Observations on the Religious Structures of Neo Hittite City States

Abstract

: In our study, sacread areas, libation, sacrificial
animal, graves, dead meal, gods and goddeesses have
been handled. During the excavation in Ain Dara, Tell
Tayinat, Karkamısh, Aleppo and Zincirli, sites of Neo
Hittite Period, sacred places have been discovered. All of
this sacred places except Karkamısh sample are megaronplanned. These sacred places show the same characteristics with Urartu and Neo-Assyria, contemporary of Neo
Hittite City States, however they reflect mostly features of
temples of Northern Syria Region as origin. Additionally,
Ivriz and Karasu rock reliefs show that religious rituals
were carried out not only in the temples but also in open
places such as mountainous regions, water supplies and
rock pores. In the Neo Hittite Period, steles for gods and
religious ceremonies such as libation for agricultural
plentifulness and animal sacrifice also have been carried
out. Hence, it has been detected by depicted pieces that
there were mostly male officers and rarely female officers
in the religious ceremonies. Data about necropolises or
graveyards dated to the Neo Hittite Period are known
only by simple pit burial from Zincirli and a cremation
burial from Karkamısh. However, tradition of erecting
grave stel in te Neo Hittite City States is quite widespread.
The tradition of grave stel has passed to the Neo Hittite
City States from Aramaeans and Phoenicians. Among
gods of the Neo Hittite Period, there are Tarhunzas,
Runtiyes/Kurunta, Moon, Sun and Mount; among the
goddesses there are Kubaba and Ishtar. The attributes of
the gods are ax, spear, arrow, bow, bun, lightning bunch,
bunch of grapes and bunch of spike; for the goddesses is
mirror.