| Arslan Tash ivory inscription | |
| Material: | Ivory |
| Writing: | Aramaic |
| Discovered Date: | 1928 |
| Discovered Place: | Arslan Tash, northern Syria |
| Discovered By: | François Thureau-Dangin |
| Location: | Louvre Museum, Paris, France |
Arslan Tash ivory inscription is a small ivory plaque with an Aramaic language inscription found in 1928 in Arslan Tash in northern Syria (ancient Hadātu) by a team of French archaeologists led by François Thureau-Dangin.[1]
It has been dated to the early 9th century BCE, on the basis of the name "Hazael" in the inscription,[2] who has been speculated to be the Biblical Hazael of Aram-Damascus. The inscription is known as KAI 232.[3]
The plaque, along with many other ivory items, was found on the site of a palace from the 8th century BC belonging to the city's Neo-Assyrian governor.
Three parts of the plaque have been found; two parts fit together, the third one does not. The two joined parts together are 2 cm high and 7.9 cm long, while the third part is 1.9 cm high and 3.2 cm long. The entire inscription on the plate is usually reconstructed as follows:
This ... son of Amma, engraved for our lord Hazael in the year ...
Currently, the plaque is in the Louvre collection under the inventory number AO 11489.