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Karasu Relief

The Karasu relief, also called the Süpürgüç relief, is a Neo-Hittite rock relief located on a tributary of the Euphrates. It measures 1.98 m high and 1.6 m wide and depicts a warrior or protective god standing on a deer. The deer faces left with its head held high, while the male figure wears a short kilt, shoes, and a tall, round-topped god’s hat, and carries a spear and bow. A sun symbol hovers above him. Much of the upper part of the figure was destroyed in 1976 by treasure hunters. The relief is generally identified as a representation of the protective god of the wild, Kurunta or Tuntija, and has been dated either to the traditional style period or to Late Hittite II.

Karasu relief carved on a weathered dark stone slab among larger rocks.
The Karasu relief appears as a faint, eroded carving on a dark stone slab set among surrounding rocks.
September 2014 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Weathered Karasu relief carved into a dark rock face, partially obscured by shadows and surrounding stone.
The Karasu relief appears faintly on a rugged rock face in a dry, rocky landscape.
September 2014 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Rocky canyon landscape near the Karasu relief with steep cliffs and a green valley floor.
The Karasu relief site lies in a rugged canyon landscape with steep cliffs and dense vegetation below.
September 2014 © · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleKarasu relief
Alternative name in GermanFelsrelief von Süpürgüç
Typerock relief
Alternative nameSüpürgüç relief

Historical context

Ancient territorial attributionBased on the inscription of the destroyed Neo-Assyrian relief at Kenk Boğazı, both reliefs appear to have been within the kingdom of Kummuh
Ancient political boundaryIn the early 1st millennium BC the area lay on the border between the Iron Age kingdoms of Kummuh (later Commagene) and Carchemish
PeriodLate Hittite period; also dated by Winfried Orthmann to Late Hittite II (950–850 BC) and by Hansgerd Hellenkemper and Jörg Wagner to the "traditional style" (1050–850 BC)

Creator

Discoverersthe geologists Krummenacher and Wilson

Discovery and provenance

Discovered1956
First described1958 by Charles Burney and G. R. Lawson
Nearby related monumentThe destroyed late Assyrian relief at Kenk Boğazı was about 10 km away

Physical characteristics

Dimensions1.98 m high and 1.60 m wide
Relief typeraised relief
Supportrock block

Location and ownership

Nearby bridgeThe remains of the Roman bridge Karasu Köprüsü are about 2 km upstream along the Karasu
AccessThe plateau above the relief can be reached from the bridge by an approximately 45-minute ascent
Associated roada military road from Zeugma to Samosata
Nearby monumentsthe monumental tombs at Elif, Hisar, and Hasanoğlu lie south of the road
Elevation above riverAbout 200 m above the Karasu
Distance to Euphrates confluenceAbout 3 km before the Karasu flows into the Euphrates
River settingIn a deep gorge cut by the Karasu, a right tributary of the Euphrates
Position on rockA few metres below the upper edge of the rock
SettingOn the east side of a rock block on a steep cliff-face / rocky ridge in the limestone mountains of the Kartal Dağı
LocationNear Gümüşpınar, by Akbudak, in Araban district, Gaziantep Province, Turkey

Appearance

Animal directionFacing left
Above-figure symbolwinged sun disc
Headgearhigh, round-topped divine cap
Animal antlersfinely carved and shown frontally, with two tines on each side
Animal posehead held high on a slender neck, shown in profile with a slightly open mouth
Figure attributebow over the left shoulder
Animal back height52 cm
Figure clothingshort kilt and shoes
Animal height1.20 m
Animal identificationAccording to Frank Starke, an adult red deer (Cervus elaphus)
Animaldeer
Figure weaponspear in the right hand
Animal body length68 cm
Main subjecta male guardian or warrior standing on a deer
Figure height1.2 m
Figure directionFacing left

Iconography and meaning

InscriptionsNo inscription survives on the relief
InterpretationThe figure has been identified as a protective god, possibly the wild god Kurunta or Tuntija; because of the deer and bow it has also been interpreted as Runtiya
Motif"god on a deer"
Motif historyAttested already in the Assyrian trading colonies at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC and in the Hittite Empire; a later parallel is the Hacıbebekli stele
Possible functionThe relief may have depicted the protective deity of that settlement

Archaeology and context

Settlement contextTraces of a late Hittite settlement were found in the surrounding area

History and restoration

Earlier conditionOlder images show facial details and hair tied at the nape of the neck
Current condition of headSince 1976 only the beard under the chin is visible
DamageIn 1976 treasure hunters blew away the upper part of the rock block with dynamite

Significance

Art historical contextRock reliefs are a prominent aspect of Hittite art
Stylistic attributionHansgerd Hellenkemper and Jörg Wagner assign the work to the "traditional style" (1050–850 BC); Winfried Orthmann dates it to Late Hittite II (950–850 BC)