Zippalanda

Zippalanda was a Hattic administrative and religious center of the Hittite Old Kingdom. Although its name was known from inscriptions, a plausible site was not established by scholars till the latter 20th century.[1] It may have been the settlement mound near Kerkenes Dağ (Mount Daha) in the province of Yozgat, Turkey, about one day's journey north of Ankuwa (present-day Alīşar Höyük).[2] Identifications of the site include Çadīr Höyük or Uşaklī Höyük,[3] which are both very close to Alishar Huyuk.

Recent excavators of Cadir Hoyuk have identified this site tentatively with Zippalanda.[4]

Zippalanda was one of the ancient Hattic religious centers that retained privileges in the Old Kingdom.[5] These included Arinna and Nerik, and toward the end of the Hittite Empire Hattusa and Tarhuntassa. The Hittite king participated in official religious ceremonies such as the purulli-festival, spring and autumn Imperial festivals, the festival of the month, and possibly the hunting festival (the Ki-Lam). Much of the information about Zippalanda comes from tablets found at Hattusa, which record the existence of the temple of the Storm God and a palace or royal residence (halentu) and refer indirectly to daily religious life and festivals. The light defenses of the city wall suggest that it was a religious perimeter like that of Alaca Höyük.[6] A number of cultic sites are found within the city and ranging outside it toward Mount Daha.[7]

In addition to religious functions, people at Zippalanda are recorded as engaging in military affairs, crafts, hunting and stock breeding.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Charles Allen Burney, Historical Dictionary of the Hittites (Scarecrow Press, 2004), pp. 324–325.
  2. ↑ Burney, Historical Dictionary of the Hittites, p. 325; Gojko Barjamovi, Historical Geography of Anatolia in the Old Assyrian Colony Period (Museum Tusculanum Press, 2011), p. 316.
  3. ↑ Barjamovi, Historical Geography of Anatolia, p. 316
  4. ↑ Site History Çadır Höyük Archaeological Project - www.cadirhoyuk.com
  5. ↑ Burney, Historical Dictionary of the Hittites, pp. 324–325.
  6. ↑ At least one scholar has identified Zippalanda with Alaca Höyük, but this is not a widely held view; Barjamovi, Historical Geography of Anatolia, p. 316, note 1302.
  7. ↑ Burney, Historical Dictionary of the Hittites, p. 325.
  8. ↑ Burney, Historical Dictionary of the Hittites, p. 325.

External links

Coordinates: 39°41′28″N 35°08′29″E / 39.69111°N 35.14139°E