Palın / Bağın (A 5-8)
The incomplete stele is reconstructed from two parts. The larger part, once incorporated into the church of Palın (today Bağın in the Mazgirt district of Tunceli), is now exhibited in the Elazığ Museum. It has been noted that this piece was brought from the locality of Kızılkale, about 14 km southwest of Palın. It measures 1.40 m in height, 60 cm in width, and 30 cm in thickness. The other fragment is apparently still inserted into the medieval-period wall of the fortress of Bağın. The main text, a declaration by King Minua about the installation of a governor named Titia, is repeated twice and is followed by a curse formula.
Transliteration:
obverse
1 [dhal-di-i-ni-ni]
2 uš-ma-a-ši-i-ni
3 dhal-di-i-e
4 e-ú-ri-i-e
5 mmì-i-nu-ú-a-še
6 [miš-pu-u-i]-ni-hi-ni-še
7 [i-ni NA4pu-lu-si]
8 [ku]-ú-gu-ú-ni
9 dhal-di-i-ni-ni
10 al-su-ú-i-ši-ni
11 mmì-nu-ú-a-ni
12 miš-pu-ú-i-ni-hí
13 MAN tar-a-i-e
14 MAN al-su-ú-i-ni
15 MAN KURbi-a-i-na-ú-e
16 a-lu-si URUṭu-uš-pa-a URU
17 mmì-nu-ú-a-še a-li
18 te-ru-bi mti-ti-a-ni
19 iš-ti-ni LÚEN.NAM
20 dhal-di-i-ni-ni
21 uš-ma-a-ši-i-ni
22 e-ú-ri-i-e
23 mmì-i-nu-ú-a-še
24 miš-pu-u-i-ni-hi-ni-še
25 i-ni NA4pu-lu-si
26 ku-ú-gu-ú-ni
27 dhal-di-i-ni-ni
28 al-su-ú-i-ši-ni
reverse
1 [mmì-nu-ú-a-ni]
2 [miš-pu-ú-i-ni-hí]
3 [MAN tar-a-i-e]
4 [MAN al-su-ú-i-ni]
5 [MAN KURbi-a-i-na-ú-e]
6 [a-lu-si URUṭu-uš-pa-a URU]
7 [mmì-nu-ú-a-še a-li]
8 [te]-⸢ru⸣-[bi mti-ti-a-ni]
9 iš-ti-ni LÚ⸢EN⸣.[NAM]
10 mmì-nu-ú-a-še
11 a-li a-lu-ú-še
12 i-ni DUB-te-e
13 pi-tú-ú-li-i-e
14 a-lu-še tú-li-e
15 a-lu-še ú-li-e
16 i-ni-li du-li-e
17 tú-ri-i-ni-ni
18 dhal-di-še dIM-še
19 dUTU-še DINGIRMEŠ-še
20 ma-a-ni dUTU pi-i-ni
21 mì-i ar-hé-e
22 ú-ru-li-a-ni-e
23 mì-i i-na-a-i-ni
24 mì-⸢i⸣ na-a-ra a-u-i-⸢e⸣
25 ú-lu-ú-li-⸢e⸣
Translation:
“ (obv. 1) Through the protection [of the god Haldi], for the god Haldi, his (or: the) Lord, Minua, son of [Išpui]ni, erected this stele. (9) Through the greatness of the god Haldi I am Minua, son of Išpuini, strong king, great king, king of the Bia lands, lord of Ṭušpa-City. (17) Minua says: I installed Titia here as governor. (20) Through the protection of the god Haldi, his (or: the) Lord, Minua, son of Išpuini, [er]ected [this stele]. (27) Through the greatness of the god Haldi
(rev. 1) [I am Minua, son of Išpuini, strong king, great king, king of the Bia lands, lord of Ṭušpa-City]. (7) [Minua says: [I] install[ed Titia] here as go[vernor]. (10) Minua says: (As for the one) who damages this inscription, (as for the one) who destroys it, (as for the one) who makes anyone else do these things, (17) may the god Haldi, the Weather-God, the Sun-God (and all) the gods annihilate him under the sun! . . . (rest untranslatable)”
References:
Danışmaz, H. 2018. Arkeolojik Veriler Çerçevesinde Urartu Krallığı’nın Eyalet Sistemi, Unpublished Doctoral Thesis, İstanbul Üniversitesi, İstanbul (pp. 15–16, Photos 1–3).
König, F. W. 1955. Handbuch der Chaldischen Inschriften, Graz (No. 73).
Salvini, M. 2008–2018. Corpus dei Testi Urartei, v. 1 pp. 197–198, v. 3 p. 122, v. 5 pp. 114–115.
Schäfer, H.-P. 1973/74. “Zur Stele Menuas aus Bağın (Balın),” Istanbuler Mitteilungen 23/24, 33–37.
eCUT – Electronic Corpus of Urartian Texts (https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ecut/Q006906).
CTU A 5-8 = CICh 33 = HchI 73 = UKN 42 = KUKN 59
Image Sources:
H. Danışmaz, 2018
M. Salvini, 2008