Explore Ancient Anatolia

Perfect head statue of Roman female at Bolu Archaeology Museum, Claudiopolis of Bithynia, Bolu, Turkey, opened recently. Bolu was part of one of the Hittite kingdoms around 2000 BC and later 500 BC became one of the leading cities of the Kingdom of Bithynia. Strabo mentions a Hellenistic town, Bithynium, celebrated for its pastures and cheese, which according to Pausanias was founded by Arcadians from Mantinea.

Hermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and additionally a guide to the Underworld. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and wit, of literature and poets, of athletics and sports, of weights and measures, of invention, and of commerce in general. His symbols include the tortoise, the rooster, the winged sandals, the winged hat, and the caduceus. In the Roman adaptation of the Greek religion (interpretatio romana), Hermes was identified with the Roman god Mercury, who, though inherited from the Etruscans , developed many similar characteristics, such as being the patron of commerce. Hermes more... Photo: Head statue of Hermes at Bolu Archaeology Museum, Claudiopolis of Bithynia, Bolu, Turkey, opened recently. More...

In Hittite mythology, Illuyanka was a serpentine dragon slain by Tarhunt, the Hittite incarnation of the Hurrian god of sky and storm. It is known from Hittite cuneiform tablets found at Çorum-Boğazköy, the former Hittite capital Hattusa. The context is a ritual of the Hattian spring festival of Puruli. The myth is found in Catalogue des Textes Hittites 321. It is indeed preserved only in Hittite language, but since the names of the characters are Hattic especially, it is considered Hattic myth. It survives in two versions. This myth shows strong resemblance to the ancient myth of Typhon.