Cup-Marks and Citadels: Evidence for Libation in 2nd-Millennium b.c.e. Western Anatolia

Shallow conical depressions hewn into bedrock, known as cup-marks, have been documented at and around 2nd-millennium b.c.e. citadels in the Marmara Lake basin of the Gediz Valley, western Anatolia. These rupestral features are among the best indications of the presence of libation ceremonies in the...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Authors: Luke, Christina (Author) ; Roosevelt, Christopher H. 1972- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: The University of Chicago Press 2017
In: Bulletin of ASOR
Year: 2017, Issue: 378, Pages: 1-23
IxTheo Classification:HH Archaeology
KBL Near East and North Africa
TC Pre-Christian history ; Ancient Near East
Further subjects:B Water
B Gediz River
B Kaymakçý
B Lake Marmara
B Landscape archaeology
B Hittite
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Shallow conical depressions hewn into bedrock, known as cup-marks, have been documented at and around 2nd-millennium b.c.e. citadels in the Marmara Lake basin of the Gediz Valley, western Anatolia. These rupestral features are among the best indications of the presence of libation ceremonies in the region and provide evidence that local communities shared in cultural traditions spread over western and central Anatolia. Libation rituals in the basin were probably intended to summon the divine for protection, stewardship of the dead, and/or assurance of agricultural prosperity through maintenance of stable environmental conditions. Periodic catastrophes, resulting from massive inundations and/or droughts typical to the region, weigh in favor of an environmental interpretation. We frame our discussion of the topography and archaeology of the Gediz Valley and the evidence for Middle to Late Bronze Age cup-marks within the context of historical geography and the archaeology of Anatolia.
ISSN:2161-8062
Contains:Enthalten in: American Schools of Oriental Research, Bulletin of ASOR
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.5615/bullamerschoorie.378.0001