Stele of Naram Sin

The stele of Naram Sin commemorates the victory of Naram-Sin over the mountain tribe of the Lullubi and their king Satuni. Pictured above is the top of the stone.

[toc] Rabbi Jonathan Sacks states in Deuteronomy: Renewal of the Sinai Covenant, Covenant & Conversation on page 11.

“What kind of book is Deuteronomy and what is its significance to the Torah as a whole?
…
A number of archaeological discoveries have thrown new light on these questions. They are the engraved records of ancient treaties between neighbouring powers. among them are the “Stele of the Vultures“… and the stele of Naram-Sin….
…
Both date from the third millennium BCE, that is to say, before the time of Abraham.“

Victory Stele of Naram Sin

Material: Pink Limestone
Height: 200 centimetres (79 in)
Width: 150 centimetres (59 in)
Writing: Akkadain & Elamite
Created: c. 2250 BC
Period/culture: Akkadian Empire
Discovered: Jacques de Morgan, 1898
Place: Sippar, later moved to Susa
Present Location: Musée du Louvre, Paris

Victory Stele of Naram-Sin, king of Akkad, from Shush (ancient Susa), Iran

The stele is very unique as its carved in a vertical manner. Normally, victory steles are carved horizontally. These are called registers. The picture above is the full stone. The slideshow below shows close up pictures of the stele. The stone color may change this is due to the lighting source.

Slideshow of Victory Stele of Naram Sin

First Slide: Top half of the stele, the luminates at the top are missing.
Second Slide: The very top of the stele. The luminaries are either a double sun or stars. Left Side we see the horned helmet of Naram Sin. The Right Side is the story of the battle is in cuneiform writing of Akkadian and Elamite
Third Slide: Left Side the full body of Naram Sin. Right Side: The written story of the battle and the Lullubian corpses
Fourth Slide: A close up of the cuneiform
Fifth Slide: It’s the Army of Naram Sin looking towards him. This is on the left side of the stele.
Sixth Slide: Left Side shows the ordered ranks of the Naram Sin Army. The right side show the chaos and corpses of the Lulubian men.
Seventh Slide: A picture of the complete stele – [Computer: Using mouse right click on image; Menu opens, Select “see in new tab” Mobile: Press finger on image, menu opens, select “see image”]

Treaty of Alliance

Treaty of alliance between Naram-Sin and Khita of Susa, king of Awan, c. 2250 BC, Susa, Louvre Museum.

Above is a recreation of the Treaty of alliance between Naram-Sin and Khita of Susa, king of Awan. At the time of this post, this is the oldest treaty we possess. According to Rabbi Sacks, this stele sheds light on the structure of the book of Deuteronomy. The other stele of equal importance is the Stele of the Vultures.