In 2002 a 5-sided prism with a handle inscribed with cuneiform was acquired by Adana Museum by me... more In 2002 a 5-sided prism with a handle inscribed with cuneiform was acquired by Adana Museum by means of confiscation, but it is thought to be from Osmaniye-Toprakkale in the Adana province of southcentral Turkey. The prism has a grey slip and a handle-like portion on its top with a hole through it, whereby it could have been used as an amulet or at least somehow displayed. The text on the prism consists of the first 54 lines of a basic cuneiform exercise for students, known as "Syllable Alphabet A". This prism school-tablet, which is written in Babylonian script, is probably to be dated to the first half of the 2 nd millennium BC, although a date later in the 2 nd millennium cannot be excluded. The article presents the object and its text, considers its possible use-function, as well as raising the question of possible connections with Old Babylonian traders' networks, such as evidenced at Tilmen Höyük on the other side of the Amanus mountains.
Summary of philological evidence for Hittite Geography regarding KIzzuwatna and the Euphrates Sta... more Summary of philological evidence for Hittite Geography regarding KIzzuwatna and the Euphrates States.
Presentation of historical geography of area between Alaca and Zile during the Hittite period (La... more Presentation of historical geography of area between Alaca and Zile during the Hittite period (Late Bronze Age).
The publication of a hieroglyphic inscription found at Türkmenkarahöyük in the Konya region and t... more The publication of a hieroglyphic inscription found at Türkmenkarahöyük in the Konya region and the associated survey-work in the area have raised numerous questions about the location of the city of Tarhuntassa, the aftermath of the Hittite Empire and the dating of the Hieroglyphic inscriptions which mention a king called Hartapu. In this paper we review the evidence for the location of Tarhuntassa that we deem relevant for deciding whether it could have been situated at Türkmenkarahöyük, and further reconsider the dating of the Hartapu inscriptions, arriving at the conclusion, already warranted by the evidence before the discovery of the new inscription, that there must have been two kings called Hartapu, who lived in very different epochs.
This essay presents a partial report of surveys on the Karacadağ (Konya), which have been carried... more This essay presents a partial report of surveys on the Karacadağ (Konya), which have been carried out since 2016 due to the find of a fragment of a hieroglyphic Luwian inscription from the 13th century BC at the village of Karaören. The results of the survey allow a holistic understanding of the material and topographic conditions which led to the writing, re-use and then find of the inscription. The inscription is presented and a possible historical-geographical framework both of this and of other related texts is explained, whereby it seems probable that there was an important military-strategic border here. The survey and associated ethnographic research established the importance of the freshwater springs on the Karacadağ, as well as the continuous re-use of stones attesting a profound cultural memory that runs from the Hittite period through a populous Byzantine occupation up until modern applications by the inhabitants of the Karacadağ.
The geographical scope of this chapter reaches from the Alaca region as far as Turhal and the Çam... more The geographical scope of this chapter reaches from the Alaca region as far as Turhal and the Çamlıbel pass, where it meets the border with the area treated in the chapters on the East (archaeology chapter 6; philology chapter 16). The region concentrates on the area of the intersection of the Turkish vilayets of Çorum (north), Yozgat (south) and Tokat (east). It includes the important excavated sites of Eskiyapar, Ortaköy/Šapinuwa (see chapter 3) and Maşathöyük. The following chapter will look at the evidence from this region for the geography of the Hittite state as derived from consideration of topography, archaeological survey and archaeological excavation. 1 Topography The topography of the region is tectonically defined by its location to the south of the North Anatolian Strike-slip Fault Zone, specifically on a splay of the same extending northeast to southwest along three parallel fault lines in a "fishbone" arrangement. 2 In the east of the region these fault lines accompany the narrow valleys and plains between the parallel northeast to southwest oriented mountain ranges of the Kırlar Dağı (highest point 1790m), Karadağ (highest point 1532m), Buzluk Dağları (otherwise referred to as the Otogeçe Dağları and the Alan Dağları at their southern end, highest point 1403m), and the Deveci Dağları (highest point 1638m), each with multiple peaks. The mountains and their surrounding plains are rich in sandstone, marl and limestone, and contain both lower and higher plateaus over which settlements are spread today. This is a different terrain to that of the area directly to the west towards Alaca. The west of the region consists of the high plains on the Central Anatolian plateau at an average height of around 1100m and presents quite a different topographical setting. Volcanic igneous rocks including augite and hornblende andesites characterise the geology of the western side of the area around the sites of Alacahöyük and Eskiyapar. 3 The two sites are separated by the ridge of the Elmalı Dağı, over which a route most likely led passing near the Hittite dam at Gölpınar. 4 This dam is watered by underground springs. To the east flows the Çorum Çay, a tributary of the Çekerek, and into it from a south-north direction run its own tributaries, the Alaca Çayı and the Büyüköz. However, from Alaca through to Tokat, along the Çorum Çayı and then the Çekerek, the main topographical orientation of the whole region is broadly from west to east rather than north to south. The landscape of the area between the Zile-Buzluk Dağları to the north and the Deveci-Akdağları to the south is a complex patchwork of plains and rocky outcrops characterised by limestone, marl and gypsum sediments through which numerous rivers have cut their way. In the west, where the region is defined by the middle course of the Çekerek, extends the Maşat Plain This contribution arose from numerous separate discussions between the authors, was gathered into a collective first draft by M. Weeden and then commented and corrected by T. Sipahi and A. Süel. 1 Thanks are due to Professor M. Drahor of Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi, Izmir, for consultation on questions of physical geography. 2 The Almus Fault Zone, the Ezinepazarı(-Sungurlu) Fault Zone (also referred to as Kırıkkale-Erbaa) and the Taşova-Çorum Fault Zone. Koçbulut, Kavak and Tatar 2015. The site of Ortaköy-Šapinuwa is located only 10km away from the Kırıkkale-Erbaa faultline. 3 Atakay Gündoğdu 2009. 4 E.g. Çınaroğlu and Çelik 2006.
