Zippalanda

Zippalanda was one of the ancient Hattic religious centers (šiunan URU "city of the gods") that retained privileges in the Old Kingdom. Also toward the end of the Hittite Empire, after Muwatalli II moved the Hittite capital from Hattusa to Tarhuntassa, this also became a sacred city. The Hittite king participated in official religious ceremonies such as the purulli-festival, spring and autumn Imperial festivals, the festival of the month, and possibly the hunting festival (the Ki-Lam). The Weather god of Zippalanda, originally Hattic, was an important deity for the Hittites. At Zippalanda, he was considered to be the son of Tarḫunna, the 'Weather god of Heaven', and the Sun goddess of the Earth (known as Allani in the Hurrian-Hittite "Song of the Ransom"). His partner was the goddess Anzili or Enzili, who played a role in the rituals of Hittite childbirth. Much of the information about Zippalanda comes from tablets found at Hattusa, which record the existence of the temple of the Storm God and a palace or royal residence (halentu) and refer indirectly to daily religious life and festivals. In addition to religious functions, people at Zippalanda are recorded as engaging in military affairs, crafts, hunting and stock breeding. == Plausible sites ==

The plausible sites and Uşaklı Mound (Uşaklı Höyük). The light defenses of the city wall suggest that it was a religious perimeter like that of Alaca Höyük. A number of cultic sites are found within the city and ranging outside it toward Mount Daha. In January 2020, one of the earliest Mosaics in the world was found in Uşaklı Höyük, and possibly Zippalanda. In December 2022, archaeologists from the University of Pisa found a circular-shaped structure located to the north of what is probably the main temple of the city on the mound of Uşaklı Höyük. This, together with tablets found and other previous finds, could identify Uşaklı Höyük as ancient Zippalanda. ==References==