Anatolian art and architecture

Anatolian art and architecture was a style of art and building construction that began in a geographically diverse region that encompasses much of modern Republic of Türkiye. Anatolia, also known historically as Asia Minor, is a peninsula located amid the Black, Mediterranean, and Aegean Seas. The region's Indigenous people, the Hatti people or Hattians, created a style of art and architecture that utilized geometric patterns and natural designs. The Hittite Empire and its successors merged this style with foreign influences and advanced crafting techniques to create artistic and architectural forms that were used for thousands of years.

Background

The Hattians are generally believed to have been the Indigenous people of Anatolia. Historians believe that the Hattians might have migrated into the region prior to the Neolithic era but were still most likely the region's first settled inhabitants. Hattian art and architecture used clay, paint, and other simple materials to create geometric patterns and animal and human figures. The Hittites, who invaded Anatolia in the early Bronze Age, took Hattian art and culture onto themselves, which allowed Hattian designs and styles to flourish. The Hittites, who were at war with various groups, including the Assyrians and Egyptians, created stone cities and structures both for defensive and artistic purposes. The Hittite Empire eventually was destroyed by unspecified foes, though the Phrygians, another Anatolian group, did take part.

Following the destruction of many of the Hittite Empire's cities and structures, new kingdoms were created from the remnants. These "neo-Hittite" kingdoms, such as Tabal, Carchemish, and Urartu, continued to create Anatolian art and architecture into the Iron Age. They utilized stone and bronze techniques to create new structures and items that still fit into traditional Anatolian design.

Overview

Examples of Hattian art and architecture can be seen in the excavation of the Çatalhöyük mounds on the Konya plain. The town, first settled on the eastern mound around 7400 BCE, consisted of houses built closely together. The houses were constructed of mud bricks, which were created either by forming wet clay between wooden boards or by laying dried mud bricks and applying a mortar. The walls were covered in a plaster coating, which was then painted with geometric patterns or nature scenes. Bulls were often the focus of early Hattian art. The Hattians either depicted bulls in their murals or used bull skulls and horns as decorations inside their houses. The use of geometric designs was evident on pottery that archeologists found in Çatalhöyük's western mound. Clay beads and dolls uncovered in the western mound showed the inhabitants' shift away from mere practical subsistence toward artistic pursuits.

The progression of Hattian art and architecture can be seen in the excavation of Hacilar, Beycesultan, and Alaca Hüyük. Pottery and clay goods found at Hacilar, located in southwestern Anatolia, show the refinement of Hattian crafts. Although the Hattians continued using some of the same designs and decorations that they had used in the Neolithic era, they began to incorporate shapes and forms that were much more refined and fluid. Structures found at Beycesultan showed an advancement in building materials, as evidenced by a multistory wooden structure.

During the excavation of several tombs at Alaca Hüyük in northern Anatolia, gold, silver, and copper artifacts were found. These artifacts show that Hattian metalworking had become more refined. Bulls and stags with inlaid precious metals show the continued presence of traditional Hattian themes and designs along with the influence of external cultures. The presence of theriomorphic, or animal-shaped, pieces at Alaca Hüyük and at Kültepe show that other cultures, such as the Assyrians, were influencing Hattian culture. Alaca Hüyük, like all of Hattian culture, was influenced most intensely by the arrival of the Hittites.

The Hittites rose to power around 1750 BCE. They established the city of Hattusha in northern Anatolia as their capital. Designed with defense in mind, the city was located on an easily defended plateau and built with large walls and towers on foundations made from irregularly shaped blocks and no mortar. The city eventually encompassed an inner section and an outer section. The Hittites followed Babylonian and Assyrian influences when decorating Hattusha and covered the walls and gates with carved reliefs of warriors, gods, and animals. The Hittites created elaborate carvings, such as the pair of stone lions outside the aptly named Lion Gate. Yazilikaya, a shrine built outside Hattusha, features examples of skilled Hittite carving, such as the procession of gods in relief. Hittite metalworkers, much like the metalworkers at Alaca Hüyük, created consistently more realistic pieces from precious metals while continuing to use traditional Hattian symbols such as the bull and stag. The structures the Hittites built were later destroyed. Hattusha itself was destroyed in 1200 BCE. This destruction occurred quickly but paved the way for neo-Hittite kingdoms to continue Hattian traditions. The archaeological site of Hattusha was inscribed as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site in 1986.

As the Hittites fell at the end of the Bronze Age, multiple neo-Hittite kingdoms were created at the beginning of the Iron Age. Many of these kingdoms built new settlements, such as the settlement at Büyükardıç hill, in advantageous positions. This settlement, created on a site not used previously and carved directly into rock formations, continued the Hittite tradition of building structures at defensive sites. Most of the settlements belonging to the kingdom of Urartu continued this trend. These fortresses were built with defensive stone structures but, like Hattusha, also contained impressive religious and civil structures. Urartu craftsman continued to create animal figures and carved reliefs but became well known for their bronze castings and reliefs. Examples of bronze weapons and sculptures made in Urartu have survived into modern times. Invasion by the Assyrians, Greeks, Persians, and other groups eventually led to the decline of Anatolian art and architecture.

Bibliography

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