TÜRKÇE
Chamber II and the Inscription of Suppiluliuma (SÜDBURG / BOĞAZKÖY 20 and 21)
The so-called Chamber 2, a domed room structure by the Eastern Ponds, was excavated in 1988. Many of its blocks were found reused in the overbuilt Phrygian era walls, and it was restored to original condition in the following years by Peter Neve, the head of the excavation team at the time. On the back wall is a low-relief of a male figure in a priest robe below a winged sun disc. This might be a representation of the Sun-god, if not the Hittite king himself in a priestly role. The relief on the left wall is carved on a single limestone block and depicts a male figure holding a spear. A partially-damaged epigraph (BOĞAZKÖY 20) right behind the tip of the spear reads "Great King Suppiluliuma."
On the right wall, there is a lengthy inscription (BOĞAZKÖY 21) in relief style on seven blocks. The Great King Suppiluliuma mentioned in the inscription is likely to be Suppiluliuma II, the last king of the Hittite state. The text relates the successful military campaigns of this king mainly in Western Anatolian lands. In the last sentence, the king mentions building a divine earth road which has led to interpretations that the structure was used for ritualistic purposes as a sacred and symbolic entrance to the underworld. Most scholars assume the Suppiluliuma mentioned on the relief and in the inscription refers to the last Hittite king, Suppiluliuma II, but due to writing style and some archaic features, an identification with Suppiluliuma I also has been suggested. It is also plausible that the relief, which features a horned cap—a sign of deification—was a dedication by Suppiluliuma II to his namesake ancestor Suppiluliuma I.
