Penned by Kilamuwa, a Cilician king with an Anatolian name, the so-called Kilamuwa Inscription was discovered by a German archaeological expedition in 1902. The language of the text is Phoenician (considered to be the Canaanite language par excellence) and at least two of Kilamuwa’s named ancestors have Aramean names. On the basis of this inscription, some have argued for a mixed population of Semites and Anatolians living in Cilicia at the time of the text’s composition (9th century BCE). Whatever the historical information that one may glean from this text, it is also of great literary value and seems to feature a number of provocative turns of phrase. I reproduce it below for those who may be interested in this curious example of ancient literature.
Echoes from the Ether: