The Political and Cultural Meanings of the Hittite Empire Period Rock Monuments

• Main Author: Turgut Yigit
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Athens Institute for Education and Research 2016-01-01
• Series: Athens Journal of History
• Online Access: https://www.athensjournals.gr/history/2016-2-1-4-Yigit.pdf

The rock monuments of the Hittites, sometimes with impressive descriptions, still continue to remind us of the 2nd millennium B.C. in many parts of Anatolia. As a result of the determination of parallelisms between the rock monuments, their location, depictions, inscriptions and the data obtained from them with cuneiform texts; it was observed that they have political and cultural connotations and suggest important ideas about historical geography. Similarly to other Ancient civilizations, religion is intensively observed in every field of human life in the Hittites and coeval societies. This case was undoubtedly reflected on the rock monuments, both the depictions and all the hieroglyph inscriptions were presented in this sense. The rock monuments which can be confronted individually in different places of Anatolia, from West to East, are regarded as the sign representing and emphasizing the sovereignty of the Hittite Empire in some places and as the sign of existence of local principalities under the domination of this political force in others. In addition to the meaning mentioned above; the rock monuments which are located in the area from Kayseri to Cukurova and then towards North Syria are considered as the signs of the transportation route used at that period.