BIKE CLASSICAL: Kirshu (Meydancikkale): Luwian Capital of Pirandu and the Lost Archaic Tomb

Photos by Jack A. Waldron

From Aydincik on the coast, which was the ancient port city of Kelenderis, to Meydancikkale (36°16'21.0"N 33°26'22.5"E), is about a 20 kilometer trek up into the mountains to a massive plateau. In ancient times, this area was a productive source of lumber, iron ore, lead, and other natural resources that were exported to locations around the Mediterranean. Once you reach the heights above the coast, the terrain becomes a bit more manageable with hills and some flat stretches of road. Medancikkale, known as Kirshu in ancient times, is referred to as 'Kirsi' in the Old Testament, and though little is known about the site, we can piece enough together to show the rich and important role it played within the area of ancient Hume, known later as, Cilicia.

When I reached Meydancikkale, my first mission of passion was to search for an Archaic Tomb, which I understood to be located somewhere on the slopes below the citadel. I scoured the steep inclines of Meydancikkale (Meydancik Castle) for the Archaic Tomb/Mausoleum for quite a long time, but despite my efforts, it just would not reveal itself.

Pictured above, a photograph of the Archaic Tomb Complex on the slopes of Meydancikkale as it was seen following excavations of the site (on display at the Silifke Archeological Museum).

Pictured above and below, these are archeological drawings of the Tomb Complex, also on display at the museum. Labeled as a tomb, I do think it's possible to interpret this structure as a rock temple or grotto temple, with a pronaos and a naos, or cella, present.

Why did I want so badly to see this tomb in person? The reason is, from what I see in these museum photos, the site resembles more of an Archaic Sanctuary than a tomb, and it is very similar to the Grotto of Heracles, or Temple of Heracles, on Mount Kynthos at the Sanctuary of Delos (pictured below). I have to ask myself, why didn't I make the climb up Kynthos to get a better photo? My answer has two parts, first, the transport boat that takes people to the island only allows so much time, and the antiquities are spread over a huge area, second, it was hot! I should have returned for a second day of exploration. That said, now I have LABRYS, my sailboat, so hopefully I will return to the sanctuary. Anchoring across from Delos at a small island bay is allowed, and then you just dinghy across. When you compare the photos of the two sites, it's obvious that they have very similar architectural designs.

With regard to the so-called 'caryatids' that were found at either side of the entrance to the 'tomb', the feet of these 'caryatids' are presented sticking out from the bottom of the peplos (body-length Archaic and Classical Greek dress for women), which reminds me of the feet of the Archaic sanctuary deity of the goddess Demeter from the Sanctuary of Morgantina, Sicily (pictured below), which in its intended physical presentation, included sculpted feet, hands, and face, and with a cloth peplos having been draped over and around them during ancient times. You can see more of my photographs of the Archaic representation of Demeter from the Aidone Archeological Museum in my post on ancient Morgantina.

Moreover, the bodies of the two caryatids appear to lack the fine detailed relief I would expect from sculptures of standing figures from this period, which then would suggest an interesting resemblance to how deities were sometimes presented during the Archaic period, with sculpted feet, hands, and face, and then having a cloth peplos draped around and over them. There are other possible explanations for the lack of detail, one being fire. Maybe these sculptures were damaged by numerous forest fires over the centuries?

Is the Tomb Complex at Meydancikkale actually a Sanctuary of Demeter? Were these caryatids representations of Demeter and Persephone? Were these standing figures actually caryatids, or were they presented during the Archaic period as dieties within their sanctuary, and draped from their heads to their feet in flowing cloth peploi?

Did these figures have finely sculpted detailed faces? Or, is it possible there were facial masks of the deities attached to these standing figures? Were detached finely sculpted hands a feature of these representations? I don't see enough evidence to prove to me that these were simply caryatids. The bodies of the figures are very rough, and I have a difficult time imagining that this was caused by weathering alone.

These so-called 'caryatids' are dated to the Early-Archaic period, around the 6C BCE. Interestingly, I am also reminded of another Archaic Greek site along the coast of modern day Turkey, ancient Erythrai, and its Temple of Athena Polias, which had a standing Archaic sculpture of the deity Athena, though that sculpture offers fine detail from head to toe.

As I am writing this article, I am still trying to find any information on the location of this tomb/sanctuary. The area of the slopes around the citadel is extensive and overgrown, so it would take a great search to uncover this antiquity. If you are knowledgeable about the coordinates of the tomb/sanctuary, please add them in the comments section at the bottom of this post, because I do plan to return to the site someday.

