The inscription had originally been interpreted as a kind of "insurance project" set up by Elnap, presumably a merchant, for the safe passage of his caravans:[3]
These are the images of Elnap, son of ’ŠY (Isai).
He has made (it) for himself as (a man) devoted(?) to
Bel and Nabu, so that his caravan (lit.: road) may travel safely.
May no-one suffer from harm!
The revised interpretation as a sepulchral monument is based on the iconography, the place where the stelae were found, and a more natural reading of the Aramaic[1][4] (the problematic word HWMYTK in line 2 had originally been taken to be an Iranian loanword).[5]
George M. A. Hanfmann. (1966). https://www.jstor.org/stable/1356199 The New Stelae from Daskylion]. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, (184), 10-13. doi:10.2307/1356199
Akurgal, E., "Les fouilles de Daskyleion." Anatolia 1 (1956): 20–24 + pl. XII
Akurgal, E., "Griechisch-persische Reliefs aus Daskyleion." Iranica antiqua 6 (1966): 147–56 + 6 pl..
Hanfmann, G.M. A., "The New Stelae from Daskylion." BASOR 184 (1966): 10–13.
Delcor, M.,『Une inscription funéraire araméenne trouvée à Daskyleion en Turquie.』Muséon 80 (1967): 301–14 + 2 pls.
Dolunay, N., "Reliefs Discovered at Dascyleion (Ergili)." Annual of the Archaeological Museums of Istanbul 13-14 (1967): 97–111 + 7 pls.
