The Inandik Vase offers an intriguing look into the religious world of the Hittites.  Vases such as this one can be dated to a relatively narrow window of time, between the 17th and 16th centuries BC, when the Hittite kingdom was just beginning to emerge as one of the major powers in the Ancient Near East.

This particular vase was found at Inandik, not far from the Hittite capitol of Hattusa.  It was found in a rural shrine situated on a hill top outside of the city.   The sides of the vase probably depict the purulli festival celebrated at spring time.   It may also have marked the beginning of the New Year.  The purulli festival was primarily concerned with the fertility of the land and the health of the king and queen – the two being inextricably linked together in the minds of the Hittites.  Here is how one ancient Hittite text describes the purulli festival:

The Inandik Vase was used to hold the wine for the festival.  It has an elaborately molded rim with a square receptacle into which liquid was poured.  The liquid then flowed through the rim and out through the spouted mouths of the bulls attached to the interior of the rim. 

The Procession

The upper frieze of the vase depicts a procession in which the women carry flat drums or cymbals while the men play lutes and lyres.  Acrobats are shown jumping rope.  Leading the procession are two sword-bearers.  This frieze also shows a couple engaged acts of a sexual nature, seemingly in public. 

There is an intriguing connection between the scenes depicted on our vase and a text uncovered in Mesopotamia.  The text was written for a king named Iddin-Dagan whose reign (c. 1910 – 1890 BC) is nearly contemporary with our vase.   It describes a New Years festival celebrated by the king.   The text begins with a description of priests, musicians and acrobats walking in a procession to the temple of Inanna.

The text refers to a procession that includes musicians carrying harps and drums; priests carrying swords; acrobats jumping rope, and male prostitutes who are wearing women’s clothing.  This matches with what is depicted on our vase although we have no way of knowing whether the men depicted on our vase were male prostitutes or not.  It is noteworthy, however, that cross-dressing eunuchs were chosen as priests of the cults of Atargatis and Artemis in later periods.  (See: Statue of Artemis)  It is probable that such practices date back to the period of our vase.

Outside the Temple

The sword-bearers who lead the procession are standing before a temple which is depicted here with vertical stripes.  Three figures stand on the roof of the temple with their arms raised in a gesture of adoration.  The temple seems to be a tall one judging by its proportions.

Once again, we may refer back to the Iddin Dagan text which mentions offerings made from the rooftop of a rural temple called the Badurra.

Inside the Temple

The next scene brings us inside the temple where there is a bed, an altar and a vase.  The vase that is shown standing in the temple is actually the same type as our Inandik Vase which suggests that the vase occupied a central place in the cult.  Two figures are seated on the bed, one of which can be identified as a woman.  The  other figure is broken.

This may represent a sacred marriage like that which is described in the Iddin-Dagan text.

Rituals such as this one presumably involved the king and a priestess of Innana (who may also have been the queen-consort).  These rituals were believed to have ensured the fertility of the land although there were undoubtedly purely sensual motivations involved as well.

The Sacrifice

The next scene depicts a bull being sacrificed to the Weather-god, who is depicted as a bull standing on a pedestal.

The Libation

 In another scene, a man pours out a libation on an altar to a goddess seated on a stool.

Preparations for the Feast

Once a portion of the meat and drink has been offered to the gods, the rest is taken for the preparation of a feast.  The vase is mostly broken at this point, but we can still make out two women baking bread and another mixing wine. 

The Feast

A man and a woman (or a god and goddess?) are seated before a vase of wine and a table with meat while a man plays a harp nearby.   A massive two man harp is depicted in the same register.

Here again, we might turn to the Iddin Dagan Festival Text for illumination.  It concludes with a description of a feast accompanied by stringed instruments.

Whether one agrees that the Inandik vase represents the same ritual as that described in the Iddin Dagan Festival Text, there certainly are some interesting parallels between the two.   Furthermore, the Inandik vase provides some insight into the controversy surrounding the high places that comprises an important theme in the Old Testament.

The High Places

Many of the Hittite festivals, such as the purulli festival described above, were performed at cult centers located in the countryside, usually in a grove, by a spring, or on a hill-top.   The Hittites erected stone pillars in these places which they called ‘huwashi-stones’.   Our vase was found in one such rural shrine on the top of a low-rising hill.

In Deuteronomy, the Israelites are commanded to break down the standing stones of the Canaanites and to cut down their groves.  Likewise, Gideon was required to tear down the high place of Baal and Asherah before he went to battle with the Midianites.   In the final days of the Judean kingdom, the prophet Jeremiah lamented that the people were worshiping on the high places. 

Jeremiah characterized the festivals associated with the high places as a deception and a ‘tumult’ – a word that is perhaps more accurately translated as ‘orgy’.   

These prophets saw something inherently contradictory in the worship performed in the high places and that which God requires of us.

The Inandik Vase offers an intriguing look into the religious world of the Hittites.  Vases such as this one can be dated to a relatively narrow window of time, between the 17th and 16th centuries BC, when the Hittite kingdom was just beginning to emerge as one of the major powers in the Ancient Near East.

This particular vase was found at Inandik, not far from the Hittite capitol of Hattusa.  It was found in a rural shrine situated on a hill top outside of the city.   The sides of the vase probably depict the purulli festival celebrated at spring time.   It may also have marked the beginning of the New Year.  The purulli festival was primarily concerned with the fertility of the land and the health of the king and queen – the two being inextricably linked together in the minds of the Hittites.  Here is how one ancient Hittite text describes the purulli festival:

The Inandik Vase was used to hold the wine for the festival.  It has an elaborately molded rim with a square receptacle into which liquid was poured.  The liquid then flowed through the rim and out through the spouted mouths of the bulls attached to the interior of the rim. 

The Procession

The upper frieze of the vase depicts a procession in which the women carry flat drums or cymbals while the men play lutes and lyres.  Acrobats are shown jumping rope.  Leading the procession are two sword-bearers.  This frieze also shows a couple engaged acts of a sexual nature, seemingly in public. 

There is an intriguing connection between the scenes depicted on our vase and a text uncovered in Mesopotamia.  The text was written for a king named Iddin-Dagan whose reign (c. 1910 – 1890 BC) is nearly contemporary with our vase.   It describes a New Years festival celebrated by the king.   The text begins with a description of priests, musicians and acrobats walking in a procession to the temple of Inanna.

The text refers to a procession that includes musicians carrying harps and drums; priests carrying swords; acrobats jumping rope, and male prostitutes who are wearing women’s clothing.  This matches with what is depicted on our vase although we have no way of knowing whether the men depicted on our vase were male prostitutes or not.  It is noteworthy, however, that cross-dressing eunuchs were chosen as priests of the cults of Atargatis and Artemis in later periods.  (See: Statue of Artemis)  It is probable that such practices date back to the period of our vase.

Outside the Temple

The sword-bearers who lead the procession are standing before a temple which is depicted here with vertical stripes.  Three figures stand on the roof of the temple with their arms raised in a gesture of adoration.  The temple seems to be a tall one judging by its proportions.

Once again, we may refer back to the Iddin Dagan text which mentions offerings made from the rooftop of a rural temple called the Badurra.

Inside the Temple

The next scene brings us inside the temple where there is a bed, an altar and a vase.  The vase that is shown standing in the temple is actually the same type as our Inandik Vase which suggests that the vase occupied a central place in the cult.  Two figures are seated on the bed, one of which can be identified as a woman.  The  other figure is broken.

This may represent a sacred marriage like that which is described in the Iddin-Dagan text.

Rituals such as this one presumably involved the king and a priestess of Innana (who may also have been the queen-consort).  These rituals were believed to have ensured the fertility of the land although there were undoubtedly purely sensual motivations involved as well.

The Sacrifice

The next scene depicts a bull being sacrificed to the Weather-god, who is depicted as a bull standing on a pedestal.

The Libation

 In another scene, a man pours out a libation on an altar to a goddess seated on a stool.

Preparations for the Feast

Once a portion of the meat and drink has been offered to the gods, the rest is taken for the preparation of a feast.  The vase is mostly broken at this point, but we can still make out two women baking bread and another mixing wine. 

The Feast

A man and a woman (or a god and goddess?) are seated before a vase of wine and a table with meat while a man plays a harp nearby.   A massive two man harp is depicted in the same register.

Here again, we might turn to the Iddin Dagan Festival Text for illumination.  It concludes with a description of a feast accompanied by stringed instruments.

Whether one agrees that the Inandik vase represents the same ritual as that described in the Iddin Dagan Festival Text, there certainly are some interesting parallels between the two.   Furthermore, the Inandik vase provides some insight into the controversy surrounding the high places that comprises an important theme in the Old Testament.

The High Places

Many of the Hittite festivals, such as the purulli festival described above, were performed at cult centers located in the countryside, usually in a grove, by a spring, or on a hill-top.   The Hittites erected stone pillars in these places which they called ‘huwashi-stones’.   Our vase was found in one such rural shrine on the top of a low-rising hill.

In Deuteronomy, the Israelites are commanded to break down the standing stones of the Canaanites and to cut down their groves.  Likewise, Gideon was required to tear down the high place of Baal and Asherah before he went to battle with the Midianites.   In the final days of the Judean kingdom, the prophet Jeremiah lamented that the people were worshiping on the high places. 

Jeremiah characterized the festivals associated with the high places as a deception and a ‘tumult’ – a word that is perhaps more accurately translated as ‘orgy’.   

These prophets saw something inherently contradictory in the worship performed in the high places and that which God requires of us.