Darende Stele This basalt stele measuring 79 x 30 x 20 cm was found in old Darende, about 2 km west of modern day Darende in Malatya province. In the 1920s, it was said to be found in the wall of a mosque and moved to Gök Medrese building which was serving as Sivas Museum at the time. The original location of the stele is unknown. It is decorated with a 6-line Hieroglyphic Luwian inscription on one side and reliefs on other three sides. On the Side A is a relief of goddess Hebat of the City seated on a chair holding a curved staff and a drinking cup. Her name is written twice on both sides of the head and "of the City" is written behind the chair. Side D has a relief of god Sharruma also holding a curved staff and a drinking cup, and standing on a lion. His name is written behind him. Side B has a male figure facing right, standing on a lion and pouring libation. The inscription identifies this figure as a ruler of Malatya (Malizi) named Arnuwanti (II), son of PUGNUS-mili (II), and grandson of King Arnuwanti (I). He is also the author of İspekçür stele, and his grandfather King Arnuwanti (I) is possibly a brother of Runtiya of Gürün and Kötükale inscriptions. The inscription is a dedication to the gods for founding of a city. Genealogical dating places the stele to four generations after Kuzi-Teššub to somewhere around the early 11th century BCE. The stele is currently in the Anatolian Civilizations Museum in Ankara. Click on the pictures for larger images.

Literature:
Hawkins, J. D. Corpus of Hieroglyphic Luwian Inscriptions, Vol 1, Berlin, 2000: 304–5 and plts 145–46.
Bossert, H. Th. "Die späthethitische Stele aus Darende," Archiv für Orientforschung 17, 1956: 347–53.
Orthmann, W. Untersuchungen zur späthethitischen Kunst, Bonn, 1971. (Darende 1)

Image sources:
Tayfun Bilgin, 2014
Bora Bilgin, 2008
J. David Hawkins, 2000.