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  Nerik Location of Nerik in Turkey | |
| Alternative name | Narak |
|---|---|
| Location | Oymaağaç, Vezirköprü,Samsun Province, Turkey |
| Region | Black Sea Region |
| Coordinates | 41°12′25″N35°25′12″E / 41.207°N 35.420°E /41.207; 35.420 |
| History | |
| Abandoned | 1200 BC |
| Periods | Hittites |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 2005– |
| Archaeologists | Rainer Maria Czichon |
Nerik (Hittite:Nerik(ka)[1]) was aBronze Age settlement to the north of theHittite capitalsHattusa andSapinuwa, probably in thePontic region.[2] Since 2005–2009, the site of Nerik has been identified asOymaağaç Höyük,[3] on the eastern side of theKızılırmak River, 7 km (4.3 mi) northwest ofVezirköprü.
It was occupied in the Middle Bronze and Late Bronze. The Hittites held it as sacred to aStorm-god who was the son ofWurušemu,Sun-goddess ofArinna. The weather god is associated or identified withMount Zaliyanu near Nerik, responsible for bestowing rain on the city.
Nerik was founded byHattic language speakers asNarak;[1] in the Hattusa archive, tablet CTH 737 records a Hatticincantation for a festival there. UnderHattusili I, theNesite-speaking Hittites took over Nerik. They maintained a spring festival called "Puruli" in honor of the Storm-god of Nerik. In it, the celebrants recited the myth of the slaying ofIlluyanka.
UnderHantili, Nerik was ruined (by the Kaška),[4] and the Hittites had to relocate the Puruli festival to Hattusa.
As of the reign ofTudhaliya I, Nerik's site was occupied by the barbarianKaskas, whom the Hittites blamed for its initial destruction.[5]
DuringMuwatalli II's reign (c. 1290 BC), his brother and appointed governorHattusili III recaptured Nerik and rebuilt it as its High Priest. Hattusili named his firstborn son "Nerikkaili" in commemoration (although he later passed him over for the succession).
Seven years after Muwatalli's sonMursili III became king (c. 1270s BC), Mursili reassigned Nerik to another governor. Hattusili rebelled and became king himself.
Nerik disappeared from the historical record when the Hittite kingdom fell, ca. 1200 BC.
In 2005, Rainer Maria Czichon and Jörg Klinger of theFree University of Berlin began excavatingOymaağaç Höyük. Thus far, this is the northernmost place ofAnatolia with remains from the Hittite Empire, including "three fragments of tablets and abulla with stamps of the scribe Sarini. In addition, mention of the mountains, in which Nerik was located, have been found at the site, as well as features suggestive of monumental Hittite architecture."[6] The team has published a number of articles related to their excavations.[7]
According to Czichon, who is currently[when?] in the archaeology faculty atUşak University, many stone and loom artifacts were unearthed during the excavations. Mining tools were found for copper deposits situated at nearby Tavşan Mountain field. The most valuable artifacts are tablets withcuneiform script, which point out the site as Nerik. An inventory list showing tools, including silver trays and golden bullae contained in an unknown shrine, is also among the findings.[8]
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