Image Details

The large mountain god Sðarrumma embraces the Hittite King TudhÉaliya IV. With his left arm around TudhÉaliya’s neck, Sðarrumma towers more than a head taller over him. In his extended right hand is his name, the hieroglyph for “god,” and half of a male torso. The significance of this last sign has never been satisfactorily explained.

Tucked under the left arm of his guardian god TudhÉaliya IV wears a costume identical to that of the sun god on the wall of the Yazilikaya rock sanctuary. The name of TudhÉaliya IV is represented in hieroglyphs in the cartouche in the upper right corner of the bas-relief. Under the winged sun of the cartouche are the hieroglyphic symbols for “great king,” “emperor,” and TudhÉaliya IV’s name. The depiction of a god embracing a king is an artistic conception unique to Hittite culture.