Mount Nemrut or Nemrud ( tr, Nemrut Dağı; ku, Çiyayê Nemrûdê; hy, Նեմրութ լեռ;

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: Όρος Νεμρούτ) is a mountain in southeastern

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

, notable for the summit where a number of large statues are erected around what is assumed to be a royal tomb from the 1st century BC. It is one of the highest peaks in the east of the

Taurus Mountains The Taurus Mountains ( Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğird ...

. It was added to the

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

in 1987. The entry states:

Location and description

The mountain lies north of Kahta, near Adıyaman. In 62 BC, King

Antiochus I Theos of Commagene Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellen ( grc, Ἀντίοχος ὁ Θεὸς Δίκαιος Ἐπιφανὴς Φιλορωμαῖος Φιλέλλην, meaning "Antiochos, the just, eminent god, friend of Romans and friend ...

built on the mountain top a tomb-sanctuary flanked by huge statues of himself, two lions, two eagles, and various composite

and

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

gods, such as

Heracles Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptiv ...

- Artagnes-

Ares Ares (; grc, Ἄρης, ''Árēs'' ) is the Greek god of war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for success in war ...

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek relig ...

Oromasdes Ahura Mazda (; ae, , translit=Ahura Mazdā; ), also known as Oromasdes, Ohrmazd, Ahuramazda, Hoormazd, Hormazd, Hormaz and Hurmuz, is the creator deity in Zoroastrianism. He is the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the ''Yasna''. ...

, and

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

Mithras Mithraism, also known as the Mithraic mysteries or the Cult of Mithras, was a Roman mystery religion centered on the god Mithras. Although inspired by Iranian worship of the Zoroastrian divinity (''yazata'') Mithra, the Roman Mithras is link ...

Helios In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Helios (; grc, , , Sun; Homeric Greek: ) is the god and personification of the Sun (Solar deity). His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyperion ("the one above") an ...

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orat ...

. When constructing this pantheon, Antiochus drew heavily from

Parthia Parthia ( peo, 𐎱𐎼𐎰𐎺 ''Parθava''; xpr, 𐭐𐭓𐭕𐭅 ''Parθaw''; pal, 𐭯𐭫𐭮𐭥𐭡𐭥 ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Med ...

n and Armenian traditions in order to reinvigorate the religion of his ancestral dynasty. The statues were once seated, with names of each god inscribed on them. At some point the heads of the statues were removed from their bodies, and they are now scattered throughout the site. The pattern of damage to the heads (notably to noses) suggests that they were deliberately damaged as a result of

iconoclasm Iconoclasm (from Greek: grc, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, εἰκών + κλάω, lit=image-breaking. ''Iconoclasm'' may also be consid ...

. The statues have not been restored to their original places. The site also preserves stone slabs with bas-relief figures that are thought to have formed a large

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

. These slabs, or stelae, depict Antiochus'

and Persian ancestors. The same statues and ancestors found throughout the site can also be found on the

tumulus A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or '' kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones ...

at the site, which is tall and in diameter. It is possible that the tumulus of loose rock was devised to protect a tomb from robbers, since any excavation would quickly fill in. The statues appear to have Greek-style faces, but Persian clothing and hair-styling. Löwenhoroskop Humann 1883

The western terrace contains a large slab with a lion, showing an arrangement of stars and the planets

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousand ...

, Mercury, and

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

. The composition was taken to be a chart of the sky on 7 July 62 BCE. This may be an indication of when construction began on this monument. The eastern portion is well preserved, being composed of several layers of rock, and a path following the base of the mountain is evidence of a walled passageway linking the eastern and western terraces. Possible uses for this site are thought to have included religious ceremonies, owing to the astronomical and religious nature of the monument. The arrangement of such statues is known by the term

hierothesion A hierothesion ( Ancient Greek ἱεροθέσιον 'holy seat'), in Commagene, is a monument or royal mausoleum. The term is used in particular in connection with three monuments: * The Arsameia hierothesion for King Mithridates I Callinicus, b ...

