Tyana (Kemerhisar) Phrygian Inscriptions

Since the end of the 19th century, several Old Phrygian inscriptions have been found in Kemerhisar by various researchers. The inscribed fragments are treated under three separate groups (T-01, T-02, and T-03). All fragments are made of the same black basalt stone and thus all might belong to the same monument, but so far no supporting evidence has been found. All have been dated to the late 8th century BCE.

Inscription T-01
The two pieces of black stones with inscriptions (T-01a and T-01b) were found in 1895 by J. I. Smirnov in Kemerhisar (ancient Tyana / Tuwanuwa). The first publication about the inscriptions is done by Pridik using the drawings of Smirnov. The two fragments that are lost today were probably from the same monument. The stones are dated to the last quarter of the 8th century BCE.

T-01a: The stone is broken on all sides, and only a single line of sinistroverse inscription is visible.

T-01b: The stone is broken on all sides, and only a section of a 3-line boustrophedon inscription is visible.

Inscription T-02
Several inscribed fragments of a basalt stele were found by different researchers in 1906 and 1907. Although it is thought that they all may belong to the same monument with T-01, they were evaluated as three separate inscriptions (T-02a, T-02b, and T-02c). Like T-01, the fate of these inscriptions is also unknown.

T-02a: There is an inscription that only 3 lines can be seen. The second line is dextroverse, and the third line is sinistroverse. Possibly a boustrophedon written inscription in general.

T-02b: There is a 6-line boustrophedon inscription on the inscription, which consists of 3 directly joining basalt fragments.

T-02c: On the extremely eroded surface, only a few letters from the first and second lines and one letter from the fifth line are readable. The first line is sinistroverse, and the second one is dextroverse. It may be written boustrophedon in general.

Inscription T-03
It was found in 1982 among the foundation stones of a destroyed house in Kemerhisar (Tyana). It is a basalt stone with Old Phrygian inscriptions written boustrophedon on three sides.

T-03a: The front face is divided into two parts. The first part consists of two lines written horizontally, while the second part shows the beginning or end of six lines written above and perpendicular to the first part.

T-03b: On the right side, the beginnings or ends of 5 lines are seen.

T-03c: On the left side, there are only the remains of a 3-line inscription.

References:
Brixhe, C. & M. Lejeune. 1984. Corpus des inscriptions paléo-phrygiennes, Paris.
Brixhe, C. 1991. ‘Les inscriptions paléo-phrygiennes de Tyane: leur intérêt linguistique et historique’, in La Cappadoce méridionale jusqu’à la fin de l’époque romaine. Ètat des recherches., eds. B. Le Guen-Pollet & O. Pelon, Paris, 37-46.
Brixhe, C. 2004. ‘Corpus des inscriptions paléo-phrygiennes: Supplément II’, Kadmos 43, 1-130.
Çınaroğlu, A. & E. Varinlioğlu. 1985. ‘Eine neue altphrygische Inschrift aus Tyana’, Epigraphica Anatolica 5, 5–11.
Garstang, J. 1908. ‘Notes on a journey through Asia Minor’, Liverpool Annals of Archaeology & Anthropology Vol.1, 1-12.
Obrador-Cursach, B. 2018. Lexicon of the Phrygian Inscriptions, Thesis, Barcelona.

Image Sources:
J. Garstang, 1908
A. Çınaroğlu & E. Varinlioğlu, 1985