Phoenician Sphinx inscription
Phoenician inscription
The Phoenician Sphinx inscription, also known as the Abdadoni inscription, is an inscription found at Umm al-Amad, Lebanon.
The inscription is written on the socle of a statue of a couching sphinx, with only the feet and ankles still attached. The body of the sphinx was found lying next to it, but the head was not found. The inscription stated that the statue was dedicated to Milk'ashtart El - Hammon.
It was found to the right of an entrance to one of the buildings on the east side, at the edge of the street. It was one of a number of sphinx fragments found at the site.
It is thought that the entrance to the temple complex was flanked by two such sphinx statues.
It is currently in the National Museum of Beirut.
It was first published in 1962 by Maurice Dunand and Raymond Duru, although likely discovered previously.
The inscription reads:
Bibliography
Dunand, M.; Duru, R. (1962).
The public source identifies “Phoenician Sphinx inscription” as phoenician inscription. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Phoenician, Sphinx and inscription.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Phoenician Sphinx inscription”, the useful work is to connect “phoenician inscription” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q111696032. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1962.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Phoenician Sphinx inscription”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Phoenician Sphinx inscription primary sources, Phoenician Sphinx inscription archive and Phoenician research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Phoenician Sphinx inscription”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Phoenician Sphinx inscription” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.