Sefire Treaty Inscriptions

The Sfire or Sefire steles are three 8th-century BCE basalt '' stelae'' containing Aramaic inscriptions discovered near Al-Safirah ("Sfire") near Aleppo, Syria. The Sefire treaty inscriptions are the three inscriptions on the steles; they are known as KAI 222-224. A fourth stele, possibly from Sfire, is known as KAI 227 (the "Starcky Tablet", at the Louvre).

Discovery of the inscriptions

Sefire I

Discovered in 1930, it is held in the National Museum of Damascus. This is a basalt slab broken in two horizontally. The first two steles each have three faces bearing writing.

Sefire II

Discovered in 1930, it is held in the National Museum of Damascus. As with Sefire I stele, Sefire II had three faces bearing writing. While most of the text of Sefire II A and B permit coherent translation only with comparison with Sefire I and III, the concluding portion of Sefire II A and B is quite clear.

Sefire III

Discovered in 1956, Sefire III is made up of nine fragments of the reverse of a broad slab. It is held by the Beirut National Museum.

The inscriptions

The inscriptions record two treaties that "list curses and magical rites which take effect if the treaty is violated."

One is a treaty between two minor kings, Barga'yah and Matti'el, who hailed from the southwestern periphery of the Assyrian empire. In the text, Matti'el swears to accept dire consequences for himself and his cities should he violate the stipulations of the treaty:

"....

As this wax is consumed by fire, thus Ma ti'elshall be consumed b fie.

As this bow and these arrows are broken, thus Inurta and Hadad (= names of local deities) shall break he bow of Matti'eland the bows of his nobles.

As a man of wax is blinded, thus Matti'el shall be blinded.

sthis calf is cut up, thus Matti'el and his nobles shall be cut up."

This loyalty oath from the Sefire inscriptions is similar to other loyalty oaths imposed by Assyrian kings on other less powerful monarchs in the Levant throughout the 8th and 7th centuries BCE.

The inscriptions may, under one possible interpretation, record the names of '' El and Elyon,'' "God, God Most High" possibly providing prima facie evidence for a distinction between the two deities first worshipped by the Jebusites in Jerusalem, and then elsewhere throughout the ancient Levant.

Thought to be reflective of Assyrian or neo-Assyrian culture and similar to other documents dating from the first millennium BCE, scholars such as Joseph Fitzmyer have perceived Canaanite influences in the text, while Dennis McCarthy has noted similarities to second millennium BCE treaties imposed by Hittite kings on Syrian vassals.

Identification of the treaty kings

Two treaties conducted between minor kings from the Kingdom of Arpad inscribed on the stelae are often cited as evidence of the Aramaean tradition of treaty-making. The Sefire inscriptions are of interest to those studying beliefs and practices in ancient Syria and Palestine and the text is considered notable for constituting "the best extrabiblical source for West Semitic traditions of covenantal blessings and curses."

They tell of ''"The treaty of King Bar-ga'yah of K , with Mati'el son of Attarsamak, king of Arpad."'' Some have identified this as the treaty of "Ashurnerari V" (Adad-nirari III or his son Tiglath-pileser III?) of Assyria and Matiilu (unknown) of Arpad (probably modern Tel Rifaat, Syria)."Thus, they think that the Sefire treaty is the Aramaic version of the treaty of approximately 754 bc between Ashurnerari V and Matîoil of Arpad. But why the use of KTK as a pseudonym for Assyria? If, in fact, Dupont-Sommer's (1958) ..."

Gallery

File:Ronzevalle's publication of the Sefire steles - Plate XL.jpg
File:Ronzevalle's publication of the Sefire steles - Plate XLI.jpg
File:Ronzevalle's publication of the Sefire steles - Plate XLII.jpg
File:Ronzevalle's publication of the Sefire steles - Plate XLIII.jpg
File:Ronzevalle's publication of the Sefire steles - Plate XLIV.jpg
File:Ronzevalle's publication of the Sefire steles - Plate XLV.jpg
File:Louvres-antiquites-moyen-orient-p1020200.jpg, KAI 227, "Starcky Tablet", AO 21063

References

{{Reflist

Bibliography

Steles I and II

* Dussaud René
Nouvelles inscriptions araméennes de Séfiré, près d'Alep
In: Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, 75ᵉ année, N. 4, 1931. pp. 312-321. DOI : https://doi.org/10.3406/crai.1931.76102
* Ronzevalle, S.,
Fragments d'inscriptions araméennes des environs d'Alep
" Mélanges de l'Université Saint-Joseph, 15 (1930-31): 237–60
* Cantineau, Jean,
Remarques sur la stèle araméenne de Sefiré-Soudjin
" RA 28 (1931): 167–178
* Hempel, J. and Bauer, H., "Zeitschriftenschau: Mélanges de l'Université Saint-Joseph. Beyrouth (Liban) XV (1930)." ZAW 50 (1932): 178–83
* Driver, G.R., "Notes on the Aramaic Inscription from Soudschin." AfO 8 (1932-33): 203–6
* Friedrich, J. and Landsberger, B., "Zu der altaramäischen Stele von Sudschin." ZA 41 (1933): 313–18

Stele III

* Dupont-Sommer, A. and Starcky, Jean, "Une inscription araméenne inédite de Sfiré." BMB 13 (1956 ppeared 1958: 23–41 + pls. I-VI. Sf.3
* Dupont-Sommer, A., "Une stèle araméenne inédite de Sfiré (Syrie) du VIIIe siècle avant J.-C.." CRAIBL (1957a): 245–48. Sf.3
* Fitzmyer, Joseph A., "The Aramaic Suzerainty Treaty from Sefire in the Museum of Beirut." CBQ 20 (1958): 444–76. Sf.3

All Steles

* Dupont-Sommer André
Les inscriptions araméennes de Sfiré (stèles I et II)
In: Mémoires présentés par divers savants à l'Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres de l'Institut de France. Première série, Sujets divers d'érudition. Tome 15, 1e partie, 1960. pp. 197-349. DOI : https://doi.org/10.3406/mesav.1960.1129
* Fitzmyer, J. (1961)
The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire I and II
Journal of the American Oriental Society, 81(3), 178-222. doi:10.2307/595652
* Greenfield, Jonas C., "Three Notes on the Sefire Inscription," ''JSS'' 11 (1966), 98-105.

8th-century BC steles
1930 archaeological discoveries
1956 archaeological discoveries
Ancient Near East steles
Aramaic texts
Victory steles
Archaeological artifacts
Ancient Near East
Inscriptions
Aramaic inscriptions
KAI inscriptions
Aleppo Governorate
Archaeological discoveries in Syria
El (deity)