ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN STUDIES

SUPPLEMENT 42

ACROSS THE BORDER:

LATE BRONZE-IRON AGE RELATIONS
BETWEEN SYRIA AND ANATOLIA
Proceedings of a Symposium held
at the Research Center of Anatolian Studies,
Ko University, Istanbul
May 31June 1, 2010
Edited by

K. Aslhan YENER

PEETERS
LEUVEN PARIS WALPOLE, MA.
2013

CONTENTS

Introduction: Imperial Demise and Forging Emergent Kingdoms . . . . . .

K. A. YENER

SECTION A:
EXCAVATIONS IN LEVANTINE TURKEY
AND LEVANTINE SYRIA
Chapter 1
New Excavations at Alalakh: The 14th12th Centuries BC
K. A. YENER

. . . . . . . . .

Chapter 2
The Late Bronze Age Fortresses at Alalakh: Architecture and Identity in
Mediterranean Exchange Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
M. AKAR
Chapter 3
Tayinat in the Early Iron Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
T. P. HARRISON
Chapter 4
Chatal Hyk in the Amuq: Material Culture and Architecture during the
Passage from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age . . . . . . . . . . .
M. PUCCI
Chapter 5
The Crisis of Qatna at the Beginning of the Late Bronze Age II and the Iron
Age II Settlement Revival. A Regional Trajectory towards the Collapse of the
Late Bronze Age Palace System in the Northern Levant . . . . . . . . . . .
D. MORANDI BONACOSSI
Chapter 6
Shedding New Light on the Elusive Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages at Tell
Acharneh (Syria) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
M. FORTIN and L. COOPER

11

37

61

89

113

147

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CONTENTS

Chapter 7
Sabuniye: A Late Bronze-Iron Age Port Settlement on the Northeastern
Mediterranean Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
H. PAMIR
Chapter 8
A Re-evaluation of the Late Bronze to Early Iron Age Transitional Period:
Stratigraphic Sequence and Plain Ware of Tarsus-Gzlkule . . . . . . . .
S. YALIN
Chapter 9
Exploring Sirkeli Hyk in the Late Bronze Age and its Interregional Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
E. KOZAL
Chapter 10
The Transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age at Tell Afis,
Syria (phases VII-III) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F. VENTURI

173

195

213

227

SECTION B:
EXCAVATIONS IN EASTERN TURKEY
AND EASTERN SYRIA
Chapter 11
Across Assyrias Northern Frontier: Tell Fekheriye at the End of the Late
Bronze Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
P. V. BARTL and D. BONATZ
Chapter 12
Between the Musku and the Aramaeans: The Early History of Guzana/Tell Halaf
M. NOVK
Chapter 13
Some Implications of Revised C14 and Dendrochronological Dating for the
Late Bronze Levels at Tille Hyk on the Euphrates . . . . . . . . . . . .
G. D. SUMMERS
Chapter 14
The Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age Transition: A Perspective from the
Upper Tigris River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
T. MATNEY

263

293

311

329

CONTENTS

Chapter 15
Neo-Hittite Melid: Continuity or Discontinuity? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
M. FRANGIPANE and M. LIVERANI
Chapter 16
Pottery as an Indicator of Changing Interregional Relations in the Upper
Euphrates Valley. The Case of the Late Bronze-Iron Age Assemblages from
Arslantepe/Malatya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F. MANUELLI
Chapter 17
New Excavations at the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age Site of Gre Amer on
the Garzan River, Batman Province . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
G. PULHAN and S. R. BLAYLOCK

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393

SECTION C:
FUNERARY PRACTICES, TEXTS AND THE ARTS
Chapter 18
Funerary Practices and Society at the Late Bronze-Iron Age Transition.
A View from Tell Shiukh Fawqni and Tell an-Nasriyah (Syria) . . . . . . .
A. TENU
Chapter 19
Working Ivory in Syria and Anatolia during the Late Bronze-Iron Age . . .
A. CAUBET
Chapter 20
Arts and Cross-Cultural Communication in the Early 1st Millennium:
The Syro-Anatolian Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
S. MAZZONI

423

449

465

Chapter 21
The Luwian Inscriptions from the Temple of the Storm-God of Aleppo . .
J. D. HAWKINS

493

Chapter 22
Qadesh, Sea-Peoples, and Anatolian-Levantine Interactions. . . . . . . . . .
K. STROBEL

501

Chapter 23
An Amulet with the Names of Ramesses II from the Roman Baths at Ankara
H. PEKER