After my exhausting search, it was time to head up to the citadel itself. There is a nice reception area below the site, and an information board detailing the history, but of course it lacks any information on the location of the tomb/sanctuary. Meydancikkale (ancient Kirshu/Kirsi) offered a near perfect natural defensive position for its occupiers, and became an important fortification along the north/south route. Furthermore, the site grew in importance for the local Neo-Hittite king following the demise of the Hittite Empire, as small city state kingdoms were established throughout Southeastern Anatolia.

Ancient Kirshu is located along a direct route linking ancient Kelenderis (its more ancient name possibly being Ura, modern Aydancik) on the Mediterranean coast, to the Hittite mound 20 kilometers north of Kirshu, known today as Kilise Tepe (36°28'49.8"N 33°32'51.4"E), and which then continues on to ancient Claudiopolis, (modern Mut, the Hittite name of which is unknown). Kirshu became the capital of the Neo-Hittite state of Pirandu, which is reported to have been established during the 7C BCE. However, there is evidence of earlier occupation of the site by the Hittites, as a seal stamp of the Hittite King Muwatalli II (1295-1292 BCE) was found during excavations.

A seal stamp of Muwatalli II being found at Meydancikkale makes the site a candidate for the new Hittite capital following its relocation from Hattusa to the Tarhuntassa area, which occurred during his reign. However, another possible site for the new Hittite capital is located on the Konya Plain, at Turkmen-Karahoyuk (37°37'21.0"N 33°01'46.0"E).

In 562 BCE, as mentioned in the Old Testament, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar was succeeded first by his son Abel-Marduk, who was then murdered by an officer of the late king, named Neriglissar. Neriglissar would play a role in the history of Kirshu (Meydancikkale), by first attacking and forcing the Hittite king Appuasa from the important port city of Ura (either modern Silifke, or Gilindere [36°07'48.8"N 33°23'47.0"E] near Aydancik, or possibly ancient Soli, later named Pompeiopolis), then moving on to Kirsi (Kirshu/Meydancikkale), where he burnt, and murdered everyone within the "Royal City". The biblical chronicles are as follows:

"Appuašu, the king of Pirindu, mustered a large army and set out to plunder and sack Syria. Neriglissar mustered his army and marched to Hume [Cilicia] to oppose him.

Before his arrival Appuašu placed the army and cavalry which he had organized in a mountain valley ambush. When Neriglissar reached them he inflicted a defeat upon them and conquered the large army. The army and numerous horses he captured. He pursued Appuašu for a distance of fifteen double-hours and marched through difficult mountains, where men must walk in single file, as far as Ura, the royal city.

He captured him, captured Ura, and sacked it. When he had marched for a distance of six double hours through rough mountains and difficult passes, from Ura to Kirši - his forefather's royal city - he captured Kirši, the mighty city, his royal metropolis. He burned its wall, its palace, and its people.

Pitusu, a land in the midst of the ocean, and six thousand combat troops who were stationed in it he captured by means of boats. He destroyed their city and captured their people.

In that same year from the pass of Sallune to the border of Lydia he started fires. Appuašu fled, so he did not capture him." *Note: tr. White, Grayson.

Neriglissar began his return to Babylon in early 556 BCE, leaving Kirsi/Kirshu/Meydancikale under Babylonian control until the defeat of Babylon in 539 BCE by the Persian king, Cyrus the Great. Kirsi/Kirshu/Meydancikkale would remain under the control of the Persians and the Achaemenean Empire until they were defeated by Alexander the Great at the Battle of Gaugamela on 1 October 331 BCE.

Following the death of Alexander the Great, Kirsi/Kirshu/Meydancikkale was eventually brought into the realm of the Ptolemaic Dynasty. There is little to no evidence that the site was occupied following Hellenic control, and may have remained abandoned until the Byzantines found interest in the area and/or site. Pictured above, this is the ancient road leading up to the northeast gate of the citadel. The defensive walls above the path and gate appear to be Hellenistic. Pictured below, there is an ancient staircase leading up to the protected entrance of the complex.

The elongated citadel is oriented northeast to southwest, and is approximately 750 meters in length, and 150 meters in width. Located in the middle of the citadel is the so-called 'palace', which may also be referred to as a 'treasury', because a hoard of 5215 Hellenic era coins from city state kingdoms throughout the region was excavated from within this area. These coins are on display at the Silifke Archeological Museum, but unfortunately I failed to photograph them.