. Similar arrangements have been found at Arsameia on Nymphaios at the hierothesion of Antiochus' father,

Mithridates I Callinicus Mithridates I Callinicus ( el, Μιθριδάτης ὀ Кαλλίνικος) was a king of Orontid Iranian; ; ; ; descent who lived during the late 2nd century BC and early 1st century BC. Mithridates was a prince, the son, and successor of King ...

Ancient history

The religious sanctuary established in Mount Nemrut was part of Antiochus' political program to revive the Persian traditions of Commagene. In order to do so, he merged and adjusted the political and religious traditions of

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...

, Pontus, and

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

. Following the practice of the Mithridatic rulers of Pontus, Antiochus stressed his descent from the

Achaemenids The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest emp ...

and

Seleucids The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the M ...

, and also claimed the royal legacy of Armenia. One of the essential parts of this identity was the then newly established Greco-Iranian pantheon, which was worshipped at specific sanctuaries in Commagene.

Modern history

The site was excavated in 1881 by , a German

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...

assessing transport routes for the Ottomans. After her first visit in 1947,

Theresa Goell Theresa Bathsheba Goell (July 17, 1901 – December 18, 1985) was an American Archaeology, archaeologist, best known for directing excavations at Nemrud Dagh in Southeastern Anatolia Region, south-eastern Turkey. Born in New York City, New York, ...

dedicated her life to the site, starting campaigns in 1954. Subsequent excavations have failed to reveal the tomb of Antiochus. This is nevertheless still believed to be the site of his burial. The statues, all of them "beheaded", have not been restored to their original condition.

World Heritage Site

In 1987, Mount Nemrut was made a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

. Tourists typically visit Nemrut during April through October. The nearby town of Adıyaman is a popular place for car and bus trips to the site, and one can also travel from there by helicopter. There are also overnight tours running out of Malatya or Kahta.

Gallery

File:Mount Nemrut (1).JPG, Mount Nemrut File:Mount Nemrut (4).jpg, Mount Nemrut: Head of Antiochus I (?) File:Heads on Mount Nemrut.JPG, Heads of statues File:Mount Nemrut 1.jpg, Heads of statues File:East Terrace (4961356591).jpg, East terrace File:East Terrace (4961323529).jpg, East terrace: Throne platform File:Mount Nemrut (3).JPG, East terrace File:Aslan (Lion) (4961933152).jpg, East terrace: Lion head File:NemrudOstThrone.jpg, East Terrace: Thrones File:Mount Nemrut - Apollo and Heracles Artagnes Ares (4961939940).jpg, East terrace: Heads of Apollo-Mithra-Helios-Hermes and Heracles-Artagnes-Ares File:Mount Nemrut - Apollo (4961945512).jpg, East terrace: Head of Apollo-Mithra-Helios-Hermes File:West Terrace (4961375519).jpg, West terrace File:Mount Nemrut - Antiochus (4962117788).jpg, West terrace: Head of Apollo-Mithra-Helios-Hermes File:Zeus Oromasdes (4961550509).jpg, West terrace: Zeus-Oromasdes File:Heracles Artagnes Ares (4961567803).jpg, West terrace: Heracles-Artagnes-Ares File:Goddess of Kommagene (Tyche) (4961562037).jpg, West terrace: Head of Goddess of Kommagene (Tyche) File:NemrudWestAdlerkopf.jpg, West terrace: Head of Persian eagle File:Eagle and Lion (4962096376).jpg, West terrace: Sandstone eagle and lion bodies File:Nemrut Dagi (3823873001).jpg, West terrace: Sandstone stele / stelae of Persian File:NemrutEagle.jpg, West terrace: Head of Persian Eagle

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * Brijder, Herman A.G. (ed.) (2014), ''Nemrud Dağı: Recent Archaeological Research and Conservation Activities in the Tomb Sanctuary on Mount Nemrud''. Walter de Gruyter, Boston/Berlin,

External links

*
Mt. Nemrut

International Nemrud Foundation

Commagene Nemrut Conservation and Development Program
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nemrut Commagene Mountains of Turkey National parks of Turkey 62 BC Landforms of Adıyaman Province Tourist attractions in Adıyaman Province History of Adıyaman Province Historic sites in Turkey Nimrod Important Bird Areas of Turkey Archaeological sites in Turkey