Nipas (also spelled Nipaš [1] or Nepaš [2]) was a god worshiped in Kanesh. His name might have been derived from the Hittite word nepis, "heaven", and he might have been a weather god. While he was most likely one of the main deities of the city, and a temple, festival and clergy associated with him are attested, for unknown reasons he does not appear in any later sources.
Name and character
Nipas' name was rendered as Ni-pá-as in cuneiform. [3] According to Piotr Taracha, it most likely originated in a language he refers to as a "central Anatolian substrate", similar to these of other local deities of Kanesh: Ḫariḫari, Ḫigiša, Parka, Tuḫtuḫani and possibly Anna. [1] Guido Kryszat instead connects it with the Hittite word nepis, "heaven". [4] This explanation is also accepted by authors such as Manfred Hutter [5] and Gojko Barjamovic. [6] However, it has been criticized by Daniel Schwemer, who argues that as a neuter noun, this word would be an unusual theonym, and additionally points out that to accept Kryszat's view one has to assume the word preserved the initial n as in Hittite, but developed the same suffix as its Luwian cognate, which starts with a t. [7]
Nipas might have been was a weather god, though the deity represented by the logogram dIM in texts from Kanesh is more likely to be Hittite Tarḫunna than him. [8]
It has been proposed that seals from Kanesh showing a family of deities might depict Nipas and Anna accompanied by divine children, but this interpretation is far from certain. [9]
Worship
Since Nipas, Anna and Parka appear particularly often in known texts from Kanesh from the karum period, it is possible that they formed the core of the local pantheon. [10] Guido Kryszat outright refers to him as the most important deity of this city next to Anna. [8] Despite their prominence, these deities are largely absent from theophoric names. [4]
A temple dedicated to Nipas existed in Kanesh. [11] A festival held in his honor is also attested. [12] It is presumed it occurred in the fourth month in the contemporary Assyrian calendar, in which the year started in October. [13] It took place after the festival of Anna, [14] the city goddess. [15] The local ruler visited Nipas' temple during it. [14] In one text, "when the ruler leaves the temple of Nipas" is the date by which a loan has to be repaid. [16]
A priest of Nipas named Šulili is mentioned in a single document. [17] However, the name is otherwise unattested in the entire corpus of texts from this site. [9]
Nipas is not attested in any Hittite texts postdating the Kanesh tablets. [14] Later Assyrian texts similarly do not mention him in any capacity. [3] The reasons behind his apparent loss of relevance are not known. [4]
References
- ^ a b Taracha 2009, p. 28.
- ^ Barjamovic 2022, p. 529.
- ^ a b Schwemer 2008, p. 19.
- ^ a b c Kryszat 2006, p. 121.
- ^ Hutter 2021, p. 45.
- ^ Barjamovic 2022, p. 536.
- ^ Schwemer 2008, p. 20.
- ^ a b Kryszat 2006, p. 113.
- ^ a b Barjamovic 2022, p. 537.
- ^ Barjamovic 2022, pp. 536–537.
- ^ Veenhof & Eidem 2008, p. 236.
- ^ Haas 2015, p. 676.
- ^ Veenhof & Eidem 2008, pp. 242–243.
- ^ a b c Taracha 2009, p. 29.
- ^ Kryszat 2006, p. 117.
- ^ Veenhof & Eidem 2008, p. 237.
- ^ Veenhof & Eidem 2008, p. 231.
Bibliography
- Barjamovic, Gojko (2022). "Before the Kingdom of the Hittites". The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East: Volume II. Oxford University Press. pp. 497–565. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780190687571.003.0017. ISBN 978-0190687571.
- Haas, Volkert (2015) [1994]. Geschichte der hethitischen Religion. Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1: The Near and Middle East (in German). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-29394-6. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- Hutter, Manfred (2021). Religionsgeschichte Anatoliens: Vom Ende des dritten bis zum Beginn des ersten Jahrtausends (in German). Kohlhammer Verlag. ISBN 978-3-17-026975-0. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- Kryszat, Guido (2006). "Herrscher, Herrschaft und Kulttradition in Anatolien nach den Quellen aus den altassyrischen Handelskolonien - Teil 2: Götter, Priester und Feste Altanatoliens". Altorientalische Forschungen (in German). 33 (1). Walter de Gruyter GmbH. doi: 10.1524/aofo.2006.33.1.102. ISSN 2196-6761. S2CID 164077437.
- Schwemer, Daniel (2008). "The Storm-Gods of the Ancient Near East: Summary, Synthesis, Recent Studies: Part II". Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions. 8 (1). Brill: 1–44. doi: 10.1163/156921208786182428. ISSN 1569-2116.
- Taracha, Piotr (2009). Religions of Second Millennium Anatolia. Dresdner Beiträge zur Hethitologie. Vol. 27. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-3447058858.
- Veenhof, Klaus R.; Eidem, Jesper (2008). Mesopotamia: the Old Assyrian period. Fribourg: Academic Press. ISBN 978-3-525-53452-6. OCLC 244654503.
