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ArameansBarhadad of Urhoy/Edessa's Memory of Ancient Aramean Kings
The Barhadad Mosaic depicts five people alongside early Syriac inscriptions. Within these inscriptions, a man named "Barhadad, the son of 'Abdnu" is identified. He is shown as a bearded figure wearing a blue, long-sleeved tunic and blue trousers, standing behind the left arm of a senior bearded figure. While certain visual cues, such as the senior figure's forward arm placement and a specific commemorative blessing, suggest that another individual might visually dominate the scene, academic documentation traditionally styles the piece as the Barhadad Mosaic.
His name, Barhadad, certainly derives from the memory of the ancient Aramean king Barhadad, king of Aram. Arman Akopian suggests that despite the pagan origins of such names, Syriac Christians preserved the names of ancient Aramean kings, specifically Barhadad, well after they adopted Christianity. This depiction of Barhadad of Urhoy/Edessa suggests an awareness of Aramean origins among the Syriac Christians of Urhoy/Edessa.
What is striking in this inscription is that Barhadad is spelled as a single word, ܒܪܗܕܕ, instead of two separate words. This formatting indicates that his actual given name is Barhadad, rather than "Bar" serving as a patronymic prefix meaning "son of Hadad." This distinction is further supported by the inscription itself, which explicitly names his father as 'Abdnu. Consequently, the use of Barhadad as a single, unified name reflects a direct linguistic and cultural connection to the ancient Aramean king Barhadad.
The Syriac inscription reads:
ܡܣܐ
ܒܪܗܕܕ
ܒܪ ܥܒܕܢܘ
ܘܐܠ
ܪܘܡܐ ܒܪ
ܒܪܫܡܐ ܕܟܝܪ
ܚܬܐ ܒܪܬ ܪܘܡܐ
This translates to: "Masa. Barhadad, son of 'Abdnu. Wa'el. Ruma, son of Barsama, may he be remembered. Hata, daughter of Ruma."
It's preserved in the Şanlıurfa Museum, dates to the early 3rd century AD and measures 245 cm by 235 cm. It was discovered in 1991 in a former cave-tomb in Yakup Mahallesi in Urfa.
His name, Barhadad, certainly derives from the memory of the ancient Aramean king Barhadad, king of Aram. Arman Akopian suggests that despite the pagan origins of such names, Syriac Christians preserved the names of ancient Aramean kings, specifically Barhadad, well after they adopted Christianity. This depiction of Barhadad of Urhoy/Edessa suggests an awareness of Aramean origins among the Syriac Christians of Urhoy/Edessa.
What is striking in this inscription is that Barhadad is spelled as a single word, ܒܪܗܕܕ, instead of two separate words. This formatting indicates that his actual given name is Barhadad, rather than "Bar" serving as a patronymic prefix meaning "son of Hadad." This distinction is further supported by the inscription itself, which explicitly names his father as 'Abdnu. Consequently, the use of Barhadad as a single, unified name reflects a direct linguistic and cultural connection to the ancient Aramean king Barhadad.
The Syriac inscription reads:
ܡܣܐ
ܒܪܗܕܕ
ܒܪ ܥܒܕܢܘ
ܘܐܠ
ܪܘܡܐ ܒܪ
ܒܪܫܡܐ ܕܟܝܪ
ܚܬܐ ܒܪܬ ܪܘܡܐ
This translates to: "Masa. Barhadad, son of 'Abdnu. Wa'el. Ruma, son of Barsama, may he be remembered. Hata, daughter of Ruma."
It's preserved in the Şanlıurfa Museum, dates to the early 3rd century AD and measures 245 cm by 235 cm. It was discovered in 1991 in a former cave-tomb in Yakup Mahallesi in Urfa.