Zalpa. The cult of these goddesses was introduced in one of the local temples )

|

|

_ |

551 KUB 58.39 vi 8’]f. j

552 KBo 20.28 rev.? 4\ 15’. Cf. Yoshida 1996: 70. j

KBo 2.4 iii l’ff., Haas 1970: 60, 284L I

Cf. Haas 1970: 72ff. j

Haas 1994a: 445f.)

An important testimony is the Old Hittite purificatory ritual for the royal couple and the people

Of the land. of Hatti (CTH 416), celebrated in Katapa and Hattusa and demonstrating ties with

The Luwian milieu, It invoked Luwian deities. including the Sun-God and the Sun-goddess of

the Earth (see 3.1.4).;|

557 IBoT 2.S+KUB 52.102, Forianini 1984: 253f.; Haas 1988b: 99 with references, For the gods of

Zalpa. see also Haas 1994a: 608f.; Popko 2004a,

106

Hittite Anatolia

Dedicated to a deity (of unknown name) believed to be their father or mother, This

Myth must have come to Zalpa tarn the Mediterranean and was incorporated loeally

as part of the reconstruction of local cults, Düring the ceremony celebrated by

The prince, offerings were made to twelve deities worshiped in the form of huwasi-

Stelae. The names of ten of these gods have beeil preserved in a fragmentary con-

text: Hatepinu, Hamanni, Sun-goddess of Züsnuwa, Storm-god of Mesturuh (Mastu-

rah in another text), Storm-god of Hjashasanta?], Storm-god of the Forest, Sulinkatte,

Spring-goddess Kuwannaniya, Zikunuif ], and Tuhuwamma. 009 Other texts testify

To the existence of a local cult of Halipinu (perhaps only another variant of Hatepinu),

Storm-god of Hashasanta, Sun-goddess of the Earth, and ‘Lady of the Palace.’ 060 As

At Nerik, the new Zalpa pantheon had probably little in common with the oldest

Local tradition, of which practically nothing is known. It included mostly Hattian

Deities originating from various Centers around Zalpa, where one should look for the

location of the towns of Zifmuwa, Mesturuh(a) and Hashasanta (Hasbasatta or

581

Hashatatta in other versions). This group, however, includes also divinities

of distant origin, like the Spring-goddess Ku(wa)nnani(ya), encountered in the pan-

562

theons of Taurisa and many other localities along the Zuliya river (see above),'

And the Sun-goddess of the Earth who was foreign to the Hattian tradition,

A group of texts testifies to the introduction in the reign of Tutbaliya IV of the

Worship of Luwian, Human, Syrian, Assyrian and Babylonian gods in some local-

ities lying in the northern territories." ’ Beside the Storm-gods of Nerik and Kasta-

Ma, local pantheons included storm-gods with Luwian epithets (pihami or pihaimi),

Storm-god of ASsur, 064 Syrian god Milku, Sauska of Nineveh, and even Istar

Popko 2004a: 249.

559 IBoT 2.9+KUB 52,102 ii 2’ff. Cf. also Yoshida 1996: 275- This Hst of gods also menfions (in

A fragmentary context) the karimmi temple of the Storm-god of the Assembly.

KUB 58.32 i 5, 11, 13, 21 (Yoshida 1998: 278); KUB 59.30 obv. 3’; KUB 59.31 ii 6’, see Popko

A; 243.

561 Forläiiim 1988: 255,

Could this lead to the conclusion that the rebuilding of Zalpa was connected with relocation

From the Zuliya/Qekerek basin of popwlation groups among which the Luwian. element was, as

Mentioned already above, considerable?

563 CTH 51.0: A. KUB 38.6+Bo 6741; B. KUB 38.10+KUB 38.10a; C. KUB 57.106, KUB 57.58;

D. KBo 39.48+KBo 39.24; KBo 39.117+KBo 40.42, See now Archi 2006: 152.

The introduction of the cult of the Assyrian Storm-god in the northern territories argues further

In favor of the idea that the ultimate reorga.nizat.ion of the cults in Nerik and its vicinity was

The Empire Period 107

Of Babylon. Another text presente a similar picture of local pantheons in three north

ern towns of unknown name. 6 “’’ There were worshiped in the form of huwasi-stel&e,

Among others, Storm-gods of Nerik and Assur along with divinities from their circles,

Storm-gods with different epithets (pihaimi, of Thunder, of the Cloud, ofGrowth,

T)

Etc.), lyarri, LAMMA, Iyaya, Spring-goddess Kuwannaniya, Sun-goddess of the

Earth, and Milku.

Luwian beliefs

The Luwian element inhabiting extensive territories in Southern Anatolia, from the

Western seashores to Kizzuwatna and northern Syria, was differentiated in terms of

Dialects, as much as cultural and reiigious traditions. Luwian beliefs are known