539

CHAPTER

23

AN AMULET WITH THE NAMES OF RAMESSES II

FROM THE ROMAN BATHS AT ANKARA
Hasan PEKER
In Memory of Professor Ali Dinol

During the 2009 season of the archaeological excavations in the Roman Baths at
Ankara, a plaque (measuring 24 18 6.3 mm) made of white faience was unearthed1
in the earliest layer together with Phrygian pottery. Two names of the pharaoh of the
19th dynasty, Ramesses II (12791213 BC) were inscribed on the object, which functioned as an amulet. The amulet was perforated through the perpendicular axis, and
a groove for the string to hang it encircled the whole object (Fig. 3).
On the side which we designated as side A (Fig. 1 and Fig. 4), the birth name
(nomen, Son of Ra) of Ramesses II was placed twice in the double cartouche. The
double cartouche was decorated by double ostrich plumes with a sun disc in between.
The nomen of the pharaoh is written with Egyptian hieroglyphs as mr(y) Imn R-ms-sw,
which means Born of Ra (Ramesses), Beloved of Amun.
On side B (Fig. 2 and Fig. 5) the throne name (praenomen) is repeated twice as
wsr-mt-R stp n R, which means The Justice of Ra is Powerful, Chosen of Ra. The
double cartouche and the decoration is identical with side A.
On the Ankara example, the birth name of the Ramesses II is written twice side by
side on one side, and the throne name is also repeated on the other side. On the
other hand, similar objects found elsewhere, bear the birth and the throne name side
by side on one face2 (Fig. 6, Fig. 7 and Fig. 8). Futhermore, on the examples in
Petrie3 (Fig. 9 and Fig. 10) and Ashmolean Museums4 there is no sun disc between
the ostrich plumes and their rear rectangular sides contain an inscription mentioning
daughter of the ruler of Kheta and her name Maaherneferura in a cartouche
(Fig. 10).

I would like to thank to the Dr. Melih Arslan, Director of the Ankara Museum of Anatolian
Civilisations who published the first report of my readings in Arslan et al. 2011.
2
Petrie 1917, XL 45 and Petrie 1917, XLII 117 (the same inscription on the gemma); Petrie 1889,
1580; Hall 1913, 2096.
3
Petrie Museum, UC61395; Petrie Museum, UC61296 (Petrie Museum Online Catalogue: http://
petriecat.museums.ucl.ac.uk/, accessed 13 April 2012).
4
Ashmolean Museum, Ashm. AN 1925.638.

540

H. PEKER

The names of Ramesses II, who is one of the most powerful pharaohs of the
19th dynasty, and the magical symbols around them should be considered as a
strengthening effect of the protective power of the amulet. This find in central
Anatolia centuries after the death of Ramesses II is proof of the strength of the lasting
tradition of his fame. The amulets of this shape, cartouches with double ostrich
plumes bearing royal names, are found in non-royal burials of the 26th Dynasty and
later5, and with this find and similar examples,6 we may date the production of them
to the 25th Dynasty and later, in the beginning of the Late Egyptian Period. In addition to that, the find of this amulet in an archaeological context, although bearing
the names of Ramesses II, could also support the dating of the other similar objects.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ANDREWS, C.,
1994 Amulets of Ancient Egypt. London: British Museum Press.
ARSLAN, M., AKALIN, M., TALAAKAR, A.
2011 Roma Hamam 2009 Yl Kaz almalar, 19. Mze almalar ve Kurtarma
Kazlar Sempozyumu: 341-362.
BUDGE, E. A. W.,
1925 The Mummy: A Handbook of Egyptian Funerary Archaeology, 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
HALL, H. R. H.
1913 Catalogue of Egyptian Scarabs etc. in the British Museum. Volume 1: Royal Scarabs.
London: British Museum.
PETRIE, W. M. F.,
1889 Historical Scarabs: A Series of Drawings from the Principal Collections Arranged
Chronologically. London: D. Nutt Publisher.
1917 Scarabs and Cylinders with Names. London: British School of Archaeology in
Egypt.

5
6

Andrews 1994, pp. 77 and 80.

Budge 1925, p. 451: BM EA 55564.

AN AMULET WITH THE NAMES OF RAMESSES II

Fig. 1 Photograph
of the side A.

Fig. 2 Photograph
of the side B.

Fig. 3 Left, right, top and bottom edges.

Fig. 4 Drawing of the side A.

Fig. 5 Drawing of the side B.

541

542

H. PEKER

Fig. 6 Petrie 1917,

XL, 45.

Fig. 7 Petrie 1917,

XLII, 117.

Fig. 8 British Museum (Hall 1913: 2096).

Fig. 9 Petrie Museum,

UC61395.

Fig. 10 Petrie Museum, UC61296.