Possible Future Projects

Good list of near east archaeological texts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaanite_and_Aramaic_inscriptions

Orsokon Statuette from Byblos (Phoenician)

 The statuette was dug up in Byblos (Gubla in Akkadian) north of Sidon by an unknown person and then transported to Naples, Italy where it was found by Wiederman in 1881. Wiederman then published a translation of the statuette's hieroglyphic inscription found on its chest.

 These Egyptian hieroglyphics on this statuette identify it Pharaoh Orsokon. The problem is that four Orsokons reigned at different times. They were Libyan Egyptians, that is, their ancestry is at least partly Libyan. These were invaders from the west of Egypt who ended up ruling parts of Egypt during and just prior to the Third Intermediate Period (945-715 BCE). Orsokon the elder reigned from 984-978 BCE (Shaw 2000). Two others reigned during the first half of the Third Intermediate Period while the fourth was the last Pharaoh during that period.

Now at the Louvre. Number AO 9502. Online at: https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010120348

Many other Phoenician as well from Byblos

Bureij (Melqart) Stele

This stele originally seems to have been at the entrance to a high place which was located near the main east-west trade route between the Levant and northern Mesopotamia. The inscription is found on a meter high stele depicting a walking priest. Because an earlier incorrect translation thought it mentioned some god named Melqart it is also called the Melqart Stele.

It is now at the Aleppo Museum in Syria. Photo from: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/National_Museum_of_Aleppo#Media/File:Melqart_or_Bir_Hadad_stele.jpg

Latest paper on it:

Jo Ann Hackett and Aren M. Wilson-Wright(2022) Revised Interpretation of the Melqart Stele. Online at:  

https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/Publications/SAOC/saoc73.pdf

Previous Translation Attempt

 William Albright attempted a Hebrew Translation shortly after the stele was found. As the reader can see it  does not work with many letters left out and other letter forming new words not found in standard Hebrew. Again, the excessive use of proper names hints that it is a failed translation even before the details are examined. Albright's translation is: 


  1. The stela which Bir-Hadad
  2. The son of ‘Attarhamek ….
  3. King of Aram set up for his lord Melquart
  4. To whom he made a vow and who heard his voice

 Details Top Line (each word is numbered)


(all letters from Pitard 1988) 
  1. NṢBA
  2. ZY
  3. ŠM (somehow these three words mean one word: “stela”)
  4. BRH[D] - (Bir-Hadad with the DD letters taken from the next line but such word splitting does not happen in alphabetic texts.  

Details Line Two 


  1. DD (last part of "Hadad" 
  2. BR (the word for “son” would be BN)
  3. 'TRHMK (“Attarhamek” with the ayin being used as an aleph 

Details Line Three 


  1. MLK - king
  2. ARM - Aram
  3. LMRAH - set up for? (this is a pure guess)
  4. LMLQR L Melqar (Where are the letters B’L which means “lord”? The ending /t/ on Melquart is on the next line. Such word splitting does not happen in alphabetic texts) 

Details Line Four


 (this line is pure guesswork as nothing matches standard Hebrew in (Brown, Driver, and Briggs 1906) 
  1. T - (the ending /t/ for “Melqart.” Word splitting does not happen in alphabetic texts)
  2. ZY (no such word in Biblical Hebrew)
  3. NZR (“lamp” or more allegorically “happiness, delight”)
  4. LH (adverbial negation)
  5. WŠM’
  6. LQL (no such word in Biblical Hebrew)

References


Pitard, W.T. (1988) The Identity of the Bir-Hadad of the Melqart Stele. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 272, pages 8-32.
Text Photos at: https://digitallibrary.usc.edu/Archive/InscriptiFact----an-image-database-of-inscriptions-and-artifacts-2A3BF1OL6PW?Flat=1#/SearchResult&VBID=2A3BXZST5S39R&PN=1&WS=SearchResults

Preliminary Translation (Feb 2020)

