The Cesnola Phoenician inscriptions are 28 Phoenician inscriptions from Cyprus (primarily Kition) in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Cesnola Collection. They were discovered by Luigi Palma di Cesnola during his tenure as the United States Consul to Cyprus from 1865 to 1871. They were inscribed on votive bowls, two stelae, and on 18 different vases.

The Cesnola Collection was brought to public attention for the first time in 1870 when Emil Rödiger presented a report to the Prussian Academy of Sciences,E. Rödiger, Monatsberichte der königlichen Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, Phil.-hist. Klasse vom 9. Mai 1870, pp. 264-272 and in 1872 Paul Schröder published facsimiles of the texts.P. Schröder, Monatsberichte der königlichen Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, Phil.-hist. Klasse vom 6. Mai 1872, pp. 330-341, pls. 1-3 The collection was acquired by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1872. Many were then published in the 1880s in the Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum, although CIS inscriptions 24, 26 and 28 and RES 389, 1518 and 1519 are now missing - i.e. they are not in the museum and some were not in the collection when it was studied in 1885. One is in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (72.129).

They were first systematically classified by John Myres in 1914, and then again by Javier Teixidor in 1976.

Inscriptions Details of the inscriptions are below, using Teixidor's numbering.

Krater fragments No.Image Object Accession number Date Inscription Summary CIS / RÉS Myres Other ref 1 Rim fragments 74.51.2275-77 392-362 BCE Mentions Milkyaton, king of Citium and Idalium, and a religious dedication. I 21, 17 ab, 20; RES 1531, 15281806-8 Cyprus pls. 9:3, 10:13; Atlas III, pl. 122:5 abc 2 Rim fragment 74.51.2281 392-362 BCE Mentions Milkyaton, king of Citium and Idalium. I 181812 Cyprus pl. 10:12; Atlas III, pl. 122:9; Hall 2, IX 3 Rim fragment 74.51.2274 392-362 BCE Partial inscription mentioning "king of Citium and Idalium." I 191805 Cyprus pl. 10:11; Atlas III, pl. 122:4; Hall 2, IV 4 Handle fragment 74.51.2289 5th-4th century BCE Partial inscription, possibly "cup." I 301820 Atlas III, pl. 123:16; Hall 2, XVI 5 Rim fragment 74.51.2286 5th-4th century BCE Possible dedication mentioning "statue." I 291817 Cyprus pl. 11:20; Atlas III, pl. 123:14; Hall 2, XIV 6 Rim fragment 74.51.2284 5th-4th century BCE Possible votive gift dedication. I 34, RES 15331815 Cyprus pl. 11:16; Atlas III, pl. 123:12; Hall 2, XII 7 Rim fragments 74.51.2287-88 5th-4th century BCE Votive text with regnal year of the monarch. I 31, 351818-19 Cyprus pl. 11:18, 19; Atlas III, pl. 123:15 ab; Hall 2, XV ab 8 Fragment 74.51.2293 5th-4th century BCE Partial text, possibly a name, "son of ..." I 361824 Cyprus pl. 11:22; Atlas III, pl. 123:20; Hall 2, XX 9 Rim fragment 74.51.2278 5th-4th century BCE Title of the dedicator, possibly "interpreter of the thrones." I 22ab1809 Atlas III, pl. 122:6; Hall 2, VI 10 Bowl fragment 74.51.2285 5th-4th century BCE Dedication to "his Lord Esmun Melqart." I 371816 Cyprus pl. 11:23; Atlas III, pl. 123:13; Hall 2, XIII 11 Rim fragment 74.51.2280 5th-4th century BCE Dedication to Esmun and Melqart. I 231811 Cyprus pl. 10:10; Atlas III, pl. 122:8; Hall 2, VIII 12 Rim fragment 74.51.2292 5th-4th century BCE Dedication to Esmun Melqart. I 281823 Cyprus pl. 11:17; Atlas III, pl. 123:19; Hall 2, XIX 13 Rim and handle fragment 74.51.2279 5th-4th century BCE Dedication from the son of Abdmelqart to Esmun Melqart. I 39, RES 15341810 Atlas II, pl. 141, 1051; Hall 2, VII 14 Rim fragments 74.51.2272-73 5th-4th century BCE Dedication to Esmun Melqart. I 16ab, RES 15301803-04 Cyprus pls. 10:14, 9:1; Atlas III, pl. 122:3 ab; Hall 2, III ab 15 Rim and handle fragment 74.51.2282 5th-4th century BCE Dedication to Esmun Melqart. I 25ab1813ab Cyprus pls. 10:15, 12:30; Atlas III, pl. 122:10; Hall 2, X 16 Rim fragment 74.51.2283 5th-4th century BCE Dedication to Esmun Melqart. I 271814 Cyprus pl. 11:21; Atlas III, pl. 123:11; Hall 2, XI 17 Rim fragment 74.51.2291 5th-4th century BCE Possible end of a votive formula. I 331822 Cyprus pl. 9:5; Atlas III, pl. 123:18; Hall 2, XVIII 18 Rim fragment 74.51.2290 5th-4th century BCE Partial inscription, possibly "q' h t" (aleph and het uncertain). I 321821 Cyprus pl. 9:6; Atlas III, pl. 123:17; Hall 2, XVII

