Hittite Monuments - Tell Tayinat

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Tell Tayinat
Tell Tayinat (Tell Tainat) is located about 25km to the city of Antakya. The site is about 800 meters to the site of Tell Açana. The site's ancient name was probably Kunulua which was the capital of Late Hittite kingdom Patina/Unqi. Patina or Unqi were names used by Assyrians. The Hittite name is not known. Several orthostats and ornamated columnbases were found which date to 9th and 8th centuries BCE. Some of the orthostats are from the later Assyrian period which are now in the Oriental Institute of Chicago. Many other findings are in Antakya Museum.
Several inscribed fragments of a colossol statue of a seated figure was found near the East Gate in 1936. It was probably similar to the one that was found in King's Gate of Karkamış. Among the few readable words in the hieroglyphic luwian inscriptions is the name Halparuntiya who is mentioned is Assyrian sources as Qalparunda at 857 and 853 BCE. If they are the same person the statue should date to mid 9th century BCE.

About 12 large and several small fragments that were found in different areas of the site has been put together to form parts of a rectangular block with 5-line hieroglyphic luwian inscription running around it. There are many more fragmental as well as re-used pieces from Hittite era. Such destruction indicates that the monuments were probably destroyed at 738 BCE when the city was captured by the Assyrians.
36°14'54 N - 36°22'23 E Google Earth location

Click on pictures for a larger image.

Statue Fragments

Image sources:
B.Bilgin, 2006
Dan Dry
Oriental Institute of Chicago
Ignace Jay Gelb. 1939. Hittite Hieroglyphic Monuments. (OIP, 45.) Chicago.
J.David Hawkins, Corpus of Hieroglyphic Luwian Inscriptions. 2000.

Tell Tayinat Tell Tayinat (Tell Tainat) is located about 25km to the city of Antakya. The site is about 800 meters to the site of Tell Açana. The site's ancient name was probably Kunulua which was the capital of Late Hittite kingdom Patina/Unqi. Patina or Unqi were names used by Assyrians. The Hittite name is not known. Several orthostats and ornamated columnbases were found which date to 9th and 8th centuries BCE. Some of the orthostats are from the later Assyrian period which are now in the Oriental Institute of Chicago. Many other findings are in Antakya Museum. Several inscribed fragments of a colossol statue of a seated figure was found near the East Gate in 1936. It was probably similar to the one that was found in King's Gate of Karkamış. Among the few readable words in the hieroglyphic luwian inscriptions is the name Halparuntiya who is mentioned is Assyrian sources as Qalparunda at 857 and 853 BCE. If they are the same person the statue should date to mid 9th century BCE. About 12 large and several small fragments that were found in different areas of the site has been put together to form parts of a rectangular block with 5-line hieroglyphic luwian inscription running around it. There are many more fragmental as well as re-used pieces from Hittite era. Such destruction indicates that the monuments were probably destroyed at 738 BCE when the city was captured by the Assyrians. 36°14'54 N - 36°22'23 E Google Earth location Click on pictures for a larger image.


Statue Fragments