History of Egypt, Chaldæa, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, Volume 5 (of 12)Maspero, G. (Gaston)
History
History of Egypt, Chaldæa, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, Volume 5 (of 12)
Maspero, G. (Gaston)
Civilization, Ancient; Egypt -- History -- To 640 A.D.; History, Ancient; Middle East -- History
** The names Mauru and Qaui are deduced from the forms
Maurusaru and Qauisaru, which were borne by the Khati: Qaui
was probably the eponymous hero of the Qui people, as Khati
was of the Khati. Tarku and Tisubu appear to me to be
contained in the names Targanunasa, Targazatas, and
Tartisubu; Tisubu is probably the Tessupas mentioned in the
letter from Dushratta written in Mitannian, and identical
with the Tushupu of another letter from the same king, and
in a despatch from Tarkondaraush. Targu, Targa, Targanu,
resemble the god Tarkhu, which is known to us from the
proper names of these regions preserved in attributes
covered by each of these divine names, and as to the forms
with which they were invested.
[Illustration: 138.jpg A HITTITE KING.]
Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a picture in Lepsius.
Khatusaru, King of the Khati, who was for thirty years a
contemporary of Ramses II.
Tishubu, the Ramman of the Assyrians, was doubtless lord of the tempest
and of the atmosphere; Shausbe answered to Shala and to Ishtar the queen
of love;* but we are frequently in ignorance as to the Assyrian and
Greek inscriptions. Kheba, Khepa, Khipa, is said to be a denomination
of Ramman; we find it in the names of the princesses Tadu-khipa,
Gilu-khipa, Puu-khipa.
The majority of them, both male and female, were of gigantic stature,
and were arrayed in the vesture of earthly kings and queens: they
brandished their arms, displayed the insignia of their authority, such
as a flower or bunch of grapes, and while receiving the offerings of
the people were seated on a chair before an altar, or stood each on
the animal representing him--such as a lion, a stag, or wild goat. The
temples of their towns have disappeared, but they could never have been,
it would seem, either-large or magnificent: the favourite places of
worship were the tops of mountains, in the vicinity of springs, or the
depths of mysterious grottoes, where the deity revealed himself to his
priests, and received the faithful at the solemn festivals celebrated
several times a year.*
* The association of Tushupu, Tessupas, Tisubu, with Rammanu
is made out from an Assyrian tablet published by Bezold: it
was reserved for Say ce and Jensen to determine the nature
of the god. Shausbe has been identified with Ishtar or Shala
by Jensen.
We know as little about their political organisation as about their
religion.* We may believe, however, that it was feudal in character, and
that every clan had its hereditary chief and its proper gods: the
clans collectively rendered obedience to a common king, whose effective
authority depended upon his character and age.**
* The religious cities and the festivals of the Greek epoch
are described by Strabo; these festivals were very ancient,
and their institution, if not the method of celebrating
them, may go back to the time of the Hittite empire.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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