Ahiram sarcophagus
Ahiram ( more correctly: Ahirom ) was around 1000 BC a king of Byblos. He gained particular notoriety by his grave in 1923 in the V of the royal necropolis discovered sarcophagus of Byblos.
Sarcophagus
It is one of the oldest and most famous Phoenician sarcophagi. The rectangular box with its domed lid rests on four ready to jump crouching lion figures, the side walls are decorated with various scenes. On the two long sides processions are shown: one hand, one sees the ruler on a framed by a winged sphinx throne to sit. Before him stands a table on the go, the carrier of offerings. On the other hand, a mourning procession scene. On the narrow sides one sees female figures in mourning gestures ( mourners ). On the cover, two figures are depicted with lotus flowers, the lifting bosses of the cover are formed by two lions spread. Remains of an original painting rich are still partially visible.
The Phoenician style of this period is characterized by the fusion of Egyptian and Syrian styles. The shape of the sarcophagus is made after the Egyptian model. Also subject matter and execution of the Egyptian representations are affected. The lotus frieze is clearly an Egyptian decorative element, the second band of Syrian origin, and also the lions belong to the Syrian form of treasure.
On a tape of the narrow side of the sarcophagus tub and on the edge of a wide side of the cover there is a two-part (A and B), 38 -word inscription in Phoenician altbyblischen dialect that can be considered one of the oldest Phoenician inscriptions apply at all.
It reads ( according to Lehmann ):
(A) "For the sarcophagus made this Ittobaal, son Ahiroms, king of Byblos, for his father Ahirom; indeed, he made him so in secret " (B ) "And if a king among kings and governor among governors, and camp commander Byblos, coat, and then covers this sarcophagus on - it was defoliated the rod of his Gerichtsamkeit, had overturned the throne of his kingdom, and the rest flee from Byblos. and he - you quench their Memorial entry for the dead care ".
The dating of the sarcophagus is highly controversial. While Helene Sader, Ellen Rehm and others in the 13th century BC, the date it due to archaeological and art-historical analogies that occur because of the other one so early not possible font shape of the inscription for a younger dating to 1000 BC. A new palaeographical and philological study of the text by RG Lehmann has shown, however, that the scripture historically not possible before the 10th century inscription was installed as part of a recycling of the sarcophagus secondary, so that an early dating of the sarcophagus, but then without inscription, there is no impediment.
The shape of the Ahirom is otherwise unknown. The name is an early Phoenician form of the name Hiram, compounds known from the ancient Near East or the Old Testament carriers of this name are ( according to Flavius Josephus - Hiram I of 978-944 BC Phoenician king of Tyre in the time of Solomon ) but not provable. See also: List of kings of Byblos.
The sarcophagus is one of the main pieces of the collection of the National Museum of Beirut.
A second, older and shorter inscription was found on the south wall of the shaft grave V of the royal necropolis of Byblos. It is most often interpreted as a warning to grave robbers. After Neuentzifferung by RG Lehmann, however, it is to translate:
"In terms of knowledge: Here you humble now in this basement "
And may refer to initiation rituals that once took place in the grave system.