Hieroglyphic inscription. Basalt. Height 111 cm. Carchemisch. 2nd half of 8th century BC.

So-called ‘Inscription of Yariri/Araras’. It was placed at the front face of the Royal Buttress, with a second part on the narrow side of the orthostat, behind the corner on the left. The inscription starts as: "I am Yariri, the Ruler" and continues with the dedication of the building (Royal Buttress) for the royal heir Prince Kamani.

Yariri (Araras) was regent from c. 815- c. 790 BC; he probably was a eunuch, who took (good) care of the kingdom and of his master’s children, after the early death of king Astiruwa. A striking character, not only reliable and devoted, but also an able administrator and a gifted linguist and diplomat who spoke twelve (!) languages and wrote most of them. Under his regency Carchemish’s international profile appears to have risen significantly.

The text is written in Luwian hieroglyphs. These are an indigenous logographic script native to central Anatolia, consisting of some 500 signs. They are typologically similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs, but do not derive graphically from that script. As in Egyptian, characters may be logographic or phonographic - that is, they may be used to represent words or sounds. The number of phonographic signs is limited; they are predominantly from the CV-type (consonant sound followed by a vowel sound). A large number of these are ambiguous as to whether the vowel is a or i. Words may be written logographically, phonetically, mixed (that is, a logogram with a phonetic complement), and may be preceded by a determinative. Unlike Egyptian hieroglyphs, the lines of Luwian hieroglyphs are written alternately left-to-right and right-to-left. This practice was called by the Greeks boustrophedon, meaning "as the ox turns" (as when plowing a field).

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen
Sources: ‘The World of the Neo-Hittite Kingdoms’– Trevor Brice.
Website of ‘hittitemonuments.com’ & Wikipedia .