Nipas (also spelled Nipaš [1] or Nepaš [2]) was a god worshiped in Kanesh. His name might have been derived from the Hittite word nepis, "heaven", and he might have been a weather god. While he was most likely one of the main deities of the city, and a temple, festival and clergy associated with him are attested, for unknown reasons he does not appear in any later sources.
Name and character
Nipas' name was rendered as Ni-pá-as in cuneiform. [3] According to Piotr Taracha, it most likely originated in a language he refers to as a "central Anatolian substrate", similar to these of other local deities of Kanesh: Ḫariḫari, Ḫigiša, Parka, Tuḫtuḫani and possibly Anna. [1] Guido Kryszat instead connects it with the Hittite word nepis, "heaven". [4] This explanation is also accepted by authors such as Manfred Hutter [5] and Gojko Barjamovic. [6] However, it has been criticized by Daniel Schwemer, who argues that as a neuter noun, this word would be an unusual theonym, and additionally points out that to accept Kryszat's view one has to assume the word preserved the initial n as in Hittite, but developed the same suffix as its Luwian cognate, which starts with a t. [7]
Nipas might have been was a weather god, though the deity represented by the logogram dIM in texts from Kanesh is more likely to be Hittite Tarḫunna than him. [8]
It has been proposed that seals from Kanesh showing a family of deities might depict Nipas and Anna accompanied by divine children, but this interpretation is far from certain. [9]
Worship
Since Nipas, Anna and Parka appear particularly often in known texts from Kanesh from the karum period, it is possible that they formed the core of the local pantheon. [10] Guido Kryszat outright refers to him as the most important deity of this city next to Anna. [8] Despite their prominence, these deities are largely absent from theophoric names. [4]
A temple dedicated to Nipas existed in Kanesh. [11] A festival held in his honor is also attested. [12] It is presumed it occurred in the fourth month in the contemporary Assyrian calendar, in which the year started in October. [13] It took place after the festival of Anna, [14] the city goddess. [15] The local ruler visited Nipas' temple during it. [14] In one text, "when the ruler leaves the temple of Nipas" is the date by which a loan has to be repaid. [16]
A priest of Nipas named Šulili is mentioned in a single document. [17] However, the name is otherwise unattested in the entire corpus of texts from this site. [9]
Nipas is not attested in any Hittite texts postdating the Kanesh tablets. [14] Later Assyrian texts similarly do not mention him in any capacity. [3] The reasons behind his apparent loss of relevance are not known. [4]
References
- ^ a b Taracha 2009, p. 28.
- ^ Barjamovic 2022, p. 529.
- ^ a b Schwemer 2008, p. 19.
- ^ a b c Kryszat 2006, p. 121.
- ^ Hutter 2021, p. 45.
- ^ Barjamovic 2022, p. 536.
- ^ Schwemer 2008, p. 20.
- ^ a b Kryszat 2006, p. 113.
- ^ a b Barjamovic 2022, p. 537.
- ^ Barjamovic 2022, pp. 536–537.
- ^ Veenhof & Eidem 2008, p. 236.
- ^ Haas 2015, p. 676.
- ^ Veenhof & Eidem 2008, pp. 242–243.
- ^ a b c Taracha 2009, p. 29.
- ^ Kryszat 2006, p. 117.
- ^ Veenhof & Eidem 2008, p. 237.
- ^ Veenhof & Eidem 2008, p. 231.
Bibliography
- Barjamovic, Gojko (2022). "Before the Kingdom of the Hittites". The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East: Volume II. Oxford University Press. pp. 497–565. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780190687571.003.0017. ISBN 978-0190687571.
- Haas, Volkert (2015) [1994]. Geschichte der hethitischen Religion. Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1: The Near and Middle East (in German). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-29394-6. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- Hutter, Manfred (2021). Religionsgeschichte Anatoliens: Vom Ende des dritten bis zum Beginn des ersten Jahrtausends (in German). Kohlhammer Verlag. ISBN 978-3-17-026975-0. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- Kryszat, Guido (2006). "Herrscher, Herrschaft und Kulttradition in Anatolien nach den Quellen aus den altassyrischen Handelskolonien - Teil 2: Götter, Priester und Feste Altanatoliens". Altorientalische Forschungen (in German). 33 (1). Walter de Gruyter GmbH. doi: 10.1524/aofo.2006.33.1.102. ISSN 2196-6761. S2CID 164077437.
- Schwemer, Daniel (2008). "The Storm-Gods of the Ancient Near East: Summary, Synthesis, Recent Studies: Part II". Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions. 8 (1). Brill: 1–44. doi: 10.1163/156921208786182428. ISSN 1569-2116.
- Taracha, Piotr (2009). Religions of Second Millennium Anatolia. Dresdner Beiträge zur Hethitologie. Vol. 27. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-3447058858.
- Veenhof, Klaus R.; Eidem, Jesper (2008). Mesopotamia: the Old Assyrian period. Fribourg: Academic Press. ISBN 978-3-525-53452-6. OCLC 244654503.