  1. To be nourished by magic anoint the nourishment. Enemies are tinkering-with treacherous envious-feelings and the Controllers are blocking the blessings.| Are not the fertility-fluids cursed by the coating (astrological night sky)? Shouldn’t we be opening-up the fertility-fluids with the Aku-owls to interfere with the elimination of the fertility-fluids by eagle-vultures? Shouldn’t we be releasing the fertility-fluid-revealer (Yahu)?
  2. To nourish the fertility-fluid-revealer shouldn't we opening-up the divine-threads.  To be nourished by the pouring-out of the fertility-fluids shouldn't we be opening the same the eagle-vultures for the fertility-fluid-revealer (Yahu)? To authorize the eagle-vulture's fertility-fluids shouldn't we be opening-up the fertility-fluids with the Aku-owl’s. To interfere with the elimination of the fertility-fluids by the eagle-vultures shouldn’t we be releasing the fertility-fluid-revealer (Yahu)? Shouldn’t the astrologer's coastal-region not be eliminating the divine-threads?
  3. To be nourished by Yahu (I') the magical divine-threads need to make good the purity of the openings which are being cursed by the fertility-fluids. To help the sweetness of the fertility-fluids make good their emotional-power. Divine threads shuttle the opening's nourishment. Consider opening-up the nourishments from Hu. Do not eliminated divine-threads run-off with the heavenly-bodies?
  4.  To be nourished by the manifestations of the fertility-fluids the Aku-owls (of Ayu or emotional magic) need to make good the divine threads for the fertility-fluid-revealer (Yahu). The magic's expectations are not opening everything. Are not the thread-openers (owls) and the winnowers (eagle-vultures) controlling the fertility-fluids? Ayu's magic is dominating Hu. Atu is burning due to the opening's nourishment being eliminated because
  5. an aroused Ayu is removing the fertility-fluid-revealer's (Yahu) nourishment. The fertility-fluid-revealer (Yahu) are opening up to this magic due to the fertility-fluids making-good the fresh-water's support. Ayu is disciplining those. Atu’s divine-threads are respecting the burning due to opening-up to the magical nourishment and Ayu grazing-together-with the fertility-fluids.
  6. Su (full moon god) is being a nourishment-revealer for fertility-fluids due to opening-up the nourishment of the oven (atmosphere). Is not the burning handing-back the nourishment? By tinkering with the life-growth-powered magic of the Reed-Boat's control, the fertility-fluids are being  murdered by the authorities. Eagle-vultures are filtering Ayu's divine-threads due to pushing-away nourishment. The healing eagle-vulture's openings are not opening-up the fresh-water. Shouldn't we be opening up the divine-threads and
  7.  not be opening up the fertility-fluids from the life-growth-priests? The magic of the Aku-owls is dominating Hu’s eagle-vultures. Are not the divine-threads being chastised? To open-up the divine-network the Reed-Boat’s Aku-owls are disciplining those of Atu's divine-threads from Hu. Are not the divine-threads being chastised for opening-up-to the house? The Reed-Boat’s Aku-owls are grazing-together-with the active fertility-fluids. The nourishment-revealer for the fertility fluids
  8. is handing-back the nourishment to  eliminate Ayu's magic. Don't winnow the fertility-fluids to chastise the openings. Nourish those eagle-vulture divine-threads without the Reed-Boat so that Ayu acknowledges seeing the rebellious evening. Ayu’s magic is veiling the good emotional-powers and eliminating the Shepherd (Su).
  9. Divine-threads are mixing up the life-growth-powers. Utu is being troubled by eagle-vultures in revealing the fertility-fluids. Not one of their divine-eyes is aware of the fertility-fluids pouring-in. The fertility-fluids are being burned. The fertility-fluids are controlled by the coating (night sky). The eagle-vultures [and] Aku-owls are being chastised by the enemies of the fertility-fluid-revealer (Yahu). Shouldn't the life-growth-powers
  10. be topping-off the fertility-fluid-revealer (Yahu)? Atu is drying-out the fertility-fluids. Are not the Thread-Openers from the Reed-boat (Ayu) controlling the fertility-fluids? Not one of those magical Aku-owls (emotional) are being dominated by Hu’u owls (astrological). Is not the burning handing back the eliminated nourishment? The Reed-Boat’s Aku-owls are disciplining those divine-threads of Atu.
  11. To respect the eliminated divine threads and Atu’s divine-threads eliminate everything from the Shepherd (Su). Are not the divine-threads for Ea (Yahu) controlled by the Reed-Boat (crescent moon, Ayu)?  Everything is supervising those divine threads. Is not magic winnowing the irrigated-fields which is pouring-in emotional-powers from the grinding-of-children?
