698 THE ANCIENT HITTITES. 



At Fraktin, in Cappadocia, soiitli of Ci\?sarea, a Hittito sacriticial 

 scene is represented upon a rock. To the left stands a god, in the garb 

 of a warrior, holding in one hand a crook over his shoulder. Before 

 him is an altar, which in its ground form is a pillar, somewhat taper- 

 ing upward, with a thick plate placed horizontally over it. Before 

 it stands a man, perhaps a priest, in the dress of a warrior, turned 

 toward the god and with his right hand pouring a li])ation from a ves- 

 sel. To the right is another identical scene, only that here a priestess 

 in long dress offers the libation to a seated goddess. Upon the altar 

 here a bird is sitting. This is worthy of notice. The type of a seated 

 goddess with a mirror or flower in the hands and occasionally a bird 

 sitting upon the altar or upon a table l)efore her, meets us often on 

 the Hittite sculptures. We ma}' safely recognize in it Semiramis, to 

 whom the dove was sacred, or, as she is also named. Ma of Comana, 

 etc. At Irviz, on the ])order of Cilicia and Cappadocia, there is seen 

 upon a rock in a lovel}' and fertile region a king or priest in adora- 

 tion before a god of fertilit}". The god is marked as such b}' having 

 in one hand a vine with many clusters, in the other a cornucopia from 

 which water is streaming. 



As unique creatures of religious fanc}" ma}' ])e mentioned the sphinxes 

 and gryphons. The former are fantastic beings with lion bodies and 

 human heads, and generally winged. Upon one relief the sphinx is 

 given even two heads, one of a lion in natural position and the other 

 of a man placed perpendicularly upon the neck. The gryphon has 

 the body of a man, l)ut the head of a vulture, and also has wings. 



The examples of Hittite architecture remain for the most part still 

 buried. Only in one place, at Senjirli, North Syria, have extensive 

 excavations l)een made, to be described in a future publication, uncover- 

 ing the site of an ancient city. The city was surrounded by a double, 

 nearly circular, wall protected by towers. Within this large circle 

 was the citadel proper, raised upon an elevated site. It was inclosed 

 by a second wall, likewise provided with projecting towers, and on 

 the south side was a large gate of a characteristic plan, for the wall 

 was not merely cut through to efl'ect an opening, l)ut considerably 

 thickened at the gate, so that it has two passages, in front and in the 

 rear. The space between the passage within the wall on both sides 

 is partly unfilled, so that a large quadrangular court is formed. On 

 either side of the outer door large towers project. All the walls are 

 of extraordinary thickness, even several meters thick, and consist, in 

 the lower portion of uncut stones, to keep off moisture, and the 

 upper part is of unburnt bricks. Clay is employed as building mate- 

 rial through the entire Hither Asia, even where other material is 

 available, and the custom dates Ixick to Babylonian influence. The 

 inner walls of the gate and palace rooms were faced with stone slabs, 



