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Taşçı
It is located about 60 km southeast of Kayseri, near the location known as Taşçı in the Zamanti valley of Yenice river. On the limestone rock walls of the valley there are two heavily worn out reliefs less than 100 meters apart. The first one, Taşçı A, is on a flattened rock surface of about 3 meters long. It was first recognized by Hans Rott in 1906 and shows three persons aligned to the right. Over the figures and on the left are the Hieroglyphic Luwian writings. The details in lower section of the relief are almost impossible to make out. The left most of the three figures is a female and the two in front of her are males. The first name(?) on the sinistroverse (right to left) inscription is only partially readable (...-li-zi) and the suggested reading for the rest is: "Manazi, daughter of Lupaki the Army-Scribe, son of(?) Zida the MESEDI guard, servant of the Great King Hattusili, the Hero" (based on J. D. Hawkins). The name above the right most of the three is not complete. The Great King Hattusili named in the inscription is Hattusili III, and therefore dates the relief to the mid-13th century. There is a cave like opening right above the relief in which are several interconnected round holes that may have been formed by flowing water.
The second relief, Taşçı B, was first spotted by S. Alp, E. Akurgal and W. McCallien in a joined mission, and it is in substantially better condition, but the inscription that is shown above and below the stretched arm of the male figure is not readable.
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Taşçı A
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Taşçı B
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Literature:
Hawkins, J. D. "Excursus 7. Interpretation of the rock inscription TASÇI," in Die Prinzen- und Beamten-siegel der hethitischen Grossreichszeit auf
Tonbullen aus dem Nisantepe-Archiv in Hattusa (BoHa XIX), 2005: 292–3.
Kohlmeyer, K. "Felsbilder der hethitischen Großreichszeit", Acta Praehistorica et Archaeologica 15, 1983: 74–80.
Image sources:
Tayfun Bilgin, 2019.
Ertuğrul Anıl, 2019.
Horst Ehringhaus. Götter, Herrscher, Inschriften, Zabern, 2005.
Kurt Bittel. Die Hethiter, München, 1976.
Eberhard Rossner. Die hethitischen Felsreliefs in der Türkei, München, 1988.
Kay Kohlmeyer, 1983.
Ignace Gelb. Hittite Hieroglyphic Monuments, (OIP 45), Chicago, 1939.