Marble blocks No.Image Object Accession number Date Inscription SummaryCIS / RÉSMyres Other ref 19 Block of white marble 74.51.2271 5th-4th century BCE Traditional reading with the name Hannibal and a dedication formula. I 151802 Cyprus pl. 9:4; Atlas III, pl. 122:2; Hall 2, II 20 Block of white marble 74.51.2294 4th century BCE Inscription mentions Pumiyaton, king of Citium and Idalium, and two offerings. I 14, RES 15291801 Cyprus pl. 9:2; Atlas III, pl. 122:1; Hall 1, 25–26; Hall 2, 7

Vases No.Image Object Accession number Date Inscription SummaryCIS / RÉSMyres Other ref 21 Amphora of coarse white ware 74.51.2298a, b Late 7th century BCE The name "Baalay," indicating ownership or dedication. RES 15211826 Cyprus pl. 9:7; Atlas III, pl. 123:26; Hall 2, XXVI; Peckham, 16–17 22 Amphora of coarse ware 74.51.2299 4th century BCE The name "Baalazor," a well-known theophorous name, likely the owner's name. RES 15261828 Hall 2, XXVII; Peckham, 17 23 Amphora of red earthenware 74.51.2300 Early 7th century BCE Name "Baalpilles," "Yaton," and possibly title "inspector" or "inspected." RES 15201827 Cyprus pl. 10:8; Atlas II, 1049; Hall 2, XXV; Peckham, 16–17 24 Alabastron 74.51.2295a 4th century BCE Inscription reads "kly" with an unknown symbol, possibly indicating ownership or contents. RES 15231825 Cyprus pl. 12:25; Atlas II, 1048; Hall 2, XXII; Peckham, 17 25 Jug of red-slip ware 74.51.1401 8th century BCE The name "'nts," unknown in both Phoenician and Greek. RES 1524479 Cyprus pl. 12:26; Atlas II, pl. 141:1052; Hall 2, XXIII; Peckham, 105, 115 26 Steatite vase 74.51.5057a 9th-10th century BCE Three undeciphered signs, possibly "hhh," considered archaic. RES 15251540 Cyprus pl. 12:27; Atlas II, pl. 141:1050; Hall 2, XXIV; Peckham, 17 27 Painted white ware vase 74.51.1001 7th century BCE Inscription with four letters, "d/r g m n," unknown in Phoenician. RES 1522775 Cyprus p. 68, pl. 10:9; Atlas II, pl. 141:1047; Hall 2, XXI; Peckham, 17

Other No.Image Object Accession number Date Inscription Summary Bibliography 28 Sarcophagus from Amathus 74.51.2452 450-400 BCE Single letter "shin" on the foot end of the lid. Myres, 233–234

Bibliography

Myres, John L. 1914. Handbook of the Cesnola Collection of Antiquities from Cyprus. no. 1801, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum: and

References