City of the Hurrians THE HURRIANS a puzzling people... all but forgotten by history, their origin...
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Transcript of City of the Hurrians THE HURRIANS a puzzling people... all but forgotten by history, their origin...
City of the Hurrians
THE HURRIANS
a puzzling people . . .
all but forgotten by history,
their origin remains
obscure
THE HURRIANS
Only recently, Urkesh was discovered at a hill known
as Tell Mozan
Only recently, Urkesh was discovered at a hill known
as Tell Mozan
What appears now as a natural hill is
a city shrouded within its own collapse
Beginnings are yet unknown but date back, at least, to the early part of the fourth millennium B.C.
It was a main center of the Hurrians, who celebrated it in their myths as the home of the father of the gods, Kumarbi.
It was also the capital of a kingdom that controlled the surrounding territory.
Urkesh
is being revealed
by the work of archaeologists
from UCLA, led by
Georgio Buccellati
Georgio Buccellati
Georgio Buccellati &
Georgio Buccellati &
Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati
Georgio Buccellati &
Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati
Excavation so far has revealed a
royal palace.
And a temple
And a remarkable structure near
the palace--a large and deep
underground structure--a sacred
area where the spirits of the
Underworld were summoned
A number of cylinder seals
also have been found,
revealing aspects
of Hurrian life.
THELIONS
OF TISH-ATAL
These artifacts were sold
in the antiquities market long
before Tell Mozan began to be
excavated.
This one is in the
Louvre Museum
in Paris.
Its companion is in the
Metropolitan Museum
Of Art in New York.
These lions were foundation pegs-- planted in temple foundations.
They served as offerings and were inscribed with cuneiform curses which protected the temple from harm and desecration.
An approximate translation of the curse held by this lion:
Tishatal, king of Urkesh, has built this temple . . . . May . . . god . . . protect it.
May God destroy whomsoever seeks to destroy it; may his god not listen to his prayers. May . . . the sun god . . . and the god of the storm curse 10,000 times whomsoever might seek to destroy this temple.this temple.
The text on this lion’s tablet is the oldest inscription in the Hurrian language
