Kötükale Inscription
The six-line Neo-Hittite inscription used to be by the Tohma-Su river about 5 km east of the town of Balaban, near the village of Kötükale. Early in this century, its location was pretty hard to reach due to the river. Attempts by Cornell University expedition in 1911, and H. H. von der Osten in 1929 were not successful to get a copy of it. But fortunately in 1935 Ignace Gelb was able take good pictures of the 1.80 meters high inscription. By 1954 when H. Th. Bossert went to the site, the entire inscription was covered by earth due to a recently constructed road. Interestingly the inscription is a dedication for the building of a road by Runtiya, King of Malatya, who is also the author of the Gürün inscription and thus from the same period (12th century BCE). Runtiya describes himself as the grandson of Kuzi-Teššub (of Karkamış). Thus, it is likely that Runtiya is possibly a brother of King Arnuwanti (I) who is known as another son of PUGNUS-mili (Allumalli?) and grandson of Kuzi-Teššub from İspekçür inscription.
Click on the pictures for larger images.
| ||||
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Image sources:
Literature:
Ehringhaus, H. Das Ende, das ein Anfang war: Felsreliefs und Felsinschriften der luwischen Staaten Kleinasiens vom 12. bis 8./7. Jahrh. v. Chr., Mainz, 2014: 87–91.
Gelb, I. J. Hittite Hieroglyphic Monuments, OIP 45, Chicago, 1939. (pp.35-36 and plts. LIX-LXI)
Hawkins, J. D. Corpus of Hieroglyphic Luwian Inscriptions, Vol 1, Berlin, 2000: 299-301 and plts. 139-41.
Ignace J. Gelb, 1939.
J. David Hawkins, 2000.