212 dominik bonatz
in carchemish—similarities that are typical of other visual motifs in the
context of the outer citadel gate.25 the representations of the god lead-
ing the triad with a spear and shield, the goddess in the center holding a
mirror and wearing a fringed veil, and the god at the rear with an axe and
lightning fork, recall the triad of tarḫunzas, Kubaba, and Karḫuḫas that
is depicted on the Long Wall of sculpture in carchemish.26 a notable dif-
ference is that the gods on the outer citadel gates in carchemish appear
in a different order. the inscriptions from samʾal/Yādiya never mention
such a divine triad. Its pantheon was headed by the male deities hadad,
el, rakkabʾel, and shamash.27 Furthermore, the image of a Kubaba-like
goddess on the relief at the outer citadel gate stands in marked contrast to
the almost complete absence of female deities in other local representa-
tions and sources.28 carchemish evidently had a profound influence, as a
model, on the emergence of a specific visual tradition in samʾal, but due
to the lack of written sources, we have no knowledge of its associated
content. the oldest inscription from samʾal, which can be found on the
Kulamuwa stele (KaI 24; see below), is some one hundred years younger
than the sculptural works from the outer citadel gate.
the younger sculptural works from samʾal include the carved orthostats
from hilani Iv (“northern hall”), which W. Orthmann placed in the stylis-
tic group “Zincirli III,” and the series of orthostats in the stylistic group Iv
from hilani Iv.29 In terms of style, these reliefs are generally character-
ized by a pronounced tendency toward three-dimensional design and the
detailed treatment of the features of the face and head. the reliefs date
to the reign of King Bar-rakkab (ca. 733/732–713/711 B.c.), though it must
be noted that hilani III was probably only constructed and decorated with
sculptural works in the second half of his rule.30 the stylistic differences
to the older sculptural works from the outer citadel gate (stylistic group II)
can be explained in part by the time difference of almost two hun-
dred years, but they are also attributable to assyrian influences, which
25 For the general similarities between art in carchemish and Zincirli during the stylis-
tic phase “Late hittite II,” see Orthmann 1971: 133–136, 466.
26 hawkins 1984: 76f figs. 112f.
27 tropper 1993: 20–22 and cf. also niehr’s chapter on religion in this volume.
28 Kubaba is only mentioned in the inscriptions on the stele from Ördek Burnu, situ-
ated 20 kilometers south of samʾal, and on the stele of Kuttamuwa from samʾal (cf. niehr
2010a: 276, 282).
29 Orthmann 1971: 63–65.
30 For an extensive discussion of the temporal relationship between hilani Iv/“northern
hall” and hilani III, see Gilibert 2011: 129–131.