Page:History of Art in Sardinia, Judæa, Syria and Asia Minor Vol 2.djvu/24

 8 A History of Art in Sardinia and Jud/EA. subsequently by the Rev. E. J. Davis, from whose drawing a plate was published in 1876 in the Transactions of the Biblical and Archceological Society. It was found at Ibreez, or Ibris, in ancient Lycaonia, near Kuleth Boghaz, the Cilician gates of classic times. The bas-relief, rock-cut, consists of two figures, a king, or god, and his worshipper, with hieroglyphs, many of which were identical with those on the Hamath, Aleppo, and Jerabis stones.^ This monument is interesting, inasmuch as it shows that the peculiar system of characters first noticed at Hamath extended over a far greater area than had at first been supposed ; traces being found throughout central Asia Minor, and about the mouth of rivers that carry their waters to the ^gean. Other rock-cut sculptures were noticed at Boghaz Keui, in the uplands formerly known as Pteria, and at Eyuk, both east of the Halys ; whilst near Smyrna the " Nymphi warrior, the pseudo Sesostris, and the so-called Niobe," had been described. In 1882, a German mission, headed by Dr. Puchstein, visited the vast tract that lies between the Euphrates and the Pyramus. They discovered monuments with figures of the type always seen side by side with hieroglyphs that have been called Hamathite ; but from the very meagre- official report that was issued, we cannot determine their real character.^ Recently too at Merash, ancient Germanicia, on the Pyramus in Cilicia, a lion was found built in the wall of a castle, entirely covered with characters resembling those at Hamath and Aleppo.^ These signs were not only used in monumental inscriptions on the mountain side, or on the massive foundations of temples and palaces, but were likewise introduced in political and commercial transactions ; with this difference, that the type became smaller and more cursive, as may be ascertained in all public collections where numerous clay seals or casts are preserved. Hundreds of similar seals were found by Sir H. Layard in the archive room of Sennacherib's palace at Kujunjik;* and others are also reported from Asia Minor.^ Finally, Sorlin-Dorigny presented cylinders to 1 Loc. cit, Plates XXVI., XXVII, p. 162. 2 Berichie uber eine Ruse im Kurdistan. Otto Puchstein {Sitzungsberichte der Academie, Berlin, 1882, p. 845, and following). ^ This lion is now in the museum at Constantinople. — Editor. ^ Wright, The Empire. ^ We have published a whole series in the Revue Archeo/ogique, tom. xliv. p. 333, under the title, " Sceaux Hittites en terre cuite appartenant a M. G. Schlumbero-er."