photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Dick Osseman | profile | all galleries >> Ankara pictures >> Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum >> Assyrian Colonies period tree view | thumbnails | slideshow | map

Most ancient finds | Chalcolithic Age | Early Bronze Age | Assyrian Colonies period | Hittite objects | Old Hittite - Inandik vase | Orthostats hall | Phrygian objects | Urartian objects | Lower floor | Objects in the garden

Assyrian Colonies period

During the so-called ‘Period of the Assyrian Colonies’ (1950-1750 BC) some large cities in Anatolia had a portion that was set aside by the local rulers for the Assyrian merchants who traded Anatolian copper, silver, gold, precious stones and wool for luxury items, foodstuffs and spices, woven fabrics and tin from the Assyrian homeland and from Elam.

These settlements were called ‘kârum’, which means ‘port’ in Akkadian (the lingua franca of the time), although it was extended to refer to any trading colony whether or not it bordered water. Except for the merchants and their family, the ‘kârum’ was also inhabited by Assyrian soldiers, who had to protect the caravans. The most important of these kârums was the ‘merchant-colony city of Kaneš’ (now Kültepe, near Kayseri); several other cities in Anatolia also had a ‘kârum’, such as Hatuş (Boğazkale), the later Hittit capital. The Assyrians and their ‘kârum’ enjoyed the protection of the local lords, and paid taxes in return when exporting or importing goods.

These ‘local lords’ were kings ruling city-states. In Central-Anatolia they were generally autochthonous Hatti (or: Hattian), although a few cities fell into Hittite hands over time. Because of this particular political landscape, this period is sometimes also called ‘Period of the Anatolian City-States’, which permits to include other cultural centers of the 1950-1750 BC period, such as Troy, that had no ‘kârum’ and was not ruled by Hatti, nor by Hittites.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Source: Website of ‘hattuscha.de’ & Wikipedia.
You may wish to compare these finds to this period in the Kayseri museum.
Kültepe finds from Assyrian Colonies period
Kültepe finds from Assyrian Colonies period
Boat shaped vessels
Boat shaped vessels
Ankara 10062012_0710.jpg
Ankara 10062012_0710.jpg
Terra cotta tablet
Terra cotta tablet
Rhytons
Rhytons
Box with relief
Box with relief
Box with relief
Box with relief
Box with relief
Box with relief
Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum september 2014 1432.jpg
Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum september 2014 1432.jpg
Ankara june 2011 7010.jpg
Ankara june 2011 7010.jpg
Ankara june 2011 7011.jpg
Ankara june 2011 7011.jpg
Ankara 10062012_0712.jpg
Ankara 10062012_0712.jpg
Ankara 10062012_0714.jpg
Ankara 10062012_0714.jpg
Ankara september 2011 9194.jpg
Ankara september 2011 9194.jpg
Ankara june 2011 7079.jpg
Ankara june 2011 7079.jpg
Ankara september 2011 9184.jpg
Ankara september 2011 9184.jpg
Ankara june 2011 7080.jpg
Ankara june 2011 7080.jpg
Spouted vessel on tripod
Spouted vessel on tripod
Lead figurines gods
Lead figurines gods
Bull's head
Bull's head
Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum september 2014 1435.jpg
Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum september 2014 1435.jpg
Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum september 2014 1431.jpg
Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum september 2014 1431.jpg
Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum september 2014 1459.jpg
Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum september 2014 1459.jpg
Ankara 10062012_0718.jpg
Ankara 10062012_0718.jpg
Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum september 2014 1429.jpg
Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum september 2014 1429.jpg
Ankara september 2011 9192.jpg
Ankara september 2011 9192.jpg
Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum september 2014 1433.jpg
Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum september 2014 1433.jpg
Cow
Cow
Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum september 2014 1436.jpg
Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum september 2014 1436.jpg
Ankara september 2011 9202.jpg
Ankara september 2011 9202.jpg
Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Inkpot shaped vessel Terracotta june 2019 3326.jpg
Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Inkpot shaped vessel Terracotta june 2019 3326.jpg