.

Beyond megadrought and collapse in the Northern Levant: The chronology of Tell Tayinat and two historical inflection episodes, around 4.2ka BP, and following 3.2ka BP

“…These prominent figures also appear to be associated with a significant reconfiguration of urban space at the site, and an expansion of their kingdom’s territorial extent. By the 9 th century BCE, Tell Tayinat had become the city of Kunulua, the apparent royal city of the Neo-Hittite kingdom of Patina (or Unqi) [ 47 , 61 , 159 ]. The ruler Suppiluliuma (II), attested in a monumental inscription recently discovered at Tell Tayinat, likely corresponds to the Sapalulme mentioned in the campaign records of Shalmaneser III [ 62 , 63 , 159 , 160 ].…”

Ramesses III and the ‘Sea‐peoples’: Towards a New Philistine Paradigm

“…The subsequent appearance of Mycenaean IIIC:1b pottery at these sites may therefore be regarded as a result of some migration. It is no coincidence, then, that the Orontes Valley, from Hama to Iskenderun, would later be associated with the kingdom of Palistin (Hawkins ; ; Singer ; Dinçol et al ), exhibiting Anatolian traditions as well as Aegean‐derived pottery and tools (Janeway –07; ; Lehmann , 324).…”

Tell al-Nasriyah (Syrie) et le contact égéen : à propos d’urnes cinéraires

“…Il a été lu tout d'abord Patasatini/Padasatini/Wadasatini (HAWKINS 1979 ;HARRISON 2007, p. 66). Puis, plus récemment, Hawkins annonce la découverte d'une seconde inscription et propose que le territoire nommé par les inscriptions d'Alep soit lu Palastin / Walastin puis Palistin / Walistin et qu'un lien soit établi, avec les Peleset/Pulasti [Philistins] ( HAWKINS 2004HAWKINS , 2008HAWKINS , 2009HAWKINS , 2011. Sur Tell Ta'yinat, Alep et les « Philistins » au pays de l'Amuq, FREU & MAZOYER 2012, p. 47 ss.…”