Kayalıpınar

The mound of Kayalıpınar is located near the Kayalıpınar village in the Yıldızeli township of Sivas province. It has been excavated since 2004 by a team headed by Andreas Müller-Karpe. The site yielded numerous epigraphic finds and has been identified as the Empire period Hittite city of Samuha.

A large relief was found in 2005. The white limestone block is about 1.2 meters high and 1 meter wide, and it depicts a seated female deity with a cone-shaped headpiece, holding a drinking cup in one hand and a bird in the other. Only the tail of the bird is visible, and the rest is damaged. The legs of the chair are shaped like lion paws. On the damaged right side, the foot of a second person is visible in front of the seated figure. Similar scenes are known from other Hittite reliefs and seals. The block has been moved to Sivas Museum. A replica has been placed at the original site. A date in the early 13th century BCE or earlier has been suggested. A fragment of the rear end of a lion as well as several smaller pieces made of the same white limestone, which were found in secondary use in later period structures, are similarly dated.


Click on the pictures for larger images.