Cesnola Phoenician inscriptions
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. The 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 (Philologe) 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. 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. 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  100px|frameless  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  100px|frameless  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  100px|frameless 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. 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

Category:Phoenician inscriptions
Category:Metropolitan Museum of Art
Category:Cyprus