Zippalanda was a Hattic administrative and religious center of the Hittite Old Kingdom. Although its name was known from inscriptions, it was not until the latter 20th century that scholars placed it in Sorgun District of

Yozgat Province Yozgat Province ( tr, ) is a province in central Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Çorum to the northwest, Kırıkkale to the west, Kırşehir to the southwest, Nevşehir to the south, Kayseri to the southeast, Sivas to the east, Tokat to the ...

, Turkey, near Kerkenes Dağ (Kerkenes Mountain often identified with Mount Daha (Mount Taha)), about one

day's journey A day's journey in pre-modern literature, including the Bible, ancient geographers and ethnographers such as Herodotus, is a measurement of distance. In the Bible, it is not as precisely defined as other Biblical measurements of distance; the dis ...

north of

Ankuwa Ankuwa was an ancient Hattian and Hittite settlement in central Anatolia. Along with Hattusa and Katapa, it was one of the capitals from which the Hittite kings reigned during the year. Travelling from Hattusa, the royal entourage would arrive at ...

(present-day Alışar Höyük).

History

Zippalanda was one of the ancient Hattic religious centers (''šiunan'' URU "city of the gods") that retained privileges in the Old Kingdom. These also included

Arinna Arinna was the major cult center of the Hittite sun-goddess known as dUTU URU''Arinna'' or " Sun-Goddess of Arinna", who is also sometimes identified as ''Arinniti'' or as ''Wuru(n)šemu''. Arinna was located near Hattusa, the Hittite capital. ...

and

Nerik Nerik ( Hittite: ''Nerik(ka)''"Nerik(ka)." ''Reallexikon der Assyriologie.'') was a Bronze Age settlement to the north of the Hittite capitals Hattusa and Sapinuwa, probably in the Pontic region. Since 2005–2009, the site of Nerik has been id ...

; early on,

Hattusa Hattusa (also Ḫattuša or Hattusas ; Hittite: URU''Ḫa-at-tu-ša'', Turkish: Hattuşaş , Hattic: Hattush) was the capital of the Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age. Its ruins lie near modern Boğazkale, Turkey, within the great loop of ...

was added to these as well. Also toward the end of the

Hittite Empire The Hittites () were an Anatolian people who played an important role in establishing first a kingdom in Kussara (before 1750 BC), then the Kanesh or Nesha kingdom (c. 1750–1650 BC), and next an empire centered on Hattusa in north-centr ...

, after

Muwatalli II :''See also Muwatalli I'' Muwatalli II (also Muwatallis, or Muwatallish) was a king of the New Kingdom of the Hittite empire c. 1295–1282 (middle chronology) and 1295–1272 BC in the short chronology. Biography He was the eldest son of Murs ...

moved the Hittite capital from Hattusa to Tarhuntassa, this also became a sacred city. The

Hittite king The dating and sequence of the Hittite kings is compiled from fragmentary records, supplemented by the recent find in Hattusa of a cache of more than 3500 seal impressions giving names and titles and genealogy of Hittite kings. All dates given here ...

participated in official religious ceremonies such as the '' purulli''-festival, spring and autumn Imperial festivals, the festival of the month, and possibly the hunting festival (the '' Ki-Lam''). The

Weather god of Zippalanda The Weather god of Zippalanda was a Hittite weather god, who was worshipped in the Hittite city of Zippalanda. The weather god of Zippalanda had several names, such as Ziplantil, Wašezzili,Piotr Taracha: ''Religions of Second Millennium Anatolia ...

, originally Hattic, was an important deity for the Hittites. At Zippalanda, he was considered to be the son of

Tarḫunna Tarḫunna or Tarḫuna/i was the Hittite weather god. He was also referred to as the "Weather god of Heaven" or the "Lord of the Land of Hatti". Name Tarḫunna is a cognate of the Hittite verb ''tarḫu-zi'', "to prevail, conquer, be power ...

, the 'Weather god of Heaven', and the Sun goddess of the Earth (known as Allani in the Hurrian-Hittite "Song of the Ransom").Volkert Haas, Heidemarie Koch: ''Religionen des alten Orients: Hethiter und Iran''. Göttingen 2011, p. 236. His partner was the goddess

Anzili Anzili or EnziliPiotr Taracha: ''Religions of Second Millennium Anatolia''. Wiesbaden 2009, p. 56. was a Hittite goddess who was worshiped in Tamita and Zapišḫuna. Her name is sometimes written with the Sumerogram IŠTAR or the compound IŠTAR ...

or Enzili, who played a role in the rituals of Hittite childbirth. Much of the information about Zippalanda comes from tablets found at Hattusa, which record the existence of the temple of the

Storm God A weather god or goddess, also frequently known as a storm god or goddess, is a deity in mythology associated with weather phenomena such as thunder, snow, lightning, rain, wind, storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Should they only be in charge of ...

and a palace or royal residence (''halentu'') and refer indirectly to daily religious life and festivals. In addition to religious functions, people at Zippalanda are recorded as engaging in military affairs, crafts, hunting and stock breeding.

Plausible sites

The plausible sites are the settlement mounds known as Çadır Mound ( Çadır Höyük) and Uşaklı Mound ( Uşaklı Höyük). The light defenses of the city wall suggest that it was a religious perimeter like that of

Alaca Höyük Alacahöyük or Alaca Höyük (sometimes also spelled as ''Alacahüyük'', ''Euyuk'', or ''Evuk'') is the site of a Neolithic and Hittite settlement and is an important archaeological site. It is situated in Alaca, Çorum Province, Turkey, nor ...

. A number of

cultic Cult is the care (Latin: '' cultus'') owed to deities and temples, shrines, or churches. Cult is embodied in ritual and ceremony. Its present or former presence is made concrete in temples, shrines and churches, and cult images, including votiv ...

sites are found within the city and ranging outside it toward Mount Daha. At least one scholar, Maciej Popko, has identified Zippalanda with Alaca Höyük, but this is not a widely held view. In January 2020, one of the earliest Mosaics in the world was found in Uşaklı Höyük, and possibly Zippalanda. In December 2022, archaeologists from the

University of Pisa The University of Pisa ( it, Università di Pisa, UniPi), officially founded in 1343, is one of the oldest universities in Europe. History The Origins The University of Pisa was officially founded in 1343, although various scholars place ...

found a circular-shaped structure located to the north of what is probably the main temple of the city on the mound of Uşaklı Höyük. This, together with tablets found and other previous finds, could identify Uşaklı Höyük as ancient Zippalanda.

References

External links

Cadir Hoyuk
at megalithic.co.uk

from megalithic.co.uk showing several historical sites in the area {{Authority control Hattian cities Hittite sites in Turkey Hittite cities Former populated places in Turkey