49) KBo 18.117: A further join to the "Milawata Letter"-The tablet KUB 19.55+KUB 48.90 contains a... more 49) KBo 18.117: A further join to the "Milawata Letter"-The tablet KUB 19.55+KUB 48.90 contains a letter of a Hittite king to a vassal in western Anatolia, commonly referred to as the "Milawata letter". The king has been thought to be Tudhaliya IV and the addressee Tarkasnawa, king of Mira during the latter part of Tudhaliya's reign (Hawkins 1998: 19). The preserved parts of the letter discuss various issues including the border with Milawata, a stronghold of Ahhiyawa most likely to be identified with classical Miletus, the re-instatement of king Walmu of Wilusa, probably ancient Troy, and an affair concerning an exchange of the hostages (LÚ LI-*Ù-TUM) of Awarna and Pinali for those of Atriya and Utima, a conflict which had originated during the reign of the addressee's father. The first two of these localities were probably in Lycia, the second two in Caria. The new join mainly fits into the narrative concerning this affair. KUB 19.55 stems from the early excavations at Bo3azköy-Hattusa, and has no recorded findspot. The same is true of the join made by H.
A new join of fragments excavated at Tell Tayinat on the Amuq plain in Hatay province Turkey in 2... more A new join of fragments excavated at Tell Tayinat on the Amuq plain in Hatay province Turkey in 2012 clarifies the form of the country name Palastin/Walastin, which is now associated by some with the name of the Philistines known from the southern Levant in the Hebrew Bible.
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 2011
This is a review article on Alwin Kloekhorst, Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Le... more This is a review article on Alwin Kloekhorst, Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 5. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2008. $199. ISBN 978 90 04 16092 7). The article addresses issues arising from Kloekhorst's depiction of Hittite cuneiform spelling conventions in the context of the wider cuneiform world (Mesopotamia and Northern Syria). In particular the representation of a glottal stop in Hittite and relevant cuneiform writing is addressed. The second part of the article addresses further individual graphic and lexical issues arising throughout the etymological dictionary.
Revue d'assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale, 2020
Among the papers of the late Assyriologist W.G. Lambert were found photographs and a preliminary ... more Among the papers of the late Assyriologist W.G. Lambert were found photographs and a preliminary edition of part of a statue inscription of Samsuiluna king of Babylon (1750-1712 BC) that was probably looted from Iraq in the early 1990s in the context of the worsening security situation resulting from the first Gulf War and the international sanctions regime. Knowledge of this artefact and its current whereabouts mostly equates to little more than rumour. The current article presents a provisional edition of the inscription based on Lambert's materials, as well as other sources that have been contributed by colleagues after inquiries during the course of research. The text provides new data for the history of the revolts against Samsuiluna in southern Iraq indicating that the rebellions had a more widespread extension to the north and east and possibly lasted longer than thus far suggested by available sources. It is also hoped that this preliminary publication will bring about some movement in the fortunes of this artefact, so that it may be made available to be studied more reliably than can be done on the basis of photos after repatriation to its country of origin, Iraq.
This essay reviews the evidence concerning the Tabalian king Wasusarma and his father Tuwati, who... more This essay reviews the evidence concerning the Tabalian king Wasusarma and his father Tuwati, who appear in Neo-Assyrian and Urartian annals. The context for the removal of Wasusarma (Uassurme) from power by the Assyrian king is assumed to have lain in the events depicted in the large inscription of TOPADA. The historical and geographical import of this inscription is explored through a close reading of its historical portion, concluding that its background is set in a local struggle for power over north-western Cappadocia.
