art 237
neck. Due to the site’s location on the former territory of Bit adini, it is
likely that the statue shows a ruler of this aramaean state.
the statue from tell Fekheriye, which haddayisʿi, the aramaean king
of Guzana, dedicated to the storm-god hadad, differs in important ways
from the above-mentioned royal statues. a provincial assyrian work from
the late 9th century B.c., it shows a local ruler with his hands folded in
front of his breast in the style of assyrian royal statues.146 But it is only in
the aramaic version of the statue’s bilingual that haddayisʿi refers to him-
self as king (mlk). In the akkadian version, he has the title of an assy rian
“governor” (šaknu).147 the statue and its inscription reveal a dual iden-
tity: on the one hand, haddayisʿi presents himself as an aramaean and
the legitimate successor to the royal family of Guzana;148 on the other,
he identifies himself as a servant of the assyrian power in Guzana. seen
in this context, the statue can be considered an avowal of the cultural
symbiosis with assyrian forms of representation.149 But it also reveals a
deliberate political strategy. the assyrian appearance of the statue seems
intended to protect and legitimize its commissioner in his role as a local
king. Without the accompanying inscription, the question would probably
never arise as to whether its commissioner had an aramaean identity.
comparable statues without inscriptions—like the statue of the “gover-
nor” of til Barsib150—can also be seen as possible examples of the roles
played by local rulers under assyrian control. here, the appropriation of a
foreign style is an effective method for transforming, not the identity, but
the status of its commissioner.
3.2.2 Stelae
as the limited number of stelae with representations of rulers show, the
works essentially have the same characteristics as the statues. although
the male figures look to the side and are most often—though not always—
shown in profile, they are intended to be viewed from the front. In other
146 abou-assaf – Bordreuil – Millard 1982: 9f pl. I. For comparison purposes, see the
statue of shalmaneser III (858–824 B.c.); cf. Orthmann 1975: fig. 3.
147 On the inscription, see abou-assaf – Bordreuil – Millard 1982: 61–85 and sauer 1996:
125f.
148 On the aramaean identity of haddayisʿi, “son of Šamaš-nūri, the king of Guzana,”
see abou-assaf – Bordreuil – Millard 1982: 103–113 and sauer 1996: 127.
149 see also Kühne 2009: 48.
150 roobaert 1996: fig. 2. the statue dates to the 8th century B.c. and the period of
assyrian rule over til Barsib. the fact that the figure is beardless and thus identifiable as
a eunuch is not an argument against the high status of the portrayed person, who is prob-
ably one of the “governors” in til Barsib; see also roobaert 1996: 86.