Nerik (
Hittite: ''Nerik(ka)''
["Nerik(ka)." ''Reallexikon der Assyriologie.'']) was a
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
settlement to the north of the
Hittite capitals
Hattusa
Hattusa (also Ḫattuša or Hattusas ; Hittite: URU''Ḫa-at-tu-ša'', Turkish: Hattuşaş , Hattic: Hattush) was the capital of the Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age. Its ruins lie near modern Boğazkale, Turkey, within the great loop of ...
and
Sapinuwa
Sapinuwa (sometimes Shapinuwa; Hittite: ''Šapinuwa'') was a Bronze Age Hittite city at the location of modern Ortaköy in the province Çorum in Turkey. It was one of the major Hittite religious and administrative centres, a military base an ...
, probably in the
Pontic region. Since 2005–2009, the site of Nerik has been identified as
Oymaağaç Höyük, on the eastern side of the
Kızılırmak River
The Kızılırmak (, Turkish for "Red River"), once known as the Halys River ( grc, Ἅλυς) and Alis River ( hy, Ալիս), is the longest river flowing entirely within Turkey. It is a source of hydroelectric power and is not used for navig ...
, northwest of
Vezirköprü
Vezirköprü is a district of Samsun Province of Turkey. It is named after the Ottoman Albanian grand vizier Köprülü Mehmed Pasha.
History
At the breakup of Alexander the Great's empire the Vezirköprü region became part of the kingdom of ...
.
The Hittites held it as sacred to a
Storm-god who was the son of
Wurušemu,
Sun-goddess of
Arinna. The weather god is associated or identified with
Mount Zaliyanu near Nerik, responsible for bestowing rain on the city.
Nerik was founded by
Hattic language speakers as Narak;
in the Hattusa archive, tablet CTH 737 records a Hattic
incantation for a festival there. Under
Hattusili I, the
Nesite-speaking Hittites took over Nerik. They maintained a spring festival called "
Puruli" in honor of the Storm-god of Nerik. In it, the celebrants recited the myth of the slaying of
Illuyanka.
Under
Hantili
Hantili I was a king of the Hittites during the Hittite Old Kingdom. His reign lasted for 30 years, from c. 1590 to c. 1560 BC (middle chronology).
Biography
Rise to power
According to the Telepinu Proclamation, Hantili was the royal cup-bearer ...
, Nerik was ruined and the Hittites had to relocate the Puruli festival to Hattusa. As of the reign of
Tudhaliya I, Nerik's site was occupied by the barbarian
Kaskas, whom the Hittites blamed for its initial destruction.
During
Muwatalli II's reign, his brother and appointed governor
Hattusili III recaptured Nerik and rebuilt it as its High Priest. Hattusili named his firstborn son "Nerikkaili" in commemoration (although he later passed him over for the succession). Seven years after Muwatalli's son
Mursili III
Mursili III, also known as Urhi-Teshub, was a king of the Hittites who assumed the throne of the Hittite empire (New Kingdom) at Tarhuntassa upon his father's death. He was a cousin of Tudhaliya IV and Queen Maathorneferure. He ruled ca. 1282–1 ...
became king, Mursili reassigned Nerik to another governor. Hattusili rebelled and became king himself.
Nerik disappeared from the historical record when the Hittite kingdom fell, ca. 1200 BC.
Excavations
In 2005, Rainer Maria Czichon and Jörg Klinger of the
Free University of Berlin
The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...
began excavating
Oymaağaç Höyük. Thus far, this is the northernmost place of
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
with remains from the Hittite Empire, including "three fragments of tablets and a
bulla
Bulla (Latin, 'bubble') may refer to:
Science and medicine
* Bulla (dermatology), a bulla
* Bulla, a focal lung pneumatosis, an air pocket in the lung
* Auditory bulla, a hollow bony structure on the skull enclosing the ear
* Ethmoid bulla, pa ...
with stamps of the scribe Sarini. In addition, mention of the mountains, in which Nerik was located, have been found at the site, as well as features suggestive of monumental Hittite architecture." The team has published a number of articles related to their excavations.
According to Czichon, who is currently in the archaeology faculty at
Uşak University
Uşak University is a university located in Uşak, Turkey. It was established in 2006.
Affiliations
The university is a member of the Psephosauriscus Caucasus University Association Caucasus University Association is an association of universiti ...
, many stone and loom artifacts were unearthed during the excavations. Mining tools were found for copper deposits situated at nearby Tavşan Mountain field. The most valuable artifacts are tablets with
cuneiform script
Cuneiform is a logo- syllabic script that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Middle East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. It is named for the characteristic wedge-s ...
, which point out the site as Nerik. An inventory list showing tools, including silver trays and golden bullae contained in an unknown shrine, is also among the findings.
References
External links
Prayer for Nerik Archaeological research in connection with NerikOymaağaç Höyük (Samsun)
{{Authority control
Hattian cities
Hittite sites in Turkey
Hittite cities
Former populated places in Turkey
Archaeological sites in the Black Sea Region
Vezirköprü