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Hercules-Nergal at Hatra (II)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 August 2014

Wathiq Al-Salihi
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Extract

In the summer of 1971, a most interesting and important over life-size statue of Hercules was uncovered at the North Gate, one of the four main gates of Hatra. The work, which was conducted by a staff from the Directorate General of Antiquities, started at the beginning of July 1971 and continued until the end of March 1972. The excavations which were concentrated on the gate, revealed several important historical and architectural aspects of Hatra.

During the excavations, numerous statues were found. They represent kings, nobles and divinities of Hatra, and among them is the statue of Hercules. It was found in a rectangular arched niche-cella set against the mud-brick wall that extends from the right tower-like structure of the gate and turns at a right angle to face the only entrance of the gate. The niche-cella, made of regular local limestone, is constructed so that it faces the entrance. A person leaving Hatr a through the North Gate would have to face the niche-cella which contained the standing statue of Hercules.

The statue of Hercules was found standing in situ in the arched niche-cella (Plate XXXa). His forearm was found behind the right feet on the floor of the niche-cella. His club was discovered in two pieces on the floor level of the area before the nichecella. The upper part of the club with the attached right hand were found immediately in front of the niche-cella (Plate XXXb) and the lower part lay not far from it (Plate XXXc). Pieces of the fingers of his right hand were found scattered on the pavement of the niche-cella.

Type
Research Article
Information
IRAQ , Volume 35 , Issue 1 , Spring 1973 , pp. 65 - 69
Copyright
Copyright © The British Institute for the Study of Iraq 1973

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References

1 The expedition's participants included the undersigned as field director; Messrs. Sabah Abood and Shah Al-Siwani, members; Khalid Rashid, accountant; and Hani Al-Saigh, restorer.

2 A complete report of the excavations will be published in Sumer. For a preliminary note, see Iraq 34 (1972). 141fGoogle Scholar.

3 Downey, Susan, The Excavations at Dura-Europos, Final Report III, The Heracles Sculptures (New Haven, 1969), pl. XXIII, 2Google Scholar. Also Al-Salihi, Wathiq, The Sculptures of Divinities from Hatra (doctoral dissertation, Princeton University, N.J. 1969), 92–93, fig. 48Google Scholar.

4 The present height of the statue is 1·84 m. The field number is H 17–600.

5 Downey, Susan, “Cult Banks from Hatra”, Berytus 16 (1966), 97–109Google Scholar.

6 Downey, Susan, The Excavations at Dura Europos, 83–96Google Scholar; Wathiq Al-Salihi, op. cit., 63–100.

7 Downey, Susan, Cult Banks, 98Google Scholar.

8 Downey, Susan, “The Jewellery of Hercules at Hatra”, AJA 72 (1968), 211–217CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

9 Maricq, Andrè, “Classica et Orientalia—2. Les dernières années de Hatra; l'alliance romaine”, Syria 36 (1957), 288–296CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

10 Al-Salihi, W., “Hercules-Nergal at Hatra”, Iraq 34 (1971), 113–115CrossRefGoogle Scholar. At Palmyra, Hercules was assimilated to Nergal, cf. Seyrig, H., “Héraclès-Nergal”, Syria 24 (1944–1945), 64–80Google Scholar.

11 Al-Salihi, W., “Hatra: Aspects of Hatran Religion”, Sumer 26 (1970), 187–193Google Scholar.

12 Ngr' (Carpenter) was recorded in other inscriptions. Cf. Safar, F., “Inscriptions of Hatra” Sumer 18 18 (1962), 24Google Scholar.

13 Nrgl is another form of Nrgwl.

14 Dšḥfṭ' is a misspelled form of dḥšfṭ', an obvious mistake on the part of the dedicator. Dḥšfṭ' which means Chief Guardian or Guardian-in-Chief, is a Persian compound word dḥš and, fṭ' “Nrgl (Nrgwl) dḥšfṭ' ” was mentioned in three inscriptions: F. Safar, op. cit. (inscription no. 145), 43; idem, Sumer 24 (1968) (inscription no. 279), 30; and a short inscription on the threshold of the Temple of the Bulls (incorrectly known as Temple of Mithra), ibid., 30, footnote 65.

15 Al-Salihi, W., Hercules-Nergal, 113Google Scholar.

16 “Hercules-Nergal at Hatra”, Iraq 33 (1971), 113CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

17 Ed. Martin, J. P., ZDMG 29 (1876), 107Google Scholar.

18 “Pagan Syrian Monuments in the Vilayet of Urfa”, An. St. 3 (1953), 109Google Scholar.

19 See my Edessa, “The Blessed City”, 4, 51, 68, 171.

20 See, for example, Drijvers, H. J. W., “The Cult of Azizos and Monimos at Edessa”, Widengren Festschrift, 1972, I, 355Google Scholar.