Daskyleion steles

The Daskyleion steles are three marble steles discovered in 1958 in Dascylium, in northwest Turkey.

The Aramaic inscription is known as KAI 318. It is dated to the fifth century BCE.

Text of the inscription
The inscription seems to be sepulchral. The text reads:




 * (line 1) ||  || ’LH ṢLMH ZY ’LNP BR ’ŠY ||   ||These are the images (the relief) of Elnap, son of ’ŠY.
 * (2) || || HW ‘BD LNPŠH HWMYTK || || He has made (it) for his funerary monument. I adjure thee
 * (3) || || BL WNBW ZY ’RḤ’ ZNH || || by Bel and Nabu, whoever passes by this way,
 * (4) || || YHWH ‘DH ’YŠ ’L Y‘ML || || let no-one do harm [to my tomb]!
 * }
 * (3) || || BL WNBW ZY ’RḤ’ ZNH || || by Bel and Nabu, whoever passes by this way,
 * (4) || || YHWH ‘DH ’YŠ ’L Y‘ML || || let no-one do harm [to my tomb]!
 * }
 * (4) || || YHWH ‘DH ’YŠ ’L Y‘ML || || let no-one do harm [to my tomb]!
 * }

The inscription had originally been interpreted as a kind of "insurance project" set up by Elnap, presumably a merchant, for the safe passage of his caravans:


 * These are the images of Elnap, son of ’ŠY (Isai).
 * He has made (it) for himself as (a man) devoted(?) to
 * Bel and Nabu, so that his caravan (lit.: road) may travel safely.
 * May no-one suffer from harm!

The revised interpretation as a sepulchral monument is based on the iconography, the place where the stelae were found, and a more natural reading of the Aramaic (the problematic word HWMYTK in line 2 had originally been taken to be an Iranian loanword).