Nerik
Alternative name | Narak |
---|---|
Location | Oymaağaç, Vezirköprü, Samsun Province, Turkey |
Region | Black Sea Region |
Coordinates | 41°12′25″N 35°25′12″E / 41.207°N 35.420°E |
History | |
Abandoned | 1200 BC |
Periods | Hittites |
Site notes | |
Excavation dates | 2005– |
Archaeologists | Rainer Maria Czichon |
Nerik (Hittite: Nerik(ka)[1]) was a Bronze Age settlement to the north of the Hittite capitals Hattusa and Sapinuwa, probably in the Pontic region.[2] Since 2005–2009, the site of Nerik has been identified as Oymaağaç Höyük,[3] on the eastern side of the Kızılırmak River, 7 km (4.3 mi) northwest of Vezirköprü.
History
It was occupied in the Middle Bronze and Late Bronze. The Hittites held it as sacred to a Storm-god who was the son of Wurušemu, Sun-goddess of Arinna. The weather god is associated or identified with Mount Zaliyanu near Nerik, responsible for bestowing rain on the city.
Nerik was founded by
Under
During
Nerik disappeared from the historical record when the Hittite kingdom fell, ca. 1200 BC.
Excavations
In 2005, Rainer Maria Czichon and Jörg Klinger of the Free University of Berlin began excavating Oymaağaç Höyük. Thus far, this is the northernmost place of Anatolia with remains from the Hittite Empire, including "three fragments of tablets and a bulla with stamps of the scribe Sarini. In addition, mention of the mountains, in which Nerik was located, have been found at the site, as well as features suggestive of monumental Hittite architecture."[5] The team has published a number of articles related to their excavations.[6]
According to Czichon, who is currently[
References
- ^ a b "Nerik(ka)." Reallexikon der Assyriologie.
- ISBN 0199281327.
- ^ Piotr Taracha (2015). "Looking for Ziplanda. The Hittite Names of Kuşsaray and Kaletepe". In Anacleto D’Agostino; Valentina Orsi; Giulia Torri (eds.). Sacred Landscapes of Hittites and Luwians. Proceedings of the International Conference in Honour of Franca Pecchioli Daddi, Florence, February 6th-8th 2014. Firenze University Press. p. 57.
- ^ Singer, Itamar (2007). "Who were the Kaška?". Phasis. 10 (II). Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University: 167. Archived from the original on 30 August 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ "Oymaagac-Nerik Project". Freie Universität Berlin. Archived from the original on December 11, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
- ^ "Bibliographie". www.Nerik.de. Oymaagac-Nerik-Forschungsprojekt. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
- ^ "Religious center of Hittites comes to light". Hürriyet Daily News (in Turkish). 2016-08-13. Retrieved 2016-08-13.