  12. Without the Shepherd's pushing would not those troops be authorizing Hu’s magic? Undermining Hu's divine-threads is binding the handing-back of the considerations (motion potential). The openings are revealing the intimidation on the coastal-region's eliminations. Shouldn’t we be commanding I’u (Yahu) to end the nourishment for the fertility-fluid-revealer's (Yahu) motion-creator (Su)?
  13.  The opening's magic affects everything. To murder the naked divine-threads Ayu is undermining the favors opening-up the [filter]. In considering the openings the Aku-owl's fertility-fluids are interfering with the eliminations. Don't emotionally-release to open-up the divine-choir. The fertility-fluid-revealer (Yahu) is making good
  14. the fertility-fluids. The  coating is commanding the pouring-away of the fertility fluids. Shouldn't we be opening-up the divine-choir? The fertility-fluid-revealer is making-good the nourishment's fertility-fluids. Shouldn’t we be opening-up the Aku-owl’s fertility-fluids to interfere with the eliminations by the eagle-vulture’s magic? Shouldn’t we be releasing the fertility-fluid-revealer? Their rainstorms are making anarchic Atu's divine-threads which nourish the life-growth-powers.
  15. Open-up to change envious-feelings. On account-of calling-fate on the divine-thread's authorities jealousy is being supervised by the coating to command the burning. The coating's Aku-owls interfere with the fertility-fluids to eliminate emotional-release.Is not the foundation-stone of the fertility-fluid-revealer's (Yahu's) eagle-vultures the anarchy of these-sorts of rainstorms which are commanding the life-growth-powers.
  16. Ayu is revealing the those fertility-fluids to replace ... [9 letters missing] ...  The Cat (self-centeredness) is controlling the net's fertility fluids. The magical openings are diminishing which is revealing Atu's envious-feelings over the fertility-fluids. Calling-fate is burning everything. To control the eagle-vulture's support, favor (their) intimidation.
  17. Aku-owls to make good the nourishment-revealing by the divine-threads. Are not the Aku-owls ... [8 missing and orphaned letters] ... revealing fertility-fluids from the Shepherd's (Su's) enemies? Awareness and discipline are making good magic. To bind the fertility-fluids control  the emotional-releasing without considering  intimidation. Aku-owls are making-good the nourishment-revealing of the divine-thread's fertility-fluids.
  18. Is not Ayu emotionally-energizing the eagle-vultures? The fertility-fluid-revealer (Yahu) is being nourished by cats. To control the net's fertility-fluids, nourish the divine-threads. Is not the blocking confusing the eagle-vultures to abandon the nourishment's openings from I'u (Yahu)? Due to the divine-threads being sent-away the bindings are not being blocked. Misery is being set by jealousy. The vulture-eyes are controlling the fertility-fluid-revealer (Yahu) who is not an opener for the fertility-fluids
  19. call-fate on Atu? Those eagle-vultures for Utu are without the magic which controls the topping. Falseness is stilling the Controllers (Atu & Ayu) which sends away the Aku-owl's nourishment which is diminishing the wine. Omens are rejecting them which is undermining the fluid-bird Aku-owls. Are not the divine-threads and magic baiting the anarchy in the fertility-fluids?
  20. Ayu's divine-threads nourish abundance. Are not the Controllers doing it?  The coating is making anarchic the fertility-fluids. Are not the same eagle-vultures healing Yahu (I’u). Are not crafters murdering expectations about emotionally-empowered openings for the fertility-fluids? (Yet) are not the divine-thread openings and Yahu's (Ia) openings being emotionally-released? Ayu is replacing the divine-threads of the Hu'u owls. Are not the magical divine-threads
  21. and Ayu grazing-together-with the Shepherd (Su)? Are not the magical divine-threads and Ayu grazing together with the night? The nourishment-revealer for the fertility-fluids is handing back the eliminated nourishment because Ayu is disciplining those. Atu's divine-threads are being respected. The burning is handing-back the nourishment. Hostile emotionally-empowered magic is assaulting the fertility-fluid-revealer (Yahu).
  22. Ayu is revealing drunkeness. The life-growth powers are pouring-in those fertility-fluids. Are not Utu's oozing life-growth powers being authorized by the fertility-fluids? The coating's divine-threads for Ea (Yahu) and Ea's eagle-vultures supervise everything. Jealousy is eliminating the Shepherd (Su). Fertility-fluids emotionally-empower Yahu (I'u)!

