Work / monument · artifact

Sefire steles

8th century BCE · 8th century BCE · Also known as Sefire inscriptions

The Sefire steles are three basalt stelae inscribed in Old Aramaic, found at Sefire near Aleppo in Syria and dating to the mid-8th century BCE. They record a treaty between Bar-Ga'yah, king of KTK, and Mati'ilu, king of Arpad, with long lists of curses on whoever breaks it. They are among the most important Old Aramaic texts and a key source for ancient treaty language.

Sefire steles
Image: fr:Sébastien Ronzevalle · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Bit Agusi

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Sefire steles. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sefire-steles
MLA
“Sefire steles.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sefire-steles. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Sefire steles.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sefire-steles.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Sefire steles’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sefire-steles (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