Arinna

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On the map, Arinna is located near Alaca Höyük.

Arinna was an important Hittite place of worship of the sun goddess of Arinna , the main goddess of the Hittite pantheon . The exact location of the city is unknown, but it must have been near the Hittite capital Ḫattuša . As a holy city, Arinna herself enjoyed divine veneration; the king got down from the chariot before the city and bowed to her. Arinna was also called the "City of Joy", probably because of the importance of the cult festivals. This Arinna, the sun goddess, should not be confused with another city called Arinna, which was located in southwest Asia Minor.

Name and location

The city was called Arinna in Hittite and Hittite . The name should contain the word for "source". The location of the city is unknown, it was in the inner heart of the Hittite Empire. Is proposed Eskiyapar , north of the Hittite capital Hattusa , or alternatively, Alaca Höyük . The way from Ḫattuša to Arinna led through the unknown places Kulilla and Matilla. Since the king took part in festivities in the capital and in Arinna on the same day, the time required for the cult trip can only have been a few hours.

meaning

According to paragraphs §§ 50ff. of the Old Ethite law , Arinna was, along with Nerik and Ziplanda, one of the three “ cities of the gods” ( šiunan URU ), to which the capital Ḫattuša joined the assembly of the gods at an early stage, and later other places. This importance as a holy city goes back to pre-Hittite times. The establishment of holy cities in Anatolia lived on in antiquity in the hieropoleis ( ancient Greek ἱερόπολις hieropolis , German 'holy city' ). Further functions of the city of Arinna are not known, but based on the large number of blacksmiths, a center of blacksmithing can be assumed. Otherwise, besides cult personnel, weavers and torch makers are also mentioned.

buildings

The city was probably not big as only one city gate is mentioned. The most important buildings were the five temples for the sun goddess of Arinna, Mezulla , Zintuḫi , Ḫulla and the weather god of Arinna, whereby the last four deities only had a sanctuary in Arinna. There were also several ḫuwaši stelae in the city , a kind of cult stelae , including one for the deity Ḫuwarijanzipa. The temples of the sun goddess and of Mezulla were entered by stairs and do not seem to have been large. They were obviously among the oldest buildings in the city.

In the temple of the sun goddess there were two idols, one for the sun goddess of Arinna and one for the "sun goddess of Arinna of the calling" ( d UTU URU Arinna ḫalzijanna). The walls of the cella were silver-plated. The god Telipinu was also invoked in the temple. To pray the king climbed on the flat roof of the temple. Part of the booty was dedicated to the temple of the sun goddess, especially cult images and cult objects; In addition, part of the šaḫḫum and luzzi taxes went to the temple. Valuable gifts provided additional income. Important international treaties were kept in the temple of the sun goddess.

In the temple of Mezulla, sacrifices were made especially to the Telipinu, but also to the patron god. The Zintuḫi temple had an inner courtyard where cultic meals were held. No details are known of the other two temples.

From the temple of Mezulla the ḫalentuwa house could be reached via a side gate , which served as the residence of the king and queen when they were in Arinna and where cult meals were also held. During stays of several days, the king stayed in the "holy bed" located there.

In addition to the cultic buildings, there were also secular buildings, including several storehouses in various provincial cities, such as Ankuwa , Kaštunara or Zallara. There was also a storehouse for the queen. An inn is also mentioned.

In front of the town were the taštuppa house, where the king took on his priestly clothing on arrival, and the gazzituri house, where he ritually cleaned himself before entering the town through the town gate. Around the city there were various shrines that the king visited during the cult celebrations. There is also evidence of a pond outside the city.

Cults

Deities

The cult in Arinna was the sun goddess of Arinna, her daughter Mezulla and granddaughter Zintuḫi as well as the mountain deity Ḫulla and the weather god of Arinna. The cults are of Hattic origin and have a conservative character, so that only a few innovations were made. So there are hardly any Luwian or Hurrian influences noticeable, and only in the later period.

The sun goddess, Mezulla and Zintuḫi formed a triad ; the latter two acted as mediators between man and the sun goddess. Ḫulla was a mountain god of the mountain of the same name, who is to be found near Arinna; his cult is limited to Arinna. The weather god of Arinna was a local weather god who belongs to the special group of weather gods of the forest, whose function is unclear. He is not identical with the weather god Tarḫunna , who as the main god of the Hittite state cult was the man of the sun goddess, but did not play a special role in the cult of Arinna.

In addition to these five deities with their own temple, the patron god ( d LAMMA) and Telipinu as well as a few insignificant deities were invoked.

Cult personnel

The Hittite great king was the high priest of the temple for the sun goddess and visited the city on certain occasions in this capacity. The temples of Mezulla, Zintuḫi and Ḫulla were each headed by a high priest (SANGA). One of the three high priestesses in Arinna presided over the temple of the weather god of Arinna, the function of the other two is unclear. The three high priests and three high priestesses played a rather passive role during the cult festivals. They were the only ones who did not have to bow before the king and received very valuable gifts from him. The king himself was received on arrival in Arinna by two GUDU priests who also performed the ceremonies. There were also seven “last priests” with various functions. According to §50 of the Old Ethite Law, the priests of the holy cities were exempt from certain taxes.

The cult personnel also included musicians and singers, including the zintuḫi singers. The cult chants were performed in Hattic language . In addition, there were staff who were responsible for the preparation of the cult meals and sacrifices, including three cupbearers and the “Shepherd of the Godhead”, who was responsible for the herds of the sacrificed animals. The priests also served slaves.

What is striking is the absence of fortune tellers, conjuring priests and sorceresses as well as oracles in Arinna, a peculiarity that occurs in the Hattic environment.

Festivals

Since the archives of the capital mainly dealt with events in the vicinity of the palace, only festivals are recorded for Arinna at which the king acted as high priest. Local festivals are sometimes mentioned, but their meaning is unclear.

On the third day of the AN.TAḪ.ŠUM festival in spring , one of the most important cult festivals of the Hittites, the divinely revered kurša hunting bag was brought by Arinna to the capital Ḫattuša. On the eighth day the king then drove to Arinna in a carriage, where he stayed until the tenth day and took part in various cult acts.

On the fifth day of the nuntariyašḫaš festival, the king traveled from the city of Taḫurpa, where there was an important temple of the sun goddess, to Arinna, where he slept in the “holy bed” and then traveled to Ḫattuša in the morning.

The "Great Festival" was the main local festival in Arinna, in which the king also attended and stayed in Arinna for two or three days. It may have been celebrated in the fall.

The cult activities hardly differed from other Hittite cult customs. Various types of bread were offered, such as thick, sweet or sour bread. The deity was drank and libations were performed with wine, beer or other beverages. Here the kaluḫat played a special role, a leather vessel or a leather pouch that cannot be specified. Bloody animal sacrifices were also carried out, mostly sheep but also cattle.

The cult festivals also included wrestling matches, mock fights, jugglers, knife- eaters , prostitutes, so-called " wolf men " and ḫulpa women whose function is unknown. They belonged to the side events of the cult festivals and served the amusement of the people, which is why Arinna was also called "City of Joy".

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