TABLE 4.1 Monuments of the Hittite empire Monuments had a clear sacred meaning, as attested by the main components of the reliefs.? Nine monuments include a figurative representation of a deity. If we add to these the references to deities in the aH inscriptions, only eight monuments do not explicitly refer to gods. Some of the latter are fragmentary so this number might be even lower. While the presence of gods is not surpris- ing, it is peculiar that ten monuments present a figurative representation of powerful figures of the imperial network. These figures are either represented as warriors with weapons in a static, non-aggressive pose, or as ministers of cults, with a long tunic and a rounded cap. The shape of the helmet or cap, the type of stick and of cloth are visual elements that provide information on status and office.!° If one considers also the AH inscriptions accompanying IGURE 4.7 The relief of Hartapus on the “Throne” of the Kizildag PHOTO COURTESY ARCHIVE OF THE KINIK HOYUK ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT, 2012 FIGURE 4.9 Funerary stele from Zincirli Hoyiik, late eighth century BCE IMAGE FROM MADEN, ASSYRISCHE KONIGSDARSTELLUNGEN, TAE. 25 Stone relief of Sennacherib receiving the booty of Lachish. Ninive, southwest Palace, early seventh century BCE ZAINAB BAHRANI, MESOPOTAMIA. ANCIENT ART AND ARCHITECTURE, LONDON 2017, FIG. 10.15A, P. 242 RARE SE Mah shh ORE ct et CRD Set tne fing, Seascemcntsarm need er We suggest that this is the model underlying the relief of Hartapus. It fits its archaeological and topographic context, pointing to an Assyrian model of the relief. The iconic representation of the king seated on the throne hold- ing a staff with the left hand and taking a cup to his mouth conveys the idea of the celebration of a military victory that took place in this region. Instead of representing the king standing up, the relief opts for a model that is less frequently used, but well-defined and established in the Assyrian repertoire. Admittedly, the Hartapus relief reproduces only a small part of the scene of the celebration of military victory. However, this reduction is not uncommon. Images of Assyrian kings on stelae and rock reliefs outside the Assyrian palaces were derived from models present in the palace, but the scenes were simplified so that only the figure of the king was represented.*” This is true for all images of the standing king on stelae and rock reliefs, and we suggest that this may also apply t to the model of seated king that underlies the Hartapus relief. es, | 171 + We Px. | ‘Ve 2 Pars, | te , an +rIiw ie EE VO Se SN SL, a ee: a Se ee! i, es See Sere The extreme simplicity of the execution of most details and in particular of the throne, but above all the choice of producing an incised graffito instead of a bas-relief in a carved niche, as is the rule for Assyrian rock reliefs,49 can be indicative of the limited time available for the artisan(s) to finish the work. This might have been due to time pressure. It seems on the other hand less likely that the commissioner assigned little significance and therefore little investment to the artwork. An alternative solution is to consider the incised graffito technique as a deliberate artistic choice. In this respect, Bittel’s com- ments on the merit of the artwork are worth of note: Orthostat relief of Kilamuwa, king of Samal, imitating Assyrian portraits of kingship, mid-to-end of ninth century BCE PERGAMON MUSEUM, HTTP://COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/WIKI). FREE USE Rock relief of ivriz: King Warpalawa worshipping the Storm-god Tarhunza PHOTO OF MATTHIEU DEMANUELLI, PHOTO ARCHIVE OF THE KINIK HOYUK ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT
