An Assyrianised rock wall panel with figures at Başbük in south-eastern Turkey

Bibliographic Data

ID3362836
AuthorsMehmet Önal (0000-0002-5182-4443, Harran University), Celal Uludağ, Yusuf Koyuncu, Selim Ferruh Adalı (0000-0002-3398-892X, Ankara University, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume96
Issue387
Pages575-591
Publication date2022-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAntiquity (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0003-598X • E-ISSN: 1745-1744
PublisherAntiquity Publications (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.15184/aqy.2022.48
OpenAlexW4280523274
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited21

The Neo-Assyrian Empire of the early first millennium BC ruled over the ancient Near East. South-eastern Anatolia was controlled through vassal city-states and provincial structures. Assyrian governors and local elites expressed their power through elements of Assyrian courtly style. Here, the authors report a rare processional panel recently discovered at Başbük in south-eastern Turkey. Incised on the rock wall of a subterranean complex, the panel features eight deities, three with associated Aramaic inscriptions. The iconographic details and Syro-Anatolian religious themes illustrate the adaptation of Neo-Assyrian art in a provincial context. The panel, which appears to have been left unfinished, is the earliest-known regional attestation of Atargatis, the principal goddess of Syriac.300 BC-AD 200

Ancient history · Archaeology · Context (archaeology) · Empire · Geography · Power (physics) · Style (visual arts) · Ancient Egypt and Archaeology · Ancient Near East History · Eurasian Exchange Networks · History

Tools

Open DOI