religion 167
wore in the form of bēltu ša gubla or bʿlt gbl. this goddess, who was known
in hamath by her luwian name pahalatis, possibly held the position of
paredros of the weather-god. the inscription haMa 4 refers to her high
rank. according to this inscription Urḫilina himself built the “seat” of
pahalatis and cared for the income of the temple.196 the latter is made
apparent in the inscription haMa 8 where the king himself allocates a
granary to the goddess.197 likewise, according to two other inscriptions,
the king had stelae made for the goddess.198 her position as paredros
of the weather-god and therefore highest-ranking goddess of hamath is
referred to in the inscription haMa 5, which instead of pahalatis as in
haMa 4 shows the divine name tarḫunt199 about whom the same con-
clusions can be drawn as for the goddess. it is also referred to in a frag-
ment of an inscription from hamath, which mentions both divine names
together (haMa fr. 1).200 additionally, there is an aramaic graffito of a
personal name with the theophoric element bʿlt (Kai 204).201
on a religio-historical level the phoenician influence finds itself not
only in the form of pahalatis but also in the theophoric element adon in
personal names from hamath around 720 B.c.202 in addition, there is the
god Baʿalšamayin, who appears in the Zakkur inscription (Kai 202 a). all
three deities, pahalatis, adon, and Baʿalšamayin, originated in Byblos.
From the region around hamath two more names of goddesses should
be cited. the inscriptions MeharDe and sheiZar mention “the god-
dess” or “the mistress of the land,”203 a title that most likely references
the goddess Kubaba. attested since the 2nd^ millennium B.c., the “goddess
or mistress of the land” comes originally from carchemish and expanded
her sphere of cultic influence to anatolia and north and middle syria. the
goddess is depicted on the stele from Meharde. this representation also
incorporates motifs of Kubaba.204
the most important testimony on the religion of the kingdom of
hamath during the time of the aramaeans is found in the inscription of
196 text and translation in hawkins 2000: 403–406.
197 text and translation in hawkins 2000: 409f.
198 cf. the inscriptions hines (text and translation in hawkins 2000: 409) and sheiZar
(text and translation in hawkins 2000: 416–419).
199 text and translation in hawkins 2000: 406f.
200 text and translation in hawkins 2000: 419.
201 cf. otzen 1990: 278 n. 2.
202 cf. on the references otzen 1990: 275–277 n. 1.
203 text and translation in hawkins 2000: 415–419.
204 photo in hawkins 2000: pl. 225.