Sidon Black Sarcophagus 1 (Tabnit) ~1170 BCE

Phoenician texts generally are supportive of magic and the motion powers in contrast to their southern neighbors, the Israelites who were anti-magic and supportive of the life powers.

For translation methodology see: How to Translate Alphabetic Akkadian Texts

Photo of Black Sarcophagus 1 from Sidon which is mistakenly called the Tabnit Sarcophagus due to a prior false translation
Photo of Black Sarcophagus 1 from Sidon is  mistakenly called the Tabnit Sarcophagus due to a prior false translation. The alphabetic text on the bottom is read from right to left. The sarcophagus dates to the great drought which ended the bronze age. It is now in the Istanbul archaeological museum.  (Photo from Wikimedia Commons).
This sarcophagus was discovered by Turkish archaeologist Osny Bey Hamdy on May 31, 1887 in a necropolis just east of Sidon (Hamdy and Hamdy-Bey 1887, Eiselen 1907).It is inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphics on its body and Alphabetic Akkadian in Phoenician letters on its base. The translation of the hieroglyphic text indicates that the sarcophagus belonged to an Egyptian general named Penptah who died in Lebanon while the Egyptians controlled the city. This Egyptian control ended during the great drought (1200 to 1140 BCE) which brought the Bronze Age to an end. The last pharaoh in control of Sidon was thus Ramesses III (1184-1153 BCE). This time frame is supported by the alphabetic Akkadian text which is discussing that drought.

Sidon Sarcophagus 1 Belongs To Egyptian General Penptah Who Died During the Great Drought Absolves Magic of Blame (1170 BCE)

(August  14, 2022) This text at the bottom of the sarcophagus absolves magic crafters of any blame for the Great Drought which ended the Bronze Age. This is because their emotion magic was not powerful enough to overcome the storm of generated human emotions like envy which inhibited the flow of fertility fluids through the life network. Without this flow, the Opener (Asher, Asherah) cannot open her gate and allow the Revealer (Yahu) to manifest the life forms.

Translation in Akkadian (Levant Text 11)

(read right to left)

  1. Annu pu qu. Bu nu qu pu e. Ne’u ki qera qamu ya. Pu šēru nu. Mu bu nu.
  2. Aku mu ne’u. Zu ru pu e. Ne’u ki pu raqu ya. Pu šēru nu. Mu ki pu. Bibu aru nu
  3. Zu matu. Aqu pu ya. A ramu aku. Qulu du. A tu qu e. Aru nu zu ayu qu.
  4. Laqu hu'u. Ya qu tawu. Ayu qu ruggu. Zu napu a tu. Aru ya napu sâlu, Su lu a tu.  Aru inu.
  5. Ḫu ru ši. Upu imi nu. Māmȗ ki rabu. Ya qu anu pu, ki pu bibu. Aru nu zu. Nuzu ayu palu qu
  6. Hū’u ya qu. Tawu ayu qeru. Gi zu nâpu. Qi’u bu. Qi’u ki qeru qu. Erru bu ru. E aw am lagu.
  7. Ḫu qu laqu ḫū’u. Ya qu tawu ru. Gi zuqu ruqu zunu. Ayu tēnȗ ya zu. Rē’û bu Ḫu. Tu miqqu. E qu kamu.
  8. Ṣu umu kapu bu aqu. Ru lu amu.

