Purušḫanda
Purušḫanda , also called Purušḫattum and Paršuḫanda , was a Bronze Age city in Anatolia , the location of which has not yet been proven archaeologically. Several locations are suggested, most likely the excavations of Acemhöyük will be held southeast of the Tuz Gölü Salt Lake .
history
The history of the city is divided into two epochs. The first epoch belongs to the Middle Bronze Age (approx. 2000–1700 BC; Middle Chronology ) and is known from the ancient Assyrian texts from Kültepe . The second epoch coincides with the Hittite Empire , the place is mentioned above all in Hittite texts from Ḫattuša . It is not known whether the city continued to exist after the fall of the Hittites.
Say
The old importance of the city can be recognized from the fact that it plays the central role in the well-known legend "King of the Battle" ( šar tamḫāri CTH 310), according to which the Akkadian king Sargon I (2356-2300 BC) against king Nur-Dagan (Nur-Daḫḫe) drew from Purušḫanda, subjugated him, and stayed in the city for three years. But his warriors became displeased because he forbade them to plunder and did not allow them to harm the city. The end of the story is only fragmentary, it seems that Sargon gave in. Since the king of the legend has a Semitic (Nur-Dagan) or Hurrian (Nur-Daḫḫe) name, it cannot possibly have been historical, since these ethnic groups were not yet present in Anatolia at that time.
Ancient Assyrian kārum time
In the ancient Assyrian texts from Kaniš (Kültepe), which in the 19th century BC Was the Anatolian trading center, the kārum Purušḫanda is the most frequently mentioned place name. From the texts it appears that the city was west of Kaniš and formed the end of trade routes. It had a palace and was ruled by a great king ( rubāʿum rabiʿum ), but none of the names are known. It must have had a powerful army and was between 1900 and 1835 BC. BC three times at war with neighboring states, which sometimes severely hampered the city's trade. The traders from Kaniš therefore often had to make long detours via Wašḫaniya - Nenašša - Ullama in order to reach Purušḫanda.
The warring countries included Šalatuwar (around 1900 BC), Ullama (around 1870 BC) and Waḫšušana (around 1840 BC).
The main product of Purušḫanda was silver, which was mostly exchanged for copper, tin and textiles. A received letter from a trader to his colleague advises him to sell his tin as quickly as possible in Waḫšušana, as the market in Purušḫanda is currently flooded with it. The great need for copper and tin can only be explained if this was traded further west, presumably to the Aegean Sea . There was also a smuggling of textiles between Kaniš and Purušḫanda. A noticeable feature is that in Purušḫanda the decimal system was used, while in Kaniš the Assyrian sexagesimal system was used. There are also indications that it had its own units of measurement.
Strangely enough, Purušḫanda is not mentioned during the time of kārum Ib in Kaniš. Obviously, the copper trade with this city was no longer important. However, the text by King Anitta von Kaniš shows that Puruš weiterhinanda continued to be a powerful kingdom at that time. After Anitta had subjugated Šalatuwara, which can be located west of the upper Sakarya , the king of Purušḫanda met him and honored him with an iron scepter and an iron throne, with which he recognized Anitta as one of his own. In contrast to his predecessors, Anitta called herself the Great King herself.
Hittite Empire
Purušḫanda or Paršuḫanda, the Hittite name, was subjugated by King Labarna I and incorporated into the Hittite Empire. Under King Ḫattušili I , a revolt broke out in Paršuḫanda, which the great king put down.
discussion
According to several researchers, Purušḫanda could have been the political center of the Luwians in ancient Assyrian times , as they may have lived to the west or south of Kaniš, which is considered to be a Hittite city.
Until now, Purušḫanda could not be located. Of the well-known archaeological sites, Acemhöyük with its two large palaces is a likely candidate, especially since ancient Assyrian texts have also been found there. So Acemhöyük was definitely a very important center. The possible identification with Karahöyük near Konya is hardly recognized anymore . Barjamovic would like to locate Purušḫanda further to the west by Lake Beyşehir Gölü and suggests the site Üçhöyük near Bolvadin as a possible location .
Individual evidence
- ^ Gojko Barjamovic: A Historical Geography of Anatolia in the Old Assyrian Colony Period; Copenhagen 2011, ISBN 978-87-635-3645-5 .
literature
- Massimo Forlanini: The historical geography of Anatolia and the transition from the kārum -period to the Early Hittite Empire ; Old Assyrian Archives Studies 3 (2008), 59-69. ISBN 978-90-6258-322-5 .
- Gojko Barjamovic: A Historical Geography of Anatolia in the Old Assyrian Colony Period ; Copenhagen 2011, ISBN 978-87-635-3645-5 .