Pictured above, this is the gate located at the northeast tip of the citadel. Notice the stone block in the foreground, which interestingly has a smooth indented relief, very similar to stone blocks found within the main temple complex at Hattusa. At Hattusa, such relieved stone blocks appear to have functioned as part of the corridor floor, and somehow in connection with the door jams and, changes in floor levels as well.

Pictured above, this is a look at the gate from within and just a few meters north of the gate. You can see that some sections of the gate have been cut from the rock of the citadel leaving massive stone slab obstacles to entry. Pictured below, I am standing on the back side of the gate wall, which is a massive rock-cut stone slab (can also be seen in the top left of the photo above).

Pictured below, another look at the rock-cut slab that forms the walled entrance of the gate. The break or slot in the middle of the wall was most likely used to guard and defend the staircase. The 'palace' as a whole is a combination of rock-cut structural members and large stone blocks cut to purpose, all of which are then fit together to form the construction of the buildings.

Pictured below, this square rock cut structure may be a defensive tower or box, and is located directly across from the gate. My guess is that all or most of the large square stone blocks within the complex were actually cut from the surface of the citadel. This quarrying left calculated cavities in rock surface for purposeful construction, while the stone blocks were used to create the walls of structures, and ground flooring where needed.

Pictured below, a look at the east and west edges of the citadel as seen from the north end looking south. In the left of the photo you see the massive stone slab of the northeast gate, and on the right you see the defensive tower/box, or ancient pillbox, if you will.

The panorama photo above was made from the two photos that see below. My old Nikon camera is brilliant, and it served me well, but one feature it lacks is panorama or wide photo option. That said, I still haven't figured out how to take a panorama or wide angle photo with my GH5s.

As previously mentioned, there is little information on the history of the citadel, but it has been described as a 'palace', or "royal city", and there probably was a palace within its walls. I have difficulty seeing the site as a 'city', or a 'metropolis', because there doesn't seem to be enough area to accommodate that many citizens. I could on the other hand picture the site as a fort, that in instances of invasion of the surrounding area, could become the place of refuge.

The structures, or areas within the complex are not marked with any sort of signage, and that is probably because nobody can say for sure what the function of each building or area was, however, in the photos above and below, I think this is what is referred to as the 'palace', or 'treasury'.

As you can see in the photos above and below, the valley and plateaus to the west of the citadel are breathtaking. The walls of the structures within the complex appear to have seen some re-imagination and re-configuration over time. I say this, because some of the stone blocks just don't quite have that uniformity of fit that I might expect. You can see however, that the large square stone blocks that make up the floor of the complex do have the uniformity and fit of original construction (pictured above).

Turning to the south end of the 'palace', there is a very large cavity in the floor (pictured above), and this bears a striking resemblance to the pool within the upper eastern complex at Hattusa. More and more, I am seeing the complex at Meydancikkale as having a Hittite or Neo-Hittite design. Pictured below, a close look at the west wall of the 'pool', again featuring massive slabs cut from the rock of the citadel.

One thing though, if this truly is a Hittite or Neo-Hittite complex, where are the Hittite reliefs, sculptures, and inscriptions from that period? Where are the ceremonial gate lion or sphinx sculptures, and the other reliefs that would have greeted visitors? Unlike at Aslantepe, or at Karatepe, we don't find such evidence here. Pictured below, just meters from the south end of the 'pool', we come to a southern exit from the 'palace'.

The southern exit from the 'palace' appears to pass through a rectangular building that is constructed of large square stone blocks. Beyond this exit is an area of scattered stone blocks and boulders, and unlike the 'palace' complex, the surface of this area is not finished with stone block flooring. Furthermore, this area may have consisted of smaller structures that probably included the dwellings of servants, administrative persons, soldiers, and so on (pictured above and below).

Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of the southern end of the citadel, because there didn't appear to be much to see with regard to antiquities. However, I found out later upon my research, that there is a 20 meter deep tunnel somewhere out there that may have been used as a cistern, a passageway, or even a sacred space, similar to the one at Arsameia.

The photo above is a panoramic view of the 'palace' area as seen from the south side, and is a combination of the following two photos. When I return to Meydancikkale, I intend to explore the southern point of the citadel, because I know there are ancient structures to be found, as well as the 'sacred tunnel'. I will also seek out the elusive Archaic Tomb, aka Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone, as I suggest it very well could be.