Posted on 08/10/2009 9:49:19 AM PDT by decimon
University of Toronto archaeologists find cache of cuneiform tablets in 2,700-year old Turkish temple
TORONTO, ON – Excavations led by a University of Toronto archaeologist at the site of a recently discovered temple in southeastern Turkey have uncovered a cache of cuneiform tablets dating back to the Iron Age period between 1200 and 600 BCE. Found in the temple’s cella, or ‘holy of holies’, the tablets are part of a possible archive that may provide insights into Assyrian imperial aspirations.
The assemblage appears to represent a Neo-Assyrian renovation of an older Neo-Hittite temple complex, providing a rare glimpse into the religious dimension of Assyrian imperial ideology,” says Timothy Harrison, professor of near eastern archaeology in the Department of Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations and director of U of T’s Tayinat Archaeological Project (TAP). “The tablets, and the information they contain, may possibly highlight the imperial ambitions of one of the great powers of the ancient world, and its lasting influence on the political culture of the Middle East.” The cella also contained gold, bronze and iron implements, libation vessels and ornately decorated ritual objects.
Partially uncovered in 2008 at Tell Tayinat, capital of the Neo-Hittite Kingdom of Palastin, the structure of the building where the tablets were found preserves the classic plan of a Neo-Hittite temple. It formed part of a sacred precinct that once included monumental stelae carved in Luwian (an extinct Anatolian language once spoken in Turkey) hieroglyphic script, but which were found by the expedition smashed into tiny shard-like fragments.
“Tayinat was destroyed by the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III in 738 BCE, and then transformed into an Assyrian provincial capital, equipped with its own governor and imperial administration,” says Harrison. “Scholars have long speculated that the reference to Calneh in Isaiah’s oracle against Assyria alludes to Tiglath-pileser’s devastation of Kunulua – ie, Tayinat. The destruction of the Luwian monuments and conversion of the sacred precinct into an Assyrian religious complex may represent the physical manifestation of this historic event.”
The temple was later burned in an intense fire and found filled with heavily charred brick and wood which, ironically, contributed to the preservation of the finds recovered from its inner chambers. “While those responsible for this later destruction are not yet known, the remarkable discoveries preserved in the Tayinat temple clearly record a pivotal moment in its history,” says Harrison. “They promise a richly textured view of the cultural and ethnic contest that has long characterized the turbulent history of this region.”
TAP is an international project, involving researchers from a dozen countries, and more than 20 universities and research institutes. It operates in close collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of Turkey, and provides research opportunities and training for both graduate and undergraduate students. The project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Institute for Aegean Prehistory (INSTAP), and receives support from the University of Toronto
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An image of a tablet being prepared for removal is at www.artsci.utoronto.ca/main/images/tablet-at-Turkish-temple.jpg. (Photo: J. Jackson)
Some background to the discovery of the temple at Tayinat can be found at www.artsci.utoronto.ca/main/temple
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Timothy Harrison Department of Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations University of Toronto tim.harrison@utoronto.ca (+90) 536-589-2443
Sean Bettam Communications, Faculty of Arts & Science University of Toronto 416-946-7950 s.bettam@utoronto.ca
Neo but not ping.
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Thanks decimon. I'm glad you've posted this, it is one of a dozen or so I have had open in tabs since yesterday or thereabout and haven't done anything with. :') |
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a cache of cuneiform tablets dating back to the Iron Age period between 1200 and 600 BCE... assemblage appears to represent a Neo-Assyrian renovation of an older Neo-Hittite temple complex... also contained gold, bronze and iron implements, libation vessels and ornately decorated ritual objects... preserves the classic plan of a Neo-Hittite temple. It formed part of a sacred precinct that once included monumental stelae carved in Luwian (an extinct Anatolian language once spoken in Turkey) hieroglyphic script, but which were found by the expedition smashed into tiny shard-like fragments... "destroyed by the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III in 738 BCE... Scholars have long speculated that the reference to Calneh in Isaiah's oracle against Assyria alludes to Tiglath-pileser's devastation of Kunulua -- ie, Tayinat. The destruction of the Luwian monuments and conversion of the sacred precinct into an Assyrian religious complex may represent the physical manifestation of this historic event."Thanks decimon.
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http://www.news.utoronto.ca/artsci.harrison.turkey.JPG
http://www.news.utoronto.ca/lead-stories/university-of-toronto-archaeologists-find-cache-of-cuneiform-tablets-in-270-1.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2009/08/090810122133-large.jpg
http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2009/08/090810122133.jpg
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810122133.htm
I pray that any data contributive to the truth about the children of Jacob and Almighty God will surface in tact.
I find refer to this area prior to the 2nd Millenium AD as Turkey is confusing. At the period they are talking about there wasn’t a Turk within a few thousand miles. Saying Asia Minor maybe adding (modern Turkey) I think is clearer.
I read elsewhere that this site may be the Biblical Calneh, mentioned in Genesis 10 and Isaiah 10:9, if memory serves me correctly.
Interesting.
Thx.
Turkish temple?
There were no Turks at that time in that place. They were probably roaming the Asian steppes where they should have stayed.
This is an Assyrian temple—not a Turkish one!
It is now. Istanbul, not Constantinople.
Even old New York was once New Amsterdam.
Precious.
The fact remains that it is an Assyrian temple not a Turkish one. That is fact that cannot be changed by any amount of propaganda or wishing or hoping.
Got it?
as for the cute remark on Istanbul—that is what the dumb Turks call it—just a reworking of Greek “eis tin poli. which was the response to the question “where are you going? Answer: to the city.
There’s no propaganda to that headline. It’s just a headline telling us where is the temple.
Got it?
2,700-year old Turkish temple
You do read at the high school level correct?
Note: It is NOT a Turkish temple.
clear as a bell but not to you.
What if this were an ancient Greek temple in Sicily and the title referred to an Italian temple? Would that be pro-Italian, anti-Greek propaganda?
Never never have I seen any Italian archaeologist refer to temples of Greek origins in present day Sicily call them Italian. That is ludicrous. Preposterous.
No - this type of monkey business is usually done by muslim Turks and by those who should know better.
Why they changed it, I can’t say.
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