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Hattusa Green Stone

The Hattusa Green Stone is a roughly cubic block of nephrite standing among the remains of the Great Temple at Hattusa, the ancient Hittite capital in late Bronze Age Anatolia. It is now located on the hill above Boğazkale in Turkey’s Çorum Province, within the Hattusa World Heritage Site. The stone is a dark green mineral form of jade and appears to have been dressed into a cube. Its original purpose is unknown, though it may have had a religious function or may have served as the base of a statue. Local people call it a “wish stone,” and its mystery continues to attract many visitors.

Hattusa Green Stone resting on light gravel beside a rough stone wall and grass
The Hattusa Green Stone sits in a gravel-lined area near a wall of rough stones.
March 2016 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
Large greenish stone block in the foreground at Hattusa, with ruins of stone walls and a rocky hill behind it.
A green stone block in the ruins of the Great Temple at Hattusa.
March 2013 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
A large green stone block in front of Hattusa archaeological ruins with grassy foundations under an overcast sky.
Hattusa Green Stone set before the ruins of the Lower City archaeological site.
March 2013 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Hattusa green stone block standing among ancient grey stone ruins and patches of grass
A green stone block stands out amid the ruins of Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Empire.
March 2016 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
A greenish stone block stands among the ruins at Hattusa, surrounded by scattered ancient foundations and grey masonry.
Ruins at Hattusa with a distinctive green stone block visible among the ancient foundations.
September 2022 © · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleHattusa Green Stone
Object typestone object
Alternative namethe green stone of Hattusa

Historical context

Historical contextHattusa was the capital of the Hittites at the end of the Bronze Age

Creator

Associated scholarAndreas Schachner, director of archaeology at the site

Discovery and provenance

Location foundthe Great Temple (Temple 1) at Hattusa, in a small room at the southern end of the street leading from the gateway
SiteHattusa archaeological site
Original positionlikely not its original position, as suggested by comparison with the door sills
Uniquenessthe only stone of its kind found at Hattusa
Historical usersbelieved to have been used by the Hittites and the civilizations that succeeded them

Physical characteristics

Sizeabout unspecified side length per side
Weightabout unspecified weight
Colorgreen
Shaperoughly cubic block

Materials

Materialnephrite
Material descriptiona dark green mineral, a common form of jade in the region

Iconography and meaning

Possible functionpossibly a religious object or the base of a statue, but its purpose is unknown
Local namecalled a "wish stone" by local inhabitants
Reputationhas a magical reputation

Location and ownership

Current locationstill in the temple at Hattusa, open to the weather, below ground level, on the hill above Boğazkale in Çorum Province, Turkey
Associated templethe Great Temple (Temple 1), believed to have been dedicated to the Sun-goddess of Arinna and the Storm-god Tarḫunna
Temple dedication basisthe importance of these deities to the Hittites and the surviving stone bases of statues
Site statusHattusa is a World Heritage Site

History and restoration

Current scholarly viewAndreas Schachner said in 2019 that why it was brought to the temple and what it was used for there remained to be discovered

Other

Current functiontourist attraction
Tourism noteits mystery and magical reputation draw many tourists from Turkey and other countries