Sidon Sarcophagus 2 - So called Sidon Sarcophagus of King Eshmunazor II (Levant Text 18)

(jan 17, 2023) This sarcophagus was discovered in Sidon by Beirut's French consulate chancellor, Aimé Péretié,  on February 20, 1855. It was purchased in the same year by Honoré Théodoric d'Albert de Luynes, and donated to the Louvre in Paris. It dates to the time of the 850 BCE

It is now at the Louvre. Number: AO 4806 

Online at: https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010120357

Letters

Previous Failed Translation Attempt from Hebrew by  Jean-Claude Haelewyck in 2012 

This is the most recent and most honest attempt at a Hebrew-like translation in that it provides a word by word translation. Yet the word definitions are certainly not standard Hebrew and much time is spent trying to justify the anomalies. Because of this, most of the words are just guesses to fill in the blanks between a few recognizable Hebrew words. His translation mostly follows the earlier one from Julius Oppert from 1877.

  1.  In the month of Bul, in the fourteenth year of the reign of king Eshmunazar, king of the Sidonians,
  2. son of king Tabnit, king of the Sidonians, king Eshmunazar, king of the Sidonians, said as follows: I was carried away
  3. before my time, son of a limited number of short days (or: son of a limited number of days I was cut off), an orphan, the son of a widow, and I am lying in this coffin and in this tomb,
  4. in a place which I have built. Whoever you are, king or (ordinary) man, may he (sic!) not open this resting-place
  5. and may he not search in it after anything because nothing whatsoever has been placed into it. And may he not move the coffin of my resting-place, nor carry me
  6. away from this resting-place to another resting-place. Also if men talk to you do not listen to their chatter. For every king and
  7. every (ordinary) man, who will open what is above this resting-place, or will lift up the coffin of my resting-place, or will carry me away from
  8. this resting-place, may they not have a resting-place with the Rephaïm, may they not be buried in a tomb, and may they not have a son or offspring
  9. after them. And may the sacred gods deliver them to a mighty king who will rule them in order
  10. to exterminate them, the king or this (ordinary) man who will open what is over this resting-place or will lift up
  11. this coffin, and (also) the offspring of this king or of those (ordinary) men. They shall not have root below or 12. fruit above or appearance in the life under the sun. For I who deserve mercy, I was carried away
  12.  before my time, son of a limited
  13. number of short days (or: son of a limited number of days I was cut off), I an orphan, the son of a widow. For I, Eshmunazar, king of the Sidonians, son of
  14. king Tabnit, king of the Sidonians, grandson of king Eshmunazar, king of the Sidonians, and my mother Amo[t]astart, priestess
  15.  of Ashtart, our lady, the queen, daughter of king Eshmunazar, king of the Sidonians, (it is we) who have built the temples
  16.  of the gods, [the temple of Ashtar]t in Sidon, the land of the sea. And we have placed Ashtart (in) the mighty heavens (or: in Shamem-Addirim?). And it is we
  17. who have built a temple for Eshmun, the prince of the sanctuary of the source of Ydll in the moutains, and we have placed him (in) the mighty heavens (or: in Shamem-Addirim?). And it is we who have built temples
  18.  for the gods of the Sidonians in Sidon, the land of the sea, a temple for Baal of Sidon, and a temple for Ashtart, the Name of Baal. Moreover, the lord of kings gave us
  19.  Dor and Joppa, the mighty lands of Dagon, which are in the Plain of Sharon, as a  reward for the brilliant action I did. And we have annexed them
  20.  to the boundary of the land, so that they would belong to the Sidonians for ever. Whoever you are, king or (ordinary) man, do not open what is above me
  21.  and do not uncover what is above me and do not carry me away from this resting-place and do not  lift up the coffin of my resting-place. Otherwise,
  22.  the sacred gods will deliver them and cut off this king and those (ordinary) men and their offspring for ever.

