A Unique Late Hittite Monumental Cuneiform Inscription from Karkemish

This study re-examines a unique Late Hittite monumental cuneiform inscription from Karkemish, originally discovered during the British Museum excavations of 1911–1912. Although most of the ten basalt fragments were subsequently lost, one fragment resurfaced in 2012 in the Anatolian Civilizations Museum in Ankara, prompting renewed analysis. The inscription, previously misattributed, is now convincingly reassigned to Astiru II, the penultimate Neo-Hittite king of Karkemish (mid-8th century BCE). Despite its fragmentary state, the text preserves royal titulature and references to Kubaba, the city’s patron goddess. As the only known monumental cuneiform inscription of a Neo-Hittite ruler, the document is of exceptional historical significance and reflects Assyrian cultural influence on Karkemish during the 8th century BCE