VERGLEICHENDE ANALYSE RITUELLER MOTIVE IN BRONZEZEITLICHEN KULTUREN: SONNENGOTTHEIT UND ZOOMORPHE KULTDIENER (SÜDKAUKASUS, ANATOLIEN, ÄGÄIS)

Abstract

This article presents a comparative analysis of four geographically distant yet iconographically interconnected artifacts from the Bronze Age. The subjects of the study include the silver goblets of Trialeti and Karashamb (South Caucasus), the reliefs of Alaca Höyük (Anatolia), and the gold ring of Tiryns (Aegean). All four artifacts exhibit shared ritual scenes and motifs, which are subjected to a rigorous detailed examination within this study. The research utilizes an interdisciplinary methodology, integrating archaeological evidence with textual sources. Specific focus is directed toward the "wolf-men" and "dog-men" mentioned in Hittite ritual texts (e.g., KI.LAM, AN.TAḪ.ŠUM), who arguably correspond to the zoomorphic figures depicted on the aforementioned artifacts. These depictions can be interpreted as cultic functionaries equipped with masks, tails, and the ritual garment (šeknu-) rather than mythological beings, while the primary figure seated on the throne can be identified as the sun deity.

The scholarly novelty of this work resides in the comprehensive interdisciplinary comparison of these four artifacts and the emphasis placed on specific iconographic details – most notably the "tail" motif. The analysis suggests that during the Bronze Age, the South Caucasus, Anatolia, and the Aegean world constituted integral parts of an interconnected, shared ritual and symbolic sphere. Within this space, the cult of the sun deity and the concept of cyclical natural renewal played a central role.

The results of this study propose that the parallels found in Anatolian and Aegean materials reflect an expansive cultural continuum where similar ritual and iconographic forms evolved through interaction across different regions and chronological stages. Furthermore, the chronological context of the Karashamb and Trialeti specimens provides a substantive basis for regarding the South Caucasus as one of the earliest formative areas of this ritual tradition. This underscores the active role of the South Caucasus in the genesis of the broader symbolic system that subsequently manifested in the Anatolian and, later, the Aegean worlds.

Keywords: Bronze Age; South Caucasus; Trialeti; Karashamb; Alaca Höyük; Tiryns; Hittite rituals; KI.LAM; AN.TAḪ.ŠUM; Zoomorphic attendants; Wolf-men (^LÚUR.BAR.RA); Dog-men (^LÚUR.GI₇); Fertility cult; Sun Goddess.