His letter assignments:
  1. BYRI BL BŠNT ‛SR  W’RB‛ 14  LMLKY  MLK ’ŠMN‛ZR  MLK ṢDNM
  2. BN MLK TBNT MLK ṢDNM DBR MLK  ’ŠMN‛ZR MLK  ṢDNM  L’MR NGZLT
  3. BL ‛TY  BN MSK  YMM  ’ZRM  YTM  BN  ’LMT  WŠKB  ’NK  BHLT  Z  WBQBR  Z 
  4. BMQM  ’Š  BNT QNMY  ’T  KL MMLKT  WKL  ’DM  ’L  YPTH  ’YT  MŠKB  Z  W
  5.  ’L  YBQŠ  BN MNM  K  ’Y  ŠM BN  MNM  W’L  YŠ’   ’YT  HLT  MŠKBY  W’L  Y‛M
  6. SN  BMŠKB  Z  ‛LT  MŠKB  ŠNY   ’P   ’M ’DMM  YDBRNK  ’L  TŠM‛  BDNM  KKL  MMLKT  W 
  7. KL  ’DM  ’Š  YPTH  ‛LT  MŠKB  Z  ’M  ’Š  YŠ’  ’YT  HLT  MŠKBY  ’M  ’Š  Y‛MSN  BM
  8.  ŠKB  Z  ’L YKN  LM  MŠKB  ’T  RP’M  W’L YQBR BQBR  W’L  YKN  LM  BN  WZR‛
  9. THTNM  WYSGRNM  H’LNM  HQDŠM  ’T  MMLK<T>  ’DR  ’Š  MŠL  BNM  LQ 
  10. TNM  ’YT  MMLKT  ’M  ’DM  H’   ’Š  YPTH  ‛LT  MŠKB  Z  ’M  ’Š  YŠ’   ’YT 
  11. HLT  Z  W’YT  ZR‛  MML<K>T  H’   ’M  ’DMM  HMT   ’L  YKN  LM  ŠRŠ  LMT  W
  12. PR  LM‛L  WT’R  BHYM  THT  ŠMŠ  K  ’NK  NHN  NGZLT  BL  ‛TY  BN  MS 
  13. K  YMM  ’ZRM  YTM  BN  ’LMT  ’NK  K  ’NK  ’ŠMN‛ZR  MLK  ṢDNM BN
  14. MLK  TBNT  MLK  ṢDNM  BN  BN  MLK  ’ŠMN‛ZR  MLK  ṢDNM  W’MY  ’M‛ŠTRT
  15. KHNT  ‛ŠTRT  RBTN  HMLKT  BT  MLK  ’ŠMN‛ZR  MLK  S  DNM  ’M  BNN  ’YT  BT
  16. ’LNM  ’YT [BT ‛ŠTR]T  BṢDN   ’RṢ  YM  WYŠRN  ’YT  ‛ŠTRT  ŠMM  ’DRM  W’NHN
  17. ’Š  BNN  BT  L’ŠMN  [Š]R  QDŠ  ‛N  YDLL  BHR  WYŠBNY  ŠMM  ’DRM  W’NH N  ’Š  BNN  BTM
  18. L’LN  ṢDNM  BṢDN  ’RS  YM  BT  LB‛L  ṢDN  WBT  L‛ŠTRT  ŠM  B‛L  W‛D  YTN  LN  ’DN  MLKM
  19. 'YT  D’R  WYPY  ’RST  DGN  H’DRT  ’Š  BŠD  ŠRN  LMDT  ‛SMT  ’Š  P‛LT  WYSPNNM
  20. ‛LT  GBL  ’RṢ  LKNNM  LṢDNM  L‛L[M]  QNMY  ’T  KL  MMLKT  WKL  ’DM   ’L  YPTH  ‛LTY
  21. W’L  Y‛R  ‛LTY  W’L   Y‛MSN BMŠKB  Z  W’L  YŠ’   ’YT  HLT  MŠKBY  LM  YSGRNM
  22. ’LNM  HQDŠM  ’L  WYQṢN  HMMLKT  H’  WH’DMM  HMT  WZR‛M  L‛LM 

References


Haelewyck,  Jean-Claude (2012) The Phoenician Inscription of Eshmunazar - An Attempt at Vocalization, BABELAO 1 p. 77-98. Online at: https://www.academia.edu/75490428/The_Phoenician_Inscription_of_Eshmunazar_An_Attempt_at_Vocalization
Oppert, Julius (1877) An Inscription on the Sarcophagus of King Esmunazar, translated by Julius Oppert. In Records of the Past, vol IX, Assyrian texts, page 109; London: Samuel Bagster and Sons under the sanction of the Society of Biblical Literature. Online at: https://archive.org/stream/recordsofpastbei09sociiala#page/109/mode/1up

Terracotta Lekythos (oil flask)

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/254201

3 pictures around vase

 Accession Number: 41.162.34 

Lots of others

Baryk II. The inscription was found by Klementz in 1891 at the river Baryk, a tributary of the Big Enisei. The stone was transported to the National Museum of the Republic Tyva by Batmanov in 1961. It measures 151 x 52 x 25 centimetres. 

https://www.runiform.lingfil.uu.se/wiki/File:Radlov1893LXXVII.png

Orhun Yazıtları Resimleri (Pictures of Orkhon Inscriptions)

Szarvas Bone Needle Inscriptions from Hungary

Hungarian Runes (Orkhon Texts)

 Bence Fehér: Our First Known Writings (Avarkor) and Dissemination (In Hungarian)

 Bence Fehér, director of the Research Centre for Classical Philology of the Hungarian Research Institute in his lecture entitled "Our first known writings (Avarage) and the dissemination of information" discussed the usefulness of the runic monuments of the Avar Age in the dissemination of information, emphasizing that there was 8th century Hungarian literacy in the Carpathian Basin. Our director called it a pressing need to make it more widely public.

Yehimilk of Byblos


Reference

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yehimilk_inscription

https://www.jstor.org/stable/44102431

Dunand, Maurice (1930) NOUVELLE INSCRIPTION PHÉNICIENNE ARCHAIQUE 

Revue Biblique (1892-1940) Vol. 39, No. 3 (1er JUILLET 1930), pp. 321-331 (12 pages)