Stele of Zakkur
The Stele of Zakkur is a royal stele of King Zakkur of Hamath and Luhuti in the province Nuhašše of Syria, who ruled around 785 BC.
The Stele was discovered in 1903 at Tell Afis, 45 km southeast of Aleppo, in the territory of the ancient kingdom of Hamath. It was published in 1907. The inscription is known as KAI 202; it reads:
'Bar-Hadad' mentioned in the inscription may have been Bar-Hadad III, son of Hazael.
Two gods are mentioned in the inscription, Baalshamin and Iluwer. Iluwer was the personal god of king Zakkur, while Baalshamin was the god of the city. It is believed that Iluwer represents the earlier god Mer or Wer going back to 3rd millennium BC.
This inscription represents the earliest Aramaean evidence of the god Baalshamin/Ba'alsamayin.
