Treasures from Moving Merrifield

A second post today, but be sure to read today's main post.  I was chatting with our Department Chair, Kim Porter, in her former office and couldn't help but notice this on the back of a bookshelf:

She had asked Gordon Iseminger about it and he suggested that it might have been done by Charles Carter.  His speciality was Near Eastern Languages, with a particular focus on the Hittites, but he worked to identify and translate the fragmentary hieroglyphics inscription held by the University Archives.  It could have also been done by either of the subsequent ancient historians at the University of North Dakota: Linda Ricketts who wrote her dissertation on Ptolemaic Egypt or Walter Ellis, my immediate predecessor, who also worked on the same period.

So what does it say?

Is it a curse on anyone who dares to move the Department of History?

UPDATE:

Chuck Jones of the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, Near Easternist, and digital librarian extraordinary, identified the drawing as "a sketch of one of the reliefs at Yazilikayathis which depicted Tudhalyia IV in the embrace of his god":

And thought that it was likely to be Charles Carter's work.

Comments

[Charles Jones]

I'll wager it is Charles Carter's. It is a sketch of one of the reliefs at Yazilikaya (http://z.about.com/d/archaeology/1/0/7/C/hat3.jpg) depicting Tudhaliya IV in the embrace of his god.

I think there is a bibliography of Carter in

The Asia Minor Connexion
Studies on the Pre-Greek Languages in Memory of Charles Carter
Edited by Yoel L. Arbeitman
Leuven: Peeters, 2000
Orbis Supplementa, 13
90-429-0798-3

[Bishop Gregory Godsey]

I am no scholar, but I did find this very interesting. I did a search of the Near East Languages and found this: http://www.ancientscripts.com/luwian.html

It is a story about the god Sarruma who was the god of the mountains (the middle lower symbol that looks like a spear passing through a circle). He was a great king or a great king went to the mountain and was imparted some wisdom or died. I know it is vague, but like I said, I am no scholar. This is my elementary take on it.

BTW, if you look at images of Sarruma you will see the resemblance to the tall man in the image.

Thanks for the puzzle, not sure if it is correct or not, but I enjoyed the adventure!

[William Caraher]

Chuck,

Thanks for the help! I reckoned if any of my blog readers could figure this out, it would be you.

Hope you are enjoying your NYC Summer.

Bill

[Brice Pearce]

Curses, beaten to the punch!

Was at Yazilkaya last summer during a visit to Hattusha, and what fantastic carvings are left! More fun, however, were the reconstructions of the mud-brick defensive walls done by the German project: http://www.hattuscha.de/English/citywall.htm

There's a cool Byzantine Chapel there as well, Bill.

Google Earth has awesome satellite imagery of both Hattusha and Yazılkıaya.