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The Hemite relief is a Hittite rock relief at
The relief depicts a male figure, about 1.75 m high, whose clothing and weapons identify him as a warrior. In his outstretched right hand he holds a (badly weathered) spear. His left hand holds his bow which is borne over his shoulder. On the left side of his body there is a sword - the halfmoon grip and a loop for hanging it from his belt are clearly visible. He is dressed in a semi-circular cap with decorative bands, a short kilt and the ubiquitous Hittite pointed shoes. A large ring hangs from his ear. To the right of the image are two groups of Luwian hieroglyphs, one above the other. According to John David Hawkins' translation, they name the figure as:
:...Tarḫunta, Prince
: Son of Tarḫuntabija, Prince
Hawkins suggests a possible connection with the Tarḫuntabijammi who is named in the
Description on Hittitemonuments.com
{{coord, 37.1844, N, 36.0932, E, source:wikidata, display=title Hittite art Archaeological sites in the Mediterranean Region, Turkey Hittite sites in Turkey Luwian inscriptions Tourist attractions in Osmaniye Province Rock reliefs in Turkey
The Hemite relief is a Hittite rock relief at Gökçedam Gökçedam (also known as Hemite) is a village in the central district of Osmaniye province, Turkey. The village is inhabited by Turkmens. It was the birthplace of the famous Turkish novelist of Kurdish origin Yaşar Kemal.
Its most conspicuous fe ...
(formerly ''Hemite'') in the central district of Osmaniye Province in Turkey, about 20 km northwest of the provincial capital of Osmaniye. Rock reliefs are a prominent aspect of Hittite art.
Location
The relief, dating from the Hittite empire in the second millennium BC is located on the north bank of theCeyhan river
The Ceyhan River (historically Pyramos or Pyramus ( el, Πύραμος), Leucosyrus ( el, Λευκόσυρος) or Jihun) is a river in Anatolia in the south of Turkey.
Course of the river
The Ceyhan River (Pyramus) has its source (known as ' ...
and faces south-southeast. In ancient times, the route from the Hittite heartland in the north, over the Anti-Taurus Mountains
The Anti-Taurus Mountains (from el, Αντίταυρος) are a mountain range in southern and eastern Turkey, curving northeast from the Taurus Mountains.
At , Mount Erciyes ( Turkish: Erciyes Dağı) is the highest peak not just in the ran ...
to Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
ran along this side of the river, before crossing it - so it linked Kizzuwatna (later called Cilicia
Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coas ...
) with east Anatolia. The importance which this nodal point retained even into the Middle Ages is indicated by the Armenian fortress of Amouda
The castle of Amouda Crusader castle, formerly in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, and today close to the village of Gökçedam in the Turkish Province of Osmaniye. The castle was deeded by the Armenian king Levon I to the Teutonic Knights in 12 ...
(now ''Hemite Kalesi'') only 400 m further north.
Description
The relief depicts a male figure, about 1.75 m high, whose clothing and weapons identify him as a warrior. In his outstretched right hand he holds a (badly weathered) spear. His left hand holds his bow which is borne over his shoulder. On the left side of his body there is a sword - the halfmoon grip and a loop for hanging it from his belt are clearly visible. He is dressed in a semi-circular cap with decorative bands, a short kilt and the ubiquitous Hittite pointed shoes. A large ring hangs from his ear. To the right of the image are two groups of Luwian hieroglyphs, one above the other. According to John David Hawkins' translation, they name the figure as:
:...Tarḫunta, Prince
: Son of Tarḫuntabija, Prince
Hawkins suggests a possible connection with the Tarḫuntabijammi who is named in the Hanyeri relief
The Hanyeri relief (or ''Gezbeli relief'') is a Hittite rock relief near Hanyeri on the road from Tufanbeyli to Develi in Tufanbeyli district in Adana Province, about 80 km southeast of Kayseri, in Turkey. In Hittite times, the route over ...
. A prince named Tarḫuntabija also appears in the list of witnesses to the Ulmitessuba-Treaty made under Hattusili III (r. c. 1265-1240 BC).
The initial description of the relief was produced by Helmuth Theodor Bossert in 1946. The first detailed description was undertaken by Alfonso Archi.
Bibliography
*Horst Ehringhaus
Horst may refer to:
Science
* Horst (geology), a raised fault block bounded by normal faults or graben
People
* Horst (given name)
* Horst (surname)
* ter Horst, Dutch surname
* van der Horst, Dutch surname
Places Settlements Germany
* Horst, ...
. ''Götter, Herrscher, Inschriften. Die Felsreliefs der hethitischen Großreichszeit in der Türkei,'' Zabern, Mainz, , pp. 107–111.
* Kay Kohlmeyer: "Felsbilder der hethitischen Großreichszeit." ''Acta Praehistorica et Archaeologica'' 15 (1983) pp. 90–95.
External links
Description on Hittitemonuments.com
{{coord, 37.1844, N, 36.0932, E, source:wikidata, display=title Hittite art Archaeological sites in the Mediterranean Region, Turkey Hittite sites in Turkey Luwian inscriptions Tourist attractions in Osmaniye Province Rock reliefs in Turkey