Arslan Tash amulets
Encyclopedia
The Arslan Tash amulets are talisman
s found at Arslan Tash
, "Stone Lion", in northwest Syria, the site of ancient Hadatu. They are to be distinguished from larger finds such as the Arslan Tash reliefs
.
In 1933 Count Robert du Mesnil du Buisson purchased from a peasant two inscribed limestone plaques "Arslan Tash 1" ("AT1") and the smaller "Arslan Tash 2" ("AT2") which are now in the Museum of Aleppo. His drawings and photographs of AT1 were published in 1939. Count du Mesnil du Buisson made gypsum casts of the tablets, though these are now lost. Since the small rectangular plaque had a hole in one end it was identified as an amulet. On the obverse is a winged lion with a human head (a talismanic figure) standing over a she-wolf with a scorpion's tail (a demonic figure) devouring a male or female figure. On the reverse is a marching god with late-Assyrian headgear carrying an axe instead of the expected lightning bolt.
(1939), Gaster (1942) (1947) Torczyner (1947) Cross and Saley (1970) Texidor (1971) Caquot (1973), and Röllig (1974). Albright introduced some readings which have now been shown to be incorrect, modern scholarship now follows Caquot.
The text includes a broken word lly- which with the addition of -t could possibly be analgous to the Hebrew Lilith
, or ll wyn "night and day".
Mesnil du Buisson and Caquot published AT2 in 1971. It shows a male demon, "m-z-h".
Talisman
Talisman have several meanings:*TalismanBooks and novels* The Talisman , a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott* The Talisman , a novel by Stephen King and Peter Straub...
s found at Arslan Tash
Arslan Tash
Arslan Tash , ancient Hadātu, is an archaeological site in northern Syria,in Aleppo Governorate, around 30km east of the Euphrates Riverand nearby the town of Ain al-Arab.-History:...
, "Stone Lion", in northwest Syria, the site of ancient Hadatu. They are to be distinguished from larger finds such as the Arslan Tash reliefs
Arslan Tash reliefs
The Arslan Tash reliefs are bas-reliefs of human figures and animals which adorned the city gates and temple portals of ancient Hadatu; the modern archeological site of Arslan Tash, literally "the Stone Lion"....
.
In 1933 Count Robert du Mesnil du Buisson purchased from a peasant two inscribed limestone plaques "Arslan Tash 1" ("AT1") and the smaller "Arslan Tash 2" ("AT2") which are now in the Museum of Aleppo. His drawings and photographs of AT1 were published in 1939. Count du Mesnil du Buisson made gypsum casts of the tablets, though these are now lost. Since the small rectangular plaque had a hole in one end it was identified as an amulet. On the obverse is a winged lion with a human head (a talismanic figure) standing over a she-wolf with a scorpion's tail (a demonic figure) devouring a male or female figure. On the reverse is a marching god with late-Assyrian headgear carrying an axe instead of the expected lightning bolt.
Translations
Working from du Mesnil du Buisson's photographs, and in some cases casts, the text on the plaque "AT1" was translated by Dupont-Sommer (1939), AlbrightWilliam F. Albright
William Foxwell Albright was an American archaeologist, biblical scholar, philologist and expert on ceramics. From the early twentieth century until his death, he was the dean of biblical archaeologists and the universally acknowledged founder of the Biblical archaeology movement...
(1939), Gaster (1942) (1947) Torczyner (1947) Cross and Saley (1970) Texidor (1971) Caquot (1973), and Röllig (1974). Albright introduced some readings which have now been shown to be incorrect, modern scholarship now follows Caquot.
The text includes a broken word lly- which with the addition of -t could possibly be analgous to the Hebrew Lilith
Lilith
Lilith is a character in Jewish mythology, found earliest in the Babylonian Talmud, who is generally thought to be related to a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts. However, Lowell K. Handy notes, "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view...
, or ll wyn "night and day".
Mesnil du Buisson and Caquot published AT2 in 1971. It shows a male demon, "m-z-h".