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The Find of Urartian Bronzes at Altin Tepe, Near Erzincan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 December 2013

Extract

In 1938 Near Erzincan an important find of Urartian metal-work was made, which is now in the Ankara Museum. In view of the rarity of Urartian material as yet recovered and of the brief character of the only publication of this find, we thought it desirable to publish a fuller account.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The British Institute at Ankara 1953

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References

page 121 note 1 Von der Osten, VI Int. Kongress für Arch., 1939, Neue Urartäische Bronzen aus Erzincan, hereafter called v.d.O. The illustrations reappear in Bossert, Altanatolien, figs. 1186–1194.

page 121 note 2 Dr. Hamit Koşay, Director of the Ethnographical Museum at Ankara, kindly informs us that the site, also known as Simi Sazli Tepe, is located 500 metres S. of the high road (which skirts the plain on the north), south-east of Cimin. (Dr. von der Osten has drawn our attention to a photograph of the hill in an article by Professor J. Garstang in A.J.A. 1947 (1943) fig. 6, where it is described as the ancient site of Erzincan.) Hamit Bey has also kindly sent us two cuttings with illustrations from the Turkish newspapers, Cümhüriyet of 12th April, and Ulus of 15th April, 1938, describing the find. These reports add that these objects were found in one of six small chambers belonging to an ancient building on the east side of the hill four metres below the surface. The illustrations show the shield reposing on the cauldron, top uppermost, as a lid. The capacity of the cauldron is estimated at 300 litres.

page 121 note 3 Von der Osten has been kind enough to inform us that, in addition to the pieces listed here, there were also found twenty silver bars, some inscribed with cuneiform signs, which were unfortunately stolen before the Department of Antiquities was able to take charge. The newspapers mentioned describe the bars as thick pipes, weighing in all fifteen kilos, and of “84 carat” quality, and state that they were found not at Altin Tepe but in excavations on another hill nearby two days later.

page 122 note 1 Barnett, R. D., “British Museum Excavations at Toprak Kale,” Iraq, XII, 1950, Pl. XVIGoogle Scholar.

page 123 note 1 S. Smith, Assyrian Sculptures in the British Museum from Shalmaneser II to Sennacherib, Pl. XLVII.

page 123 note 2 Botta, Monument de Ninive, Pl 141.

page 123 note 3 Thureau-Dangin and others, Tell Ahmar, Fig. 9, Pl. XXV.

page 123 note 4 B.M. 91252.

page 124 note 1 Kuftin, , Urartskiǐ ‘Kolumbari’ u Podoshvy Ararata i Kuro-araksskiǐ Eneolit, (Vestnik Gos. Muẓea Gruziî, XIII B.Google Scholar) Tiflis. [I owe to Professor Gordon Childe my thanks for making his copy of this work available to me. It is hoped to publish a summary of it else where—R. D. B.]

page 124 note 2 Reproduced in Barnett, , “Excavations of the British Museum at Toprak KaleIraq, XII, 1950 Fig. 13Google Scholar.

page 126 note 1 Starr, Nuzi, Pl. 126 and pp. 475 ff.; Chariot of Thothmes IV: Wreszinski, , Atlas, II, Pl.Google ScholarCyprus, : Swedish Cyprus Expedition, II, Pl. CLGoogle Scholar; IV, Pt. 2, pp. 132–3, Fig. 20; cf. Minns, Scythians and Greeks, p. 231.

page 127 note 1 Barnett, and Watson, , “Russian Excavations in Armenia,” Iraq, XIV, 1952, Fig. 15Google Scholar.

page 127 note 2 loc. cit., Pl. XXXII, 1.

page 128 note 1 Barnett, , Iraq, XII, 1950, Pl. IV, 2Google Scholar.

page 128 note 2 See above, p. 100.