Kültepe

Two basalt orthostats were found by Bedřich Hrozný in 1925 during his excavations in the citadel area of Kültepe. Reportedly, they were not found in situ. The Hittite name of Kültepe was Neša. Thousands of cuneiform tablets from the Old Assyrian trade period (19th-18th centuries BCE) were found in excavations. However, the site was not settled by Hittites during the Empire period. Both of the orthostats date to the Late Hittite period. The better-preserved one is about 0.9 meters high and 0.7 meters wide. It shows a god, possibly the Hittite tutelary deity, holding a long spear in the right hand (cf. Zincirli) and a bird and hare (by the hind feet) in the left hand. This orthostat is on display in the Kayseri Museum. The second orthostat is only a bottom half, which shows the legs of a male figure who wears pointy shoes. Today, the whereabouts of this orthostat are unknown. Also in the citadel area, several small fragments of reliefs and orthostats were found as used in later period structures.


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