In English

  1. Considerations (focused emotions) can open the life-threads. Nourishments (offerings) for the Revealer (Yahu) cannot open life-threads. Effective-action involves not burning (killing) the fate-callers (prophets). The Opener (Thu) conducts the Revealer (Yahu). Fertility-fluids nourish the Revealer.
  2. Emotion-owls affect the fertility-fluid's emissions. Eagle-vultures do not make openings. Effective-action involves not spurning the Opener. The Opener conducts the Revealer.  Fertility-fluids are involved with to the Opener. Gating controls the Revealer.
  3. The emanations are being murdered. Expectations are not being opened (not being met). That is releasing the emotion-owls. The fields are not being manifested.  That magic is is emitting nothing. The Controllers (Ayu and eagle-vultures) should be revealing the emissions from Ayu's life-threads.
  4. Dominate the astrological owls. Are not the threads being pastured. Ayu's threads are false. Emissions are being filtered by that magic. Don't control the filter with aroma-offerings (animal sacrifices). Su lacks that magic. Control the moon-eye.
  5. Hu is the same-power as the eagle-vultures. Wind-powers reveal the emotion-powers. Water is due to the authorities (planets). Are not the threads being considered by the Opener due to the opener being a gate? The Controllers should be revealing the emissions. The emptiness of Ayu is ruling the life-threads
  6. Astrological-Owls do not affect the life-threads. The pasture (starry night sky) calls fate on Ayu. Emotional-energy is emitting the filter (network). Envy is being nourished. Envy is involved with calling-fate on the life-threads. The enclosed-region (life source) is nourishing the eagle-vultures. No motion-power dominates the reed-boat (crescent moon goddess Ayu).
  7. Hu’s life-threads are being dominated by the astrological owls (of fate). Are not the life-threads being pastured by the eagle-vultures? Emotional-energy is blowing difficulty on the rain. Ayu is not replacing the emissions. The shepherds (magic crafters) should be nourishing Hu. Magic is being undermined. None of the life-threads are being bound.
  8. Stormy activity is handing back the expected nourishments. Eagle-vultures are going without the Reed-Boat.

References

Eiselen, Frederick C. (1907) Sidon, a Study in Oriental History. MacMillan, New York. Online at: https://archive.org/details/sidonstudyinorie00eiserich
Hamdy, J. and Hamdey-Bey (1887) Mémorie sur une Nécropole Royale Découverte a Saida. Revue Archéologique. Troisième Série. T. 10 Julliet-Decémbre. pp 138-150

Sidon

(August 13, 2022) Sidon was built on a promontory facing an island which sheltered its ships and served as a refuge during invasions. Sidon's Phoenician period began after the Egyptians abandoned the city during the Great Drought of 1170 BCE.  

Cyrus the Great of the Persian Achaemenid Empire conquered Phoenicia in 539 BCE and gained the ships and seamen to fight the Egyptians and the Greeks. After defeating Persian King Darius III at the battle of Issus in November 333 BCE, Alexander the Great marched his army (about 35,000-40,000 strong) into Phoenicia, where he received the capitulation of Byblos and Sidon.

Sidon's most important export during the Phoenician era was glass and Tyrian purple dye. The small shell of Murex trunculus was broken in order to extract this very expensive dye.

Lake bottom Core sample data from the Sea of Galilee showing the droughts
Lake bottom Core sample data from the Sea of Galilee. In historical times it shows two major droughts. The 50 year long Great Drought of 1180 to 1140 BCE (Iron Age 1 period) which ended the Bronze Age (called the "Late Bronze Climate Crisis" in the chart) and the 10-year long Elijah drought of 850 BCE. The yellow gives the tree pollen level while the green gives the non-tree pollen level. Minor droughts are indicated anytime the curves turn downward. (Langut and Finkelsein 2013)

Droughts Defined the Archaeological Periods in the Levant

(August 9, 2022) Like most regions of the earth, correlating the archaeology of the southern levant with carbon 14 dating and absolute dating has been undergoing some debate. The best correlation with linguistics is the chronology proposed by Amihai Mazar in 2014. This chronology is reproduced below: 

References

Langut, D. Finkelsein, I, Litt, T. (2013) Climate and the Late Bronze Collapse: New Evidence from the Levant. Tel Aviv 40:149-175. Online at https://www.academia.edu/6053886/Climate_and_the_Late_Bronze_Collapse_New_Evidence_from_the_Southern_Levant
Mazar, Amihai (2005) The Debate over the Chronology of the Iron Age in the Southern Levant: its History, the Current Situation and a Suggested Resolution. pp. 15-30 in: T. Levy and T. Higham (editors), The Bible and Radiocarbon Dating - Archaeology, Text and Science. London. Online at: https://www.academia.edu/2632501/The_Debate_over_the_Chronology_of_the_Iron_Age_in_the_Southern_Levant_its_History_the_Current_Situation_and_a_Suggested_Resolution_2005

Sidon Sarcophagus One Text Defends Magic Crafters - 1170 BCE (Levant Text 11)

Left Side of Sidon Sarcophagus One Showing Letter Assignments - Lines 1 and 2

Left Side of Sidon Sarcophagus One Showing Letter Assignments - Lines 1 and 2

Photo by Olmsted of sarcophagus in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum 2016

Right Side of Sidon Sarcophagus One Showing Letter Assignments - Lines 1 and 2

Right Side of Sidon Sarcophagus One Showing Letter Assignments - Lines 1 and 2

Photo by Olmsted of sarcophagus in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum 2016

