Hittite Monuments - Savcılı

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Bull Stone Altar
This large Hittite statue was found on a hill near the village of Savcılı at the banks of the river Kızılırmak, west of the city of Kırşehir, and in 1953 has been moved to its current location by Hirfanlı village during the building of Hirfanlı Dam. It is believed to have served as an altar. The rock is carved like a tub and has two drainage holes through to the mouths of each bull. Statue is made of granit and weights about 30 tons. It measures approximately 2.5 by 2 meters on the sides and 1.2 meter in height. The huge two headed animal most possibly represent the sacred pair of bulls of the storm god, named Sherri (day) and Hurri (night). This monument is named among the locals as "Öküztaş" (Öküz=Bull and taş=stone).
Recent findings indicate that the statue was possibly carved at a nearby granite hillside that served as a quary for Hittites (M. Gözen Sevinç, Arkeoloji ve Sanat). The location known as Sivrikale (also called Güneş Çöğü) is a hillside covered with massive granite blocks between the villages of Savcılıebeyit and Savcılıkışla. Couple of unfinished gate lions also found at the same site. Second row of the pictures below show one of them in situ, next to the rock from where it was cut. The other one has been moved from the location and today stands at the entrance of a nearby brick plant. Both lions are about 2.5 meter in length and 1.7 meter in height.
39°13'22 N - 33°41'47 E Google Earth location (approximate location of the quary)
39°16'23 N - 33°11'55 E Google Earth location (approximate current location of the altar)

Click on pictures for a larger image.

Öküztas

Unfinished Gate Lions

Image sources:
Tayfun Bilgin, 2006.
M. Gözen Sevinç, Arkeoloji ve Sanat 92, 1999.

Bull Stone Altar This large Hittite statue was found on a hill near the village of Savcılı at the banks of the river Kızılırmak, west of the city of Kırşehir, and in 1953 has been moved to its current location by Hirfanlı village during the building of Hirfanlı Dam. It is believed to have served as an altar. The rock is carved like a tub and has two drainage holes through to the mouths of each bull. Statue is made of granit and weights about 30 tons. It measures approximately 2.5 by 2 meters on the sides and 1.2 meter in height. The huge two headed animal most possibly represent the sacred pair of bulls of the storm god, named Sherri (day) and Hurri (night). This monument is named among the locals as "Öküztaş" (Öküz=Bull and taş=stone). Recent findings indicate that the statue was possibly carved at a nearby granite hillside that served as a quary for Hittites (M. Gözen Sevinç, Arkeoloji ve Sanat). The location known as Sivrikale (also called Güneş Çöğü) is a hillside covered with massive granite blocks between the villages of Savcılıebeyit and Savcılıkışla. Couple of unfinished gate lions also found at the same site. Second row of the pictures below show one of them in situ, next to the rock from where it was cut. The other one has been moved from the location and today stands at the entrance of a nearby brick plant. Both lions are about 2.5 meter in length and 1.7 meter in height. 39°13'22 N - 33°41'47 E Google Earth location (approximate location of the quary) 39°16'23 N - 33°11'55 E Google Earth location (approximate current location of the altar) Click on pictures for a larger image.
Öküztas

Unfinished Gate Lions