Anatolian Civilizations and Historical Sites - TEDA

ANATOLIAN CIVILIZATIONS:10x19 antik kentler 8/1/11 10:50 AM Sayfa
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is evidence of how spectacular a building it was. In the complex of six
rooms to the left of the entrance, the Hittite kings would prepare for the
religious ceremonies, would take off their royal uniform and wear their
monk outfit. In the middle of the temple was a courtyard laid with
calcareous plaques and measuring 26x19 m., and at the north east end of
the courtyard was a chamber leading to the most sacred part of the
temple. Perhaps this was a place for washing before entering the sacred
section. The two cultic chambers behind this have sculpture pedestals,
which are still in situ, but the sculptures are missing. Evidentially, the
temple was built in the name of the Hattian god of sky and the sun
goddess of Arinna.
To the south west of the temple and the magazines surrounding it, there
passes a road which is an 8 m. wide, broad channel. There is another
building measuring 118x55 m. on the other side of this street. During the
excavations of this building complex, which has a courtyard in the
middle and rooms of various sizes at the peripheries, unfinished tablets
and inscription tools were found, which indicate that this was used as an
office or school of clerks. The same tablets found in this house of artisans
also show that there were 18 monks, 29 female musicians, 35 oracles and
10 Hurrian singers living here.
Temple number 5 in the Upper City, which comes after temple number I,
is older in comparison with the others. This place was first sighted by
Charles Texier in 1834, and William J. Hamilton came here in 1835 to
conduct the first research. In 1858, Heinrich Barth and Andreas David
Mordmann conducted research in the temple number 1. In 1862, George
Perrot, Edmond Guillaume and Jules Delbet conducted research in
Bo¤azköy and Yaz›l›kaya.
In 1882, Errest Chantre studied on the temple number 1 and Büyükkale,
finding and publishing the first cuneiform tablets of Hattusha in 1894. In
1906, as a result of the excavations by Hugo Winckler and Theodor
Makridi conducted in Büyükkale, 2.500 cuneiform tablets were found,
which revealed that this was Hattusha – the capital of the Hittites. After
the World War I, German Archaeological Institute began the excavations
of 1931-39, and excavations were resumed after the World War II in 1952.
They were led by Kurt Bittel until 1977. Excavations continued by Peter
Neve until 1993 and afterwards by Jurgen Seeher and Doc. Andreas
Schachner.