Samsat Stele
- Balsalt Stele
- Circa 160 B.C.E
- Believed to be part of tomb of Antiochus I, Mount Nemrut
- Current Location: British Museum, London
- Ownership disputed by: Turkey
The Kingdom of Commagene was a small empire from 162 BCE until they were incorporated into The Roman Empire in 17 AD. Little is known about the brief kingdom but their first King, Antiochus I, built a mausoleum to himself near Mount Nemrut, located in present day Turkey. The Samsat or Antiochus Stele is a piece of the mausoleum, in which the King is depicted greeting Zeus’ son Herakles.
The stele was first discovered in 1914 by the team of British archaeologist Sir Leonard Wooley in the city of Birecik, which was part of the Ottoman Empire. Someone unknown to them had floated the stele down the Euphrates River to the British excavation site at Carchemish for the purposes of study and publication. The location of the stele beforehand was unknown, however a farmer at some point bore a hole in the center and converted the slab into an olive press. The stele ended up along with a collection of other excavated materials with permission from the Ottomans.
During World War I, the British paid for security at the site to keep as many of the relics as possible safe. In 1923 the Carchemish site became part of French-controlled Syria. At this point, Wooley received permission from the French to remove the artifacts. Shipments back to England began soon after and The Samsat Stele was added to the British Museum in 1927.
In 2012, the Turkish government officially requested the return of the stele from Britain. The British Museum maintains that they legally acquired the artifact and are refusing to return it.
The stele was first discovered in 1914 by the team of British archaeologist Sir Leonard Wooley in the city of Birecik, which was part of the Ottoman Empire. Someone unknown to them had floated the stele down the Euphrates River to the British excavation site at Carchemish for the purposes of study and publication. The location of the stele beforehand was unknown, however a farmer at some point bore a hole in the center and converted the slab into an olive press. The stele ended up along with a collection of other excavated materials with permission from the Ottomans.
During World War I, the British paid for security at the site to keep as many of the relics as possible safe. In 1923 the Carchemish site became part of French-controlled Syria. At this point, Wooley received permission from the French to remove the artifacts. Shipments back to England began soon after and The Samsat Stele was added to the British Museum in 1927.
In 2012, the Turkish government officially requested the return of the stele from Britain. The British Museum maintains that they legally acquired the artifact and are refusing to return it.