Sarcophagus of Ahiram

Illustration

Jan van der Crabben
by G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (1936)
published on 26 April 2012
Sarcophagus of Ahiram Download Full Size Image

The Sarcophagus of Ahiram, king of Byblos, bearing the oldest inscription of the Phoenician alphabet, which reads:

"Coffin which Ittobaal, son of Ahiram, king of Byblos, made for Ahiram, his father, when he placed him in the 'house of eternity'. Now if a king among kings or a governor among governors or a commander of an army should come up against Byblos and uncovers this coffin, may the sceptre of his rule be torn away, may the throne of his kingdom be overturned, and may peace flee from Byblos! And as for him, if he destroys this inscription, then the...!"

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Cite This Work

APA Style

(1936), G. E. a. E. M. P. C. P. a. P. D. L. o. C. (2012, April 26). Sarcophagus of Ahiram. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/174/sarcophagus-of-ahiram/

Chicago Style

(1936), G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. "Sarcophagus of Ahiram." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified April 26, 2012. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/174/sarcophagus-of-ahiram/.

MLA Style

(1936), G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. "Sarcophagus of Ahiram." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 26 Apr 2012. Web. 21 Feb 2025.

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