In 2002 a 5-sided prism with a handle inscribed with cuneiform was acquired by Adana Museum by me... more In 2002 a 5-sided prism with a handle inscribed with cuneiform was acquired by Adana Museum by means of confiscation, but it is thought to be from Osmaniye-Toprakkale in the Adana province of southcentral Turkey. The prism has a grey slip and a handle-like portion on its top with a hole through it, whereby it could have been used as an amulet or at least somehow displayed. The text on the prism consists of the first 54 lines of a basic cuneiform exercise for students, known as "Syllable Alphabet A". This prism school-tablet, which is written in Babylonian script, is probably to be dated to the first half of the 2 nd millennium BC, although a date later in the 2 nd millennium cannot be excluded. The article presents the object and its text, considers its possible use-function, as well as raising the question of possible connections with Old Babylonian traders' networks, such as evidenced at Tilmen Höyük on the other side of the Amanus mountains.
Summary of philological evidence for Hittite Geography regarding KIzzuwatna and the Euphrates Sta... more Summary of philological evidence for Hittite Geography regarding KIzzuwatna and the Euphrates States.
Presentation of historical geography of area between Alaca and Zile during the Hittite period (La... more Presentation of historical geography of area between Alaca and Zile during the Hittite period (Late Bronze Age).
The publication of a hieroglyphic inscription found at Türkmenkarahöyük in the Konya region and t... more The publication of a hieroglyphic inscription found at Türkmenkarahöyük in the Konya region and the associated survey-work in the area have raised numerous questions about the location of the city of Tarhuntassa, the aftermath of the Hittite Empire and the dating of the Hieroglyphic inscriptions which mention a king called Hartapu. In this paper we review the evidence for the location of Tarhuntassa that we deem relevant for deciding whether it could have been situated at Türkmenkarahöyük, and further reconsider the dating of the Hartapu inscriptions, arriving at the conclusion, already warranted by the evidence before the discovery of the new inscription, that there must have been two kings called Hartapu, who lived in very different epochs.
This essay presents a partial report of surveys on the Karacadağ (Konya), which have been carried... more This essay presents a partial report of surveys on the Karacadağ (Konya), which have been carried out since 2016 due to the find of a fragment of a hieroglyphic Luwian inscription from the 13th century BC at the village of Karaören. The results of the survey allow a holistic understanding of the material and topographic conditions which led to the writing, re-use and then find of the inscription. The inscription is presented and a possible historical-geographical framework both of this and of other related texts is explained, whereby it seems probable that there was an important military-strategic border here. The survey and associated ethnographic research established the importance of the freshwater springs on the Karacadağ, as well as the continuous re-use of stones attesting a profound cultural memory that runs from the Hittite period through a populous Byzantine occupation up until modern applications by the inhabitants of the Karacadağ.
The geographical scope of this chapter reaches from the Alaca region as far as Turhal and the Çam... more The geographical scope of this chapter reaches from the Alaca region as far as Turhal and the Çamlıbel pass, where it meets the border with the area treated in the chapters on the East (archaeology chapter 6; philology chapter 16). The region concentrates on the area of the intersection of the Turkish vilayets of Çorum (north), Yozgat (south) and Tokat (east). It includes the important excavated sites of Eskiyapar, Ortaköy/Šapinuwa (see chapter 3) and Maşathöyük. The following chapter will look at the evidence from this region for the geography of the Hittite state as derived from consideration of topography, archaeological survey and archaeological excavation. 1 Topography The topography of the region is tectonically defined by its location to the south of the North Anatolian Strike-slip Fault Zone, specifically on a splay of the same extending northeast to southwest along three parallel fault lines in a "fishbone" arrangement. 2 In the east of the region these fault lines accompany the narrow valleys and plains between the parallel northeast to southwest oriented mountain ranges of the Kırlar Dağı (highest point 1790m), Karadağ (highest point 1532m), Buzluk Dağları (otherwise referred to as the Otogeçe Dağları and the Alan Dağları at their southern end, highest point 1403m), and the Deveci Dağları (highest point 1638m), each with multiple peaks. The mountains and their surrounding plains are rich in sandstone, marl and limestone, and contain both lower and higher plateaus over which settlements are spread today. This is a different terrain to that of the area directly to the west towards Alaca. The west of the region consists of the high plains on the Central Anatolian plateau at an average height of around 1100m and presents quite a different topographical setting. Volcanic igneous rocks including augite and hornblende andesites characterise the geology of the western side of the area around the sites of Alacahöyük and Eskiyapar. 3 The two sites are separated by the ridge of the Elmalı Dağı, over which a route most likely led passing near the Hittite dam at Gölpınar. 4 This dam is watered by underground springs. To the east flows the Çorum Çay, a tributary of the Çekerek, and into it from a south-north direction run its own tributaries, the Alaca Çayı and the Büyüköz. However, from Alaca through to Tokat, along the Çorum Çayı and then the Çekerek, the main topographical orientation of the whole region is broadly from west to east rather than north to south. The landscape of the area between the Zile-Buzluk Dağları to the north and the Deveci-Akdağları to the south is a complex patchwork of plains and rocky outcrops characterised by limestone, marl and gypsum sediments through which numerous rivers have cut their way. In the west, where the region is defined by the middle course of the Çekerek, extends the Maşat Plain This contribution arose from numerous separate discussions between the authors, was gathered into a collective first draft by M. Weeden and then commented and corrected by T. Sipahi and A. Süel. 1 Thanks are due to Professor M. Drahor of Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi, Izmir, for consultation on questions of physical geography. 2 The Almus Fault Zone, the Ezinepazarı(-Sungurlu) Fault Zone (also referred to as Kırıkkale-Erbaa) and the Taşova-Çorum Fault Zone. Koçbulut, Kavak and Tatar 2015. The site of Ortaköy-Šapinuwa is located only 10km away from the Kırıkkale-Erbaa faultline. 3 Atakay Gündoğdu 2009. 4 E.g. Çınaroğlu and Çelik 2006.
