An ancient 2,600-year-old inscription, heavily damaged and adorned with images of lions and sphinxes in Turkey, has finally been decoded, and it is believed to relate to the “Mother of the Gods.”
Mark Munn, a professor of ancient Greek history and archaeology at Pennsylvania State University, has announced the deciphering of this inscription in a recently published article in the journal Kadmos.
The monument with the ancient inscription known as Arslan Kaya (also spelled Aslan Kaya), meaning “lion stone” in Turkish. (Photo: Daphnusia)
The monument, featuring carvings of lions and sphinxes, is called Arslan Kaya (also spelled Aslan Kaya), which translates to “lion stone” in Turkish. The inscription spells out “Materan,” a goddess worshipped by the Phrygians, who thrived in what is now Turkey from around 1200 to 600 BC. They referred to her simply as “Mother.”
Other ancient cultures also revered Materan. “The Greeks knew her as the Mother of the Gods,” Munn notes, adding that the Romans called her “Magna Mater” or “Great Mother.” At the time the monument was erected, a kingdom known as Lydia, which highly honored Materan, may have ruled the area.
The monument has suffered severe damage from weathering and looting, making the inscription extremely difficult to read. To solve the mystery, Munn took detailed photographs of the inscription in good lighting and reviewed older photographs and records of the inscription.
Munn stated that it makes perfect sense for the monument to bear the name Materan, as it also features images of the goddess. The name Materan may be part of the inscription and signifies more than just identifying who commissioned the carving and who Materan is.
