(ORDO NEWS) — The identity of the unknown god, described in the inscriptions on the walls of the ancient city of Palmyra, located on the territory of modern Syria, has long baffled scientists. But now researchers say they have solved the mystery.
Maybe scientists were able to unravel one of the most mysterious mysteries of Palmyra?
Palmyra existed for almost two millennia, the city flourished about 2000 years ago. It was a center of trade that linked the Roman Empire with trade routes in Asia such as the Silk Road.
The anonymous deity is mentioned in numerous Aramaic inscriptions in Palmyra and is referred to as “one whose name is blessed forever”, “ruler of the universe“, and “merciful”. Many of these inscriptions are approximately 2000 years old.
How Scientists Solved the Mystery
To unravel this mystery, Alexandra Kubiak-Schneider, a graduate student at the University of Wroclaw in Poland, compared Palmyra inscriptions with inscriptions found throughout Mesopotamia that date back to the first millennium BC.
She discovered that the gods worshiped in Mesopotamia were called by similar names, like the anonymous god from Palmyra.
For example, “Bel-Marduk” – the supreme god of Babylon – was also referred to as “merciful”. The phrase ‘master of the world‘, a title similar to ‘master of the universe’, was sometimes used to refer to Baalshamin.
Kubiak-Schneider said that the unknown “god” mentioned in the Palmyra inscriptions is not one god, but several deities, including Bel-Marduk and Baalshamin. She also claims that people did not mention the names of deities as a mark of respect.
In addition, when people made inscriptions calling for divine intervention, they did not always refer to a specific god, but rather to any god who listened to their prayers.
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