≈ ≠ =
This ancient inscription caught my eye as I walked through the Pergamon Museum in Berlin in November 2015. The inscription above the raised hand says, “I am Barrakib, son of Panammu[wa].” King Barrakib ruled in Sam’al (modern Zincirli) in Turkey. The inscription, dating from approximately 730 BC is written in ancient Aramaic with the old Phoenician script. Barrakib is pretty close …