Yatonmilk

[4][5] Semitist and biblical scholar Marvin Pope posited that the epithet mlk may be an abbreviation of the name of the Phoenician god Melkart (melk-qart) which means "king of the city".

[6] Yatonmilk's name was attested on many building stone-incised dedications dubbed the Bodashtart inscriptions that were found at the Temple of Eshmun in the hinterland of the city of Sidon in Lebanon.

Despite being mentioned in the inscriptions, nothing is known about his reign due to the lack of further material or epigraphic evidence.

[10][11] A second set of inscriptions (KAI 16) were placed on restoration ashlar stones; these stones mention Yatonmilk and emphasize his legitimacy as heir, associate him with the reign of his father,[a][10][11] and assign a share of credit to Yatonmilk for the construction project.

Bodashtart was the nephew of Tabnit and Amoashtart and acceded to the throne after the death of Eshmunazar II at the young age of fourteen.

Phoenician writing from right to left. First line reads: Mēm Lāmedh Kaph Bēth Dāleth ʼAyin Šin Tāw Rēš Tāw Nun Bēth Nun ṣādē Dāleth Qōph Yōdh Tāw Nun Mēm Lāmedh Kaph Mēm Lāmedh Kaph ṣādē Dāleth Nun Mēm. Second line reads: Bēth Nun Bēth Nun Mēm Lāmedh Kaph ʼĀleph Šin Mēm Nun ʼAyin Zayin Rēš Mēm Lāmedh Kaph ṣādē Dāleth Nun Mēm ʼĀleph Yōdh Tāw Hē Bēth Tāw Zayin. Third line reads: Bēth Nun Lāmedh ʼĀleph Lāmedh Yōdh Lāmedh ʼĀleph Šin Mēm Nun Šin Rēš Qōph Dāleth Šin
Phoenician Bodashtart inscription, known as "Contenau I" inscription, found on the Temple of Eshmun 's podium. Bustan el-Sheikh, Sidon , 6th century BC. The inscription was published in 1920 and left in situ at the Temple of Eshmun . [ 1 ]