Left Side of Sidon Sarcophagus One Showing Letter Assignments - Lines 3 and 4

Left Side of Sidon Sarcophagus One Showing Letter Assignments - Lines 3 and 4

Photo by Olmsted of sarcophagus in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum 2016

Right Side of Sidon Sarcophagus One Showing Letter Assignments - Lines 3 and 4

Right Side of Sidon Sarcophagus One Showing Letter Assignments - Lines 3 and 4

Photo by Olmsted of sarcophagus in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum 2016

Left Side of Sidon Sarcophagus One Showing Letter Assignments - Lines 5 and 6

Left Side of Sidon Sarcophagus One Showing Letter Assignments - Lines 5 and 6

Photo by Olmsted of sarcophagus in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum 2016

Right Side of Sidon Sarcophagus One Showing Letter Assignments - Lines 5 and 6

Right Side of Sidon Sarcophagus One Showing Letter Assignments - Lines 5 and 6

Photo by Olmsted of sarcophagus in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum 2016

Left Side of Sidon Sarcophagus One Showing Letter Assignments - Line 7

Left Side of Sidon Sarcophagus One Showing Letter Assignments - Line 7

Photo by Olmsted of sarcophagus in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum 2016

Right Side of Sidon Sarcophagus One Showing Letter Assignments - Lines 7 and 8

Right Side of Sidon Sarcophagus One Showing Letter Assignments - Lines 7 and 8

Photo by Olmsted of sarcophagus in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum 2016

Almost no ancient text has been properly translated up to the scholar's standard because academic institutions want to keep it that way so they don't alienate their funding sources. You only have to look at today's lexicons with all their possible word assignments for a single ancient word. If someone does not like, or understand a translation, they can just pick out a new set of words. Additionally, names count as translations these day even though names are like a wild card encompassing any arbitrary combination of letters. The more names a text has the more likely it is fake. Finally, ever more complex and arbitrary grammars are being introduce to account for additional letters in a desire word. If the grammar is found not to be consistent the blame is placed on the original writer for not knowing the rules! All these fake translations naturally provide no new historical information which is why they are perceived as bland and inconsequential.

Earlier Fake 1887 Translation Attempted in Hebrew Continues to Fool Historians

These early "translators" named Berger and Maspero made their letters fit the translation they desired which was to mimic the recently popularized Egyptian mummy curses. They also patterned their translation off of another fake translation known as the Esmun’azor sarcophagus found in Sidon in 1855. This sarcophagus was thought to mention a king by that name in its 22 lines. This is their translation translated from French into English from the book "Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament" (1969): 

I, Tabnit, priest of Astarte, King of Sidon, son of Eshmun’azar, priest of Astarte, King of Sidon, am lying in this sarcophagus.Whoever you are who might find this sarcophagus, don’t, don’t open it and don’t disturb me, for no silver has been given me, no gold and no jewelry whatever has been given me! Only I myself am lying in this sarcophagus.
Don’t open it and don’t disturb me for such a thing would be an abomination to Astarte! But if you do open it and disturb me may [you] not have any seed among the living under the sun or a resting place together with the shades!

How this fake translation fooled historians is shown by this quote about it from a 1907 history of Sidon:

There are eleven lines of hieroglyphic writing, the epitaph of an Egyptian general Penptah, covering the lower part of the lid. “In this inscription” says Berger “we have the evident proof that we are in the presence of a sarcophagus of Egyptian make, which was diverted from its primary destination and sold to Phoenicia, to receive the remains of a Phoenician prince.” (Berger, 1887 Re. Arch. II). A Phoenician inscription of seven and a half lines covers the feet. In substance, it resembles that of Esmunazar but much briefer. It opens with a genealogy of the king, Tabnet, priest of Astart, king of the Sidonians, son of Esmunazar, priest of Astart, king of the Sidonians” and continues and closes with a curse upon anyone who might dare to open and disturb his resting place. (Eiselen 1907, p 142)

References

Eiselen, Frederick C. (1907) Sidon, a Study in Oriental History. MacMillan, New York. Online at: https://archive.org/details/sidonstudyinorie00eiserich
Pritchard, James, B., editor (1978) Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament with Supplement. Princeton University Press (originally published in 1950, full of fake translations not done to the scholars standard)