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Melitene (Arslantepe)
Q705132Melitene (also known as Milit, Malida, and Melidu): ancient town with important remains from the Chalcolithic and Iron Age, modern Arslantepe.
Prehistory
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Chalcolithic Palace - Fourth millennium important settlement (cf. Uruk Period)
- Period I (3900-3500): Temple C
- Period II (3500-3000): Temple C replaced by a palace
- Among the finds are seals and swords; no urban settlement yet
- c. 3000 BCE: Big fire
- Invasion from Caucasia (Kurus-Araxes Culture); a tomb is built on top of the ruins, perhaps of the leader of the invaders
- 2800-2700 BCE: citadel of a town
Bronze Age
- c. 2000 BCE: recovery, comparable to Kültepe (i.e., Kaneš)
- The area may have been called Išuwa
- Part of the Hittite Empire, now called Milit, "honey town"
Neo-Hittite Period
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Melitene, Statue of Mutalluh - Creation of two major Neo-Hittite kingdoms