49) KBo 18.117: A further join to the "Milawata Letter"-The tablet KUB 19.55+KUB 48.90 contains a... more 49) KBo 18.117: A further join to the "Milawata Letter"-The tablet KUB 19.55+KUB 48.90 contains a letter of a Hittite king to a vassal in western Anatolia, commonly referred to as the "Milawata letter". The king has been thought to be Tudhaliya IV and the addressee Tarkasnawa, king of Mira during the latter part of Tudhaliya's reign (Hawkins 1998: 19). The preserved parts of the letter discuss various issues including the border with Milawata, a stronghold of Ahhiyawa most likely to be identified with classical Miletus, the re-instatement of king Walmu of Wilusa, probably ancient Troy, and an affair concerning an exchange of the hostages (LÚ LI-*Ù-TUM) of Awarna and Pinali for those of Atriya and Utima, a conflict which had originated during the reign of the addressee's father. The first two of these localities were probably in Lycia, the second two in Caria. The new join mainly fits into the narrative concerning this affair. KUB 19.55 stems from the early excavations at Bo3azköy-Hattusa, and has no recorded findspot. The same is true of the join made by H.
A new join of fragments excavated at Tell Tayinat on the Amuq plain in Hatay province Turkey in 2... more A new join of fragments excavated at Tell Tayinat on the Amuq plain in Hatay province Turkey in 2012 clarifies the form of the country name Palastin/Walastin, which is now associated by some with the name of the Philistines known from the southern Levant in the Hebrew Bible.
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 2011
This is a review article on Alwin Kloekhorst, Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Le... more This is a review article on Alwin Kloekhorst, Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 5. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2008. $199. ISBN 978 90 04 16092 7). The article addresses issues arising from Kloekhorst's depiction of Hittite cuneiform spelling conventions in the context of the wider cuneiform world (Mesopotamia and Northern Syria). In particular the representation of a glottal stop in Hittite and relevant cuneiform writing is addressed. The second part of the article addresses further individual graphic and lexical issues arising throughout the etymological dictionary.
Revue d'assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale, 2020
Among the papers of the late Assyriologist W.G. Lambert were found photographs and a preliminary ... more Among the papers of the late Assyriologist W.G. Lambert were found photographs and a preliminary edition of part of a statue inscription of Samsuiluna king of Babylon (1750-1712 BC) that was probably looted from Iraq in the early 1990s in the context of the worsening security situation resulting from the first Gulf War and the international sanctions regime. Knowledge of this artefact and its current whereabouts mostly equates to little more than rumour. The current article presents a provisional edition of the inscription based on Lambert's materials, as well as other sources that have been contributed by colleagues after inquiries during the course of research. The text provides new data for the history of the revolts against Samsuiluna in southern Iraq indicating that the rebellions had a more widespread extension to the north and east and possibly lasted longer than thus far suggested by available sources. It is also hoped that this preliminary publication will bring about some movement in the fortunes of this artefact, so that it may be made available to be studied more reliably than can be done on the basis of photos after repatriation to its country of origin, Iraq.
This essay reviews the evidence concerning the Tabalian king Wasusarma and his father Tuwati, who... more This essay reviews the evidence concerning the Tabalian king Wasusarma and his father Tuwati, who appear in Neo-Assyrian and Urartian annals. The context for the removal of Wasusarma (Uassurme) from power by the Assyrian king is assumed to have lain in the events depicted in the large inscription of TOPADA. The historical and geographical import of this inscription is explored through a close reading of its historical portion, concluding that its background is set in a local struggle for power over north-western Cappadocia.
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