Gökbez relief

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Coordinates: 37°45′13.4″N34°39′25.4″E / 37.753722°N 34.657056°E / 37.753722; 34.657056

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Gökbez relief (Turkey)
Gokbez relief Gokbez1.jpg
Gökbez relief

The Hittite Gökbez relief is a rock relief at Gökbez and dates from the time of the Neo-Hittite states. Rock reliefs are a prominent aspect of Hittite art.

Rock relief relief sculpture carved into solid rock

A rock relief or rock-cut relief is a relief sculpture carved on solid or "living rock" such as a cliff, rather than a detached piece of stone. They are a category of rock art, and sometimes found as part of, or in conjunction with, rock-cut architecture. However, they tend to be omitted in most works on rock art, which concentrate on engravings and paintings by prehistoric peoples. A few such works exploit the natural contours of the rock and use them to define an image, but they do not amount to man-made reliefs. Rock reliefs have been made in many cultures throughout human history, and were especially important in the art of the ancient Near East. Rock reliefs are generally fairly large, as they need to be in order to have an impact in the open air. Most of those discussed here have figures that are over life-size, and in many the figures are multiples of life-size.

Syro-Hittite states Wikimedia list article

The states that are called Neo-Hittite or, more recently, Syro-Hittite were Luwian-, Aramaic- and Phoenician-speaking political entities of the Iron Age in northern Syria and southern Anatolia that arose following the collapse of the Hittite Empire in around 1180 BC and lasted until roughly 700 BC. The term "Neo-Hittite" is sometimes reserved specifically for the Luwian-speaking principalities, like Milid and Carchemish. However, in a wider sense the broader cultural term "Syro-Hittite" is now applied to all the entities that arose in south-central Anatolia following the Hittite collapse, such as Tabal and Quwê, as well as those of northern and coastal Syria.

Hittite art

Hittite art was produced by the Hittite civilization in ancient Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey, and also stretching into Syria during the second millennium BCE from the nineteenth century up until the twelfth century BCE. This period falls under the Anatolian Bronze Age. It is characterized by a long tradition of canonized images and motifs rearranged, while still being recognizable, by artists to convey meaning to a largely illiterate population.

“Owing to the limited vocabulary of figural types [and motifs], invention for the Hittite artist usually was a matter of combining and manipulating the units to form more complex compositions"

Location

The relief is in a courtyard in Gökbez, Bor district, Niğde Province, Turkey, about 12 km southeast of Kemerhisar and 22 km south of the provincial capital of Niğde. Kemerhisar is the site of the ancient city of Tyana and was centre of the minor Luwian state of Tuwanuwa. The ancient route from Tyana, through Halala to the Cilician Gates, which were probably already in use in Hittite times. [1] The relief lies beside the old path.

Gökbez, Bor Village in Niğde Province, Turkey

Gökbez is a village in Bor district of Niğde Province, Turkey. At 37°45′N34°40′E it is situated in the northern slopes of the Toros Mountains. Its distance to Bor is 20 kilometres (12 mi) to Niğde is 25 kilometres (16 mi). The population of Gökbez was 340 as of 2011.

Bor, Niğde Place in Niğde, Turkey

Bor is a town and district of Niğde Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, 14 km (8.7 mi) north of the city of Niğde, on a high plain. The district's population is 59,919 of which 38,320 live in the town of Bor.

Niğde Province Province of Turkey in Central Anatolia

Niğde Province is a province in the southern part of Central Anatolia, Turkey. Population is 341,412 of which 141,360 live in the city of Niğde. The population was 348,081 in 2000 and 305,861 in 1990. It covers an area of 7,312 km2. Neighbouring provinces are Kayseri, Adana, Mersin, Konya, Aksaray and Nevşehir.

Description

The relief lies broken away and on its side in a courtyard in the village, leaning on the exterior wall of a house. The stone block measures 3.0 metres wide and 2.4 m high, the relief is 2.0 m x 2.0 m. The badly weathered image shows the god Tarhunzas facing left. He holds a double axe in his right hand and a thunderbolt in his left. The god has a beard and long hair which falls to his shoulders. He is dressed in a knee-length robe with a broad belt. A vine grows up between his legs and grape clusters hang down beside him to the left. To the right of the figure is a double arch with a horizontal line running across it two thirds of the way up. Dietrich Berges and Johannes Nollé suggest that it probably originally contained (or was intended to contain) an inscription. Eringhaus thought it was a Phrygian double idol, like that described by Dietrich Brendt at Midas Kenti. [2] The posture and costume of the figure show strong similarities to the Niğde Stele (on display in the Niğde Archaeological Museum), which also depicts Tarhunzas. For this reason, the relief is dated to the late 8th or early 7th century BC.

Phrygia ancient kingdom in Anatolia

In classical antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. After its conquest, it became a region of the great empires of the time.

Yazılıkaya, Eskişehir Phrygian archeological site in Turkey

Yazılıkaya, Phrygian Yazılıkaya, or Midas Kenti is a village in Eskişehir Province, Turkey known for its Phrygian archaeological remains and inscription mentioning Midas.

Niğde Stele

The Niğde Stele is a Neo-Hittite monument from the modern Turkish city of Niğde, which dates from the end of the 8th century BC.

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İvriz relief

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Karasu relief

The Karasu relief, also known as the Süpürgüç relief after the earlier name of the nearby town of Akbudak, is a rock relief located on a tributary of the Euphrates and derives from the Neo-Hittite period. It depicts a protective god standing on a deer. Rock reliefs are a prominent aspect of Hittite art.

Maraş lion

The Maraş lion is a Late Hittite sculpture of a lion with a hieroglyphic inscription. It was discovered on the citadel of Kahramanmaraş in 1883 and is displayed in the Kahramanmaraş Archaeological Museum. John David Hawkins assigned it the name Maraş 1, while Winfried Orthmann used Maraş B/1. Massive sculptures of lions are a recurrent feature of Hittite art, especially in the Neo-Hittite period.

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Porsuk Inscription

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Veliisa Stele

The Veliisa Stele is a fragment of a Luwian hieroglyphic inscription of Neo-Hittite date. It is on display in the Niğde Archaeological Museum, where its inventory number is 53.

Tuwana

Tuwana was an Iron Age Luwian kingdom in southern Anatolia, one of the Syro-Hittite states, which existed in southeastern Anatolia in the 8th century BC.

Tarḫunz

Tarḫunz was the weather god and chief god of the Luwians, a people of Bronze Age and early Iron Age Anatolia. He is closely associated with the Hittite god Tarḫunna and the Hurrian god Teshub.

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Votive relief of Jupiter Dolichenus

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References

  1. Dietrich Berges, Johannes Nollé: Tyana - Archäologisch-historische Untersuchungen zum südwestlichen Kappadokien. Rudolf Habelt, Bonn 2000 ISBN   3-7749-2959-9 p. 20
  2. Dietrich Berndt. "Midasstadt: Kleine und kleinste Felsmonumente. Überlegungen zu einer frühen Besiedlung." in Elmar Schwertheim, Engelbert Winter (Ed.): Neue Funde und Forschungen in Phrygien. Asia Minor Studien 61, 2006 pp. 1–32.

Bibliography

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