the 21st century ad discovery of the cinekoy inscription appears to conclusively prove that the term syria derives from the assyrian term 𒀸𒋗𒁺 𐎹 aššūrāyu., and referred to assyria and assyrian. the çineköy inscription is a hieroglyphic luwian-phoenician bilingual, uncovered from çineköy, adana province, turkey (ancient cilicia), dating to the 8th century bc. originally published by tekoglu and lemaire (2000), it was more recently the subject of a 2006 paper published in the journal of near eastern studies, in which the author, robert rollinger, lends strong support to the age-old debate of the name "syria" being derived from "assyria" (see etymology of syria).