TÜRKÇE
Statue base with reliefs
The rectangular prism shaped basalt block is about 90 cm in length, 70 cm in width and 37 cm in height. It was found in a secondary location in the lower city of the mound, but on acount of the similarities of the reliefs to those from the temple, it is believed that the statue base was originally somewhere at the temple. On its four sides there are the reliefs of mountain deities and hybrid creatures with raised hands, in a pose typical of Hittite mythological scenes that depict them holding up the heavens and the main gods, particularly in the Empire period monuments (see Yazılıkaya, Eflatunpınar, İmamkulu). Thus, it is likely that one or more god statues originally stood on top of it. The base is in the Aleppo Museum, but a large section of the sides C and B is in the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem. The last picture below shows the image of the piece from Jerusalem digitally restored on the base.
