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Kilamuwa Stela

9th century BC stele

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The Kilamuwa Stele was discovered in Samʾal during the 1888–1902 German Oriental Society expeditions led by Felix von Luschan and Robert Koldewey. At the time of its discovery, it was considered to be the only Phoenician text found in Samʾal (numerous Aramaic texts had been found) and the northernmost Phoenician text found in Syria.

It is currently located in the Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin.

Description of the stele

The stele is a 16-line text in the Phoenician language and written in an Old Aramaic form of the Phoenician alphabet.

According to William F. Albright, in its script, it resembles very closely the Mesha Stele that is very important in biblical archaeology.

King Kilamuwa is shown standing on the upper left and addressing four Mesopotamian gods with his right arm and finger, where he imitates his Mesopotamian lords in a gesture called "Ubanu tarrashu" which designates "you are my god". His left hand is draped at his left side holding a wilted lotus flower, a symbol of a king's death. He is dressed in king's regalia with hat, and his figure stands at the beginning of the first nine lines of the text.

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