Hemite rock relief

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hemite rock relief

Coordinates: 37 ° 11 ′ 3.9 "  N , 36 ° 5 ′ 35.5"  E

Relief Map: Turkey
marker
Hemite​
Magnify-clip.png
Turkey
The rock with the relief (left), in the background Amouda Castle (Hemite Kalesi)

The rock relief of Hemite is located in the village of Gökçedam (formerly Hemite , also Hamite, Hamide) in the central district of the Turkish province of Osmaniye , about 20 km northwest of the provincial capital Osmaniye .

location

The relief from the time of the Hittite empire in the second millennium BC BC lies on the right, northern bank of the river Ceyhan and faces south-southeast. On this side of the Ceyhan ran in ancient times the routes leading from the Hittite heartland in the north over the Antitaurus passes to Syria and crossed those that connected Kizzuwatna (roughly equivalent to Cilicia ) with eastern Anatolia . The importance of this junction until the Middle Ages is attested by the small Armenian fortress of Amouda (now called Hemite Kalesi ) located about 400 m north of the relief .

description

The relief shows a male figure about 1.75 m high, who can be recognized as a warrior through clothing and weapons. In his right, outstretched hand, he carries a - heavily weathered - lance. The left hand holds the bow carried over the shoulder. A sword can be seen on the left side of the body, with the crescent-shaped handle and an eyelet for hanging in the belt. He is dressed in a semicircular cap with ornamental edges, a short skirt and the usual Hittite sneakers. A large ring hangs on the ear. To the right of the figure are two hieroglyphic groups standing one below the other . According to the translation by John David Hawkins , they refer to the character as

.... tarḫunta, prince
son of Tarḫuntabija, the prince

According to Hawkins, there may be a connection with the Tarḫuntabijammi mentioned in the Hanyeri rock relief . A prince named Tarḫuntabija is also on the list of witnesses to the Ulmitessuba treaty from the time of Hattušili III. (ruled around 1265–1240 BC) mentioned.

The first mention of the relief comes from Helmuth Bossert in 1946. Alfonso Archi carried out the first detailed investigation .

literature

  • Horst Ehringhaus : gods, rulers, inscriptions. The rock reliefs of the Hittite Empire in Turkey, Zabern, Mainz, ISBN 3-8053-3469-9 , pp. 107–111.
  • Kay Kohlmeyer : Rock paintings from the Hittite Empire. In: Acta Praehistorica et Archaeologica 15 (1983) pp. 90-95.

Web links

Commons : Hemite Rock Relief  - Collection of images, videos and audio files