Eshmunazar II sarcophagus
The sarcophagus in its current location.
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| Material | Amphibolite |
|---|---|
| Size | 2.56 x 1.25 m |
| Writing | Phoenician language |
| Created | c.500 BCE |
| Discovered | 1855 |
| Present location | Louvre |
| Identification | AO 4806 |
The sarcophagus of Eshmunazar II (Phoenician: ʾšmnʿzr), a Phoenician king of Sidon and the son of King Tabnit (possibly the Greek Tenes), was created in the early 5th century BCE. It was unearthed in 1855 at a site near Sidon and is now in the Louvre. The sarcophagus was likely created in Egypt, being carved from amphibolite from Wadi Hammamat.
The inscription states that the "Lord of Kings" granted the Sidonian kings territory in Land of Israel: Dor, Jaffa, the Plain of Sharon.
The inscription is the first discovered in the Phoenician language from the area known as Phoenicia.
The sarcophagus was discovered in the Necropolis of Magharat Abloun ("Cavern of Apollo") on 20 February 1855 by Aimé Péretié, chancellor of the French consulate of Beirut. It was purchased in the same year by Honoré Théodoric d'Albert de Luynes, who donated it to the Louvre.
The sarcophagus bears a 22 line inscription, known as KAI-14, written in the Phoenician Canaanite language, in the Phoenician alphabet. The inscription identifies the king inside and warns people not to disturb his repose.
The language used in the inscription is a Canaanite dialect mutually intelligible with Biblical Hebrew.
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