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Hemite Rock Relief

The rock relief is located very close to the village of Hemite (also called Hamide), about 75 km northeast of the city of Adana. The figure is carved on an east-facing rock cliff right by the Ceyhan River and is about 1.75 meters in height. It was first noted by H. Bossert in 1946, but the first detailed study was done by Alfonso Archi. It displays a great similarity to the Hanyeri relief. The left-facing warrior holds a lance in his right hand and carries a bow over the left shoulder. Over the short skirt hangs diagonally a sword with a crescent-shaped hilt. He also wears a round cap, an earring, and pointy shoes. The two-line inscription next to the figure is read as "Prince ...-Tarhunta, son of Prince Tarhunta-...."


Click on the pictures for larger images.

T. Bilgin, 2019 T. Bilgin, 2019 T. Bilgin, 2019 T. Bilgin, 2019 K. Kohlmeyer, 1983 K. Kohlmeyer, 1983 H. Ehringhaus, 2005


Literature:
Archi, A. "Il rilievo ittito di Hamide," SMEA 14, 1971: 71–74 and plates I–II.
Ehringhaus, H. Götter, Herrscher, Inschriften. Die Felsreliefs der hethitischen Großreichszeit in der Türkei. Mainz, 2005: 107–11.
Hawkins, J. D. Corpus of Hieroglyphic Luwian Inscriptions, Vol 3, Berlin, 2024: 95–96 and plt. 68.
Kohlmeyer, K. "Felsbilder der hethitischen Großreichszeit", APA 15, 1983: 7–154 (90–95).
(List of Abbreviations)


Image sources:
Tayfun Bilgin, 2019.
Kay Kohlmeyer, 1983.
Horst Ehringhaus, 2005.