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Göllüdağ Lions

Göllüdağ is a large fortified mountaintop (2172 m) settlement of the Neo-Hittite period. It is near the village of Kömürcü in Gölcük, Niğde. The Göllüdağ excavations were initially made by Remzi Oğuz Arık in 1934 and later by Burhan Tezcan in 1968-69. Further research was done by Wulf Schirmer between 1992 and 1998. The ruins are located right next to the crater lake of the inactive volcano. A defensive wall surrounds the settlement where several building groups can be seen. The settlement may date to as late as the mid-7th century BCE. Lack of pottery and unfinished nature of many sculptures have been used to suggest that the building program at the site was never completed.

The largest building measures about 112 by 228 meters and occupies the highest location. Two large double portal lions, two portal lions, two sphinxes, and two column bases with lion decorations have been found at and around the outer and inner gates of the entrance of this building on its south side. The double lions of the outer gate are made of white andesite. The better-preserved west wing lions are about 1.5 meters high and 2 meters long. In 1933 these west wing lions were sent to the Kayseri Museum, but 2018 in they were transferred to the Niğde Museum. Only the lower sections of the east wing lions has been recovered. The outer gate also had two column bases decorated with 4 seated lions on the corners. One of the highly weathered bases is in the Kayseri Museum, and the other is still in Göllüdağ. Two single portal lions were also found in the gate area. While the head is carved in full, the body sections are in high relief on two sides of the stone block. The better-preserved east wing lion is 0.88 meters high and 1 meter long, and is currently in the Niğde Museum. The west wing lion, which is missing the head section, is in the Kayseri Museum. A pair of half-finished sphinxes found by the flanks of the inner gate and two broken lion heads, one from near the inner gate of the building and one from around the southern city gate, are also in the Niğde Museum.


Click on the pictures for larger images.

General view of the site

Satellite view of the entire Göllüdağ crater Satellite view of the ruins in the Göllüdağ crater View of the temple/palace complex View of the temple/palace complex and the large room with rock block lined walls in the foregroud Temple/palace complex view from the gate area Reverse view of the temple/palace complex with the gate area in the background Close up of the large room with rock block lined walls

Double portal lions
West wing lions, Kayseri Museum - T. Bilgin, 2006 West wing lions, Kayseri Museum - T. Bilgin, 2006 West wing lions, Kayseri Museum - T. Bilgin, 2006 East wing lions - B. Tezcan, 1969 East wing lions - B. Tezcan, 1969 A fragment of(?) East wing lions - S. Aro 2023 (1998)

Portal lions
East wing lion, Niğde Museum - B. Bilgin, 2017 East wing lion, Niğde Museum - T. Bilgin, 2017 East wing lion, Niğde Museum - B. Bilgin, 2017 West wing lion, Kayseri Museum - T. Bilgin, 2006

Sphinxes and others
Sphinxes and a lion head fragment, Niğde Museum - T. Bilgin, 2017 Sphinxes and a lion head fragment, Niğde Museum - T. Bilgin, 2017 Column base with lions, Kayseri Museum - E. Anıl, 2020 Column base with lions - T. Bilgin, 2019


Literature:
Arık, R. O. "Göllüdağ Hafriyatı," Türk Tarih Arkeologya ve Etnoğrafya Dergisi 3, 1936: 3–48.
Aro, S. "Vanishing kingdoms: Tabal and Tuwana during the seventh century BC," FsSummers 2023: 113–35 (118–24).
Tezcan, B. "1968 Göllüdağ Kazısı," Türk Arkeoloji Dergisi 17, 1969: 211–35.
Tezcan, B. "1969 Göllüdağ Kazısı," Türk Arkeoloji Dergisi 30, 1992: 1–30.
Schirmer, W. "Der Göllüdağ im anatolischen Hochland und seine Bauanlagen aus dem 8. Jahrhundert v. Chr." Fridericiana Zeitschrift der Universitat Karlsruhe (TH), Heft 51, 1996: 9–26.
(List of Abbreviations)


Image sources:
Google Maps, 2017.
Tayfun Bilgin, 2006, 2017, 2019.
Burhan Tezcan, 1969.
Sanna Aro, 2023 (1998)
Bora Bilgin, 2017.
Ertuğrul Anıl, 2020.