Veliisa Stele
The Veliisa Stele is a fragment of a Luwian hieroglyphic inscription of Neo-Hittite date. It is on display in the Niğde Archaeological Museum, where its inventory number is 53.
Description
The grey basalt stone has a vaguely triangular cross-section. From the two surfaces on the reverse of the stone and vertical centre line between them it is believed that slightly more than half of the original stele has survived. The surviving stone represents the bottom part of the original stele. The fragment has a height of 43 cm and a width of 44 cm. The maximum depth is 20 cm. On the upper half of the well-preserved front face, deeply cut hieroglyphic letters can be read.Hawkins gives the translation of the text as follows:
Based on the shape and the style of the script, Hawkins placed the document in the late 8th century BC. The findspot places the stele within the Iron Age Luwian kingdom of Tuwana.