10/30/13 Art History Lion Gate Hattusha My presentation is About the Lion Gate where it all started in Hattusha, the city of an ancient seven foot statues where many live there and died . There also live there were cavers who carve lion with arched stones and they seen the lions as protection . Protection from their enemy’s so when they seen the 7 foot statue they would recognize the power that the hittis had. Also lions guarded several temple entrances and portals to the royal palace as well. Another thing was that the lions had their teeth clenched, their tongues hanging out from their mouth and wide eyes alerting their enemies. Now the empire of Hittite started between 1343­1200 B.C where the first ruler call Hattusili I that establish the first royal bloodline of the royal families. Anatolian people stayed in the empire north of Anatolian where there were mountains they may have live on. Another thing about the people was their empire reached it height in mid 14 century BC under their king who was call suppiluliuma I. Next the empire did come to know areas of different cultures in upper levant and upper Mesopotamia that knew of there protection of the lion gate. Though after 1180 BC, the great empire came to an end while in the bronze age collapse but the lion may have still remain there. Although dividing into several independent city and states know as Neo­ Hittite , but last up until 8th century. Also in the land of the Hittite people there spoke in a language that was even a member of the a branch with the Anatolian

from a European language family. As well with the people there were referred in the land as
Hatti, where their identification from being hittites came from the bible where the lion gate went back as farthest the hittites tribes. Finally The city itself is of a small fertile plain and it also stretches to the south of the land rising up about 3,000 ft making the point of the city .

Next I will talk about sphinxes which was a pair of them and they where located south in hattusha at the gate near the lions. If you had with south to see the lion gate , you would also comes across the sphinx. Even know it was taken away to Germany in 1917 for restoration and in 1924 the better preserved on was return back to Istanbul while the other one remained in
Germany. Though later the country of turkey wanted the sphinx back to its original place, but they Germany wanted to keep it there . In 2011 the country of turkey (“modern day hattusha”) did threated Germany to imposed restrictions of their work. Although turkey did finally get the sphinx back to there home and were satisfied as well. Last I will talk on about the great temple of hattusha , which had a powerful ruler who went by hattusili III . He was best remembered for his treaty with the Egyptian new kingdom pharaoh, Rames II which temple I was dedicated to the storm God and he also knew and believe of the protection of the lion gate. Another thing in hattusa the lion water basin which was locate

in hattusha, which it stood in front of the great temple of hattusha were most likely the lions where there. The lion water basin was carved with the relief of crunching lions and the water basin itself was about 5 meters long. As well as there two major festival one in the spring another in fall , the fall festival was preparing for the springs harvest . While