religion 175
in 1899, r. Koldewey found a stele in Babylon with the depiction of the
weather-god of aleppo identified by a hieroglyphic luwian inscription
(BaBYlon 1)239 together with two votive vessels. the stele was brought
to Babylon as booty in the wake of a syrian campaign of nebuchadnez-
zar ii (604–562 B.c.). it is dated to around 900 B.c. and was used as a
cultic image during the aramaean period in aleppo. the 1.28-m-tall and
0.53-m-wide stele shows a weather-god facing left. he is bearded, with
hair locks, and wears a horned headdress, shirt, kilt, and pointed shoes.
in his right hand he holds an axe and in his left a thunderbolt. a sword is
strapped to his side. however, it is not clear if this stele comes from the
temple of the weather-god on the citadel or from another temple in or
near aleppo.240
K. Kohlmeyer’s excavations on the citadel of aleppo brought to light
further reliefs with representations of the weather-god of aleppo.
the first relief shows the weather-god, whom the inscription names
“god (of the) club,” mounting his war chariot, which is drawn by two
bulls.241 the god wears a horned headdress and holds a club in his right
hand and the reins in his left. the club forges a connection between the
weather-god of aleppo and the god Baʿal of Ugarit in his representation
as Baʿal au foudre, as mentioned previously.242 it also connects to the
description of Baʿal’s weapons in the Baʿal cycle (KtU 1.2 iV 11–26) and to
the god Baʿal semed from samʾal.
the second relief shows a weather-god with a horned headdress facing
to the right. he is dressed in a shirt and kilt with a sword strapped to his
side. he faces a king who is depicted on the adjacent relief.243
archaeological studies of the citadel have not yet been able to place
the hellenistic temple. in all probability it is a northeastern extension of
the iron age temple in the area in front of or below the later ottoman
barracks.244
239 this text in hawkins 2000: 391–394 and an illustration in hawkins 2000: pls. 209
and 210 and gonnella – Khayyata – Kohlmeyer 2005: 15 fig. 10.
240 hawkins 2000: 391 assumes a provenance from the temple of the weather-god of
aleppo because of his mention in the inscription, more reservedly Bunnens – hawkins –
leirens 2006: 113 n. 9.
241 gonnella – Khayyata – Kohlmeyer 2005: 99 fig. 138.
242 cf. above 3.1.
243 gonnella – Khayyata – Kohlmeyer 2005: 92 fig. 124.
244 cf. Kohlmeyer 2000: 22 and gonnella – Khayyata – Kohlmeyer 2005: 15f. on the
continuation of the temple’s cult up to the 3rd century a.D. see below, section 5.