Mysterious 'lord of the universe' deity from ancient Palmyra finally identified
By Owen Jarus published about 12 hours ago
The god's name was never directly written out.
Ancient Roman time town in Palmyra, Syria. Mostly destroyed, we do see several columns standing tall. in the background there is a hill with a settlement on top against a blue, clouded sky.
The ancient city of Palmyra flourished around 2,000 years ago as a hub for trade. (Image credit: Waj via Shutterstock)
The identity of an unknown god described in inscriptions from the ancient city of Palmyra, located in modern-day Syria, has long baffled scientists. But now, a researcher declares that she has cracked the case.
Palmyra existed for millennia and the city flourished around 2,000 years ago as a center of trade that connected the Roman Empire with trade routes in Asia, such as the Silk Road.
The anonymous deity is mentioned in numerous Aramaic inscriptions at Palmyra and is referred to as "he whose name is blessed forever," "lord of the universe" and "merciful," according to Science in Poland, a news site run by the Polish government and independent journalists. Many of these inscriptions date back around 2,000 years.
To solve this mystery, Aleksandra Kubiak-Schneider, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wrocław in Poland, compared the inscriptions from Palmyra to inscriptions found throughout Mesopotamia that date to the first millennium B.C. She discovered that the gods worshiped in Mesopotamia were referred to with similar names as the anonymous god from Palmyra. For example, "Bel-Marduk" — the supreme god of Babylon — was also referred to as "merciful." The phrase "lord of the world" — a title similar to "lord of the universe" was sometimes used to refer to Baalshamin, a sky god Kubiak-Schneider told Science in Poland.
More:
https://www.livescience.com/ancient-palmyra-god-identified
= new reply since forum marked as read
