236 dominik bonatz
this cult was practiced in public for a long period of time, at least in the
inner area of the citadel of samʾal. the same is true of the commemoration
of dynastic ancestors. these practices are clearly reflected in the archaeo-
logical finds. the statue stood for more than two centuries at its original
site, though the immediate surroundings constantly changed due to the
construction activities of subsequent rulers. Building J was constructed
behind the statue in the late 9th century and the work remained visible
and freely accessible in front of its southeastern wall until the building
was destroyed around 876–670 B.c. at that time the statue was toppled
from its base and apparently desecrated deliberately (as suggested by the
damage to the eyes, nose, and royal staff ). Finally, it was more or less
buried next to its base.142
this eventful history makes the statue from the citadel in samʾal a
highly informative source of information about the commemoration of
rulers in an aramaean dynasty, but it is evidently not the only such work.
In carchemish, for example, fragments of a nearly identical colossus were
found with matching double-lion base.143 the continuation of this tra-
dition in samʾal has been confirmed by the discovery, in nearby tahtalı
pınar, of the torso of an additional larger-than-life statue of a ruler. In the
aramaic inscription, King Bar-rakkab (ca. 733/732–713/711 B.c.) affirms
that he erected the statue for his deceased father panamuwa II.144 this
is unequivocal written proof of the monumental commemoration of a
deceased ruler in the form of a statue.
there is striking iconographic similarity between the above-discussed
statue from the citadel in samʾal and the nearly contemporaneous statue
of a ruler from ʿain al-arab, near arslan tash, on the syrian-turkish bor-
der (pl. XvI).145 If these two sculptural works produce different effects, it
is because of their different sizes—the statue from ʿain al-arab is just 1.77
meters tall—and also because this second statue lacks a base. neverthe-
less, the royal attributes—the staff, sword, tasseled belt, and crown-like
hair—are identical. a feature unique to the statue from ʿain al-arab is
the simple band with a crescent-shaped pendant that it wears around its
142 For an extensive reconstruction of these events, see Gilibert 2011: 114f; for their
interpretation, Bonatz 2000a: 154, 165 and voos 1986: 29.
143 Bonatz 2000a: a 7. see also the 3.18-meter statue of a ruler from the Lions’ Gate in
Malatya (Bonatz 2000a: a 13).
144 KaI 215. For a discussion of the statue and an interpretation of the inscription, see
Bonatz 2000a: 161.
145 Bonatz 2000: 24f a1.