Fraktin Relief

This relief from the mid-13th century BCE is located near the Gümüşören (Fraktin) village of Develi, about 78 km from the city of Kayseri. The sculptured rock panel shows two groups of figures in a religious act. The figures are identified by labels in Luwian hieroglyphs. The relief was first written about by Sayce in 1880. It is about 1.3 meters by 3.2 meters in size. The scene on the left shows Hittite king Hattusili III pouring libation to a male god. He is identified with the hieroglyph characters in front of him as "Great King Hattusili." The scene on the right shows Hattusili's wife, "Great Queen Puduhepa," depicted clothed from head to foot in her priestess robe, pouring libation to the goddess Hebat. This scene on the right is in unfinished condition, and the figures lack details. Both scenes have an altar in the middle. There is a bird figure on the altar in the left scene and possibly a piece of bread in the right scene. Further to the right of the reliefs, there is also an unfinished inscription in hieroglyphic Luwian, which has been read by Hans Güterbock as "daughter of the country of Kizzuwatna, beloved of the gods." This certainly refers to Puduhepa, who was a daughter of a priest from Kizzuwatna (Cilicia). Hattusili is shown with a horned hat like the gods, and this may mean the relief was made after his death during the reign of his son Tudhaliya IV. Thus, it should date to the second half of the 13th century BCE. The plateau above the relief has at least two libation holes, which further indicate that the site was used for religious ceremonies. A replica of the relief can be seen in the Kayseri Museum.


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