148 herbert niehr
Max von oppenheim first interpreted the statue as a deity,89 an idea
partly adopted by later research. the fact that the figure is similar to the
central figure of gods in the entrance to the hilani in guzana favors this
interpretation; both carry a sword and a curved club and are dressed simi-
larly. likewise, there is a certain similarity to the relief panel on the hilani
building, which shows a weather-god with a curved club and mace (no. 13).
since the figure in the relief is wearing a horned headdress and is identi-
fied by the inscription as a weather-god, its interpretation as a god is cer-
tain. however, such a horned headdress is missing on the statue from the
sanctuary. it is therefore not extreme to interpret the statue as being that
of a king deified after his death. this interpretation is reinforced by the
so-called cult room, as it is an urban mortuary cult chapel such as those
found in Ugarit (“sanctuaire aux rhytons”), carchemish (hilani building),
and sam’al (find spot of the Kuttamuwa stele). the character of this
chapel as sanctuary for the royal cult is particularly visible in Ugarit. it is
possible that the statue from the cult room depicts Baḫianu, the founder
of guzana’s dynasty.
the figures of the enthroned couple stood upon a pedestal on which
were, among others, stone statuettes, stone and metal figurines, as well as
shells, beads, and mobiliary art.90 the pedestal was immediately followed
by the pedestal with the statue of the deified king. in front of the pedestal
with the many figures was an altar, which showed the burned remains of
sacrifices. in front of the altar was a slab of basalt with a slight indentation
used to receive libations. like the mortuary cult complexes the statues of
the sanctuary face east, toward the rising sun.
any interpretation of the complex must consider the parallel worship
of the deified couple and the deified king, which is evident from their
arrangement. since both were placed on a pedestal, respectively a base
and an altar and basalt slab were installed in front of this pedestal, it is
evident that the same ritual worship was accorded to both statues. the cult
of the dynasty’s founder was joined by the cult of a deified royal couple as
well as other ancestor statuettes of men and in some cases women.
another sitting statue from the time after Kapara was found during
construction work in the city area of guzana in 1999. it is the fragmentary
statue of Kammaki (45–55 cm tall, 37 cm wide, 31.5 cm thick), in whose
89 Von oppenheim 1931: 172.
90 cf. the detailed list in the finds journal, published in cholidis – Martin 2010: 231–
235.