In recent years, several studies have focused on the interpretation and possible function of the so-called Hittite landscape monuments. For many of these monuments, a connection with the sphere of religion and cultic celebration has been suggested, especially taking into account the possible sanctity of their location, often connected to mountains, rocky outcrops, and water. The landscape monuments would in this sense represent a form of immaterial appropriation of the landscape by the Hittite king, the elites, or, in some cases, local rulers, and would play a specific role in the transmission of messages aimed at consolidating identity and/or spreading consensus. This contribution aims to provide further elements of discussion on the subject, and particularly on the use of landscape monuments as the scene of public events, through a (re)examination of some characteristics of the so-called sacred pool of Eflatunpınar, its possible connection with cult celebrations, and the identity of the ruler that sponsored its construction.
University of Pavia, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0002-8280-3653
Chapter Title
The King Tutḫaliya IV, the Eflatunpınar Monument, and the River of the Watery Abyss
Authors
Maria Elena Balza
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0042-4.05
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2023
Copyright Information
© 2023 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
Administrative Practices and Political Control in Anatolian and Syro-Anatolian Polities in the 2nd and 1st Millennium BCE
Editors
Clelia Mora, Giulia Torri
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
216
Publication Year
2023
Copyright Information
© 2023 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0042-4
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0041-7
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0042-4
Series Title
Studia Asiana
Series ISSN
1974-7837
Series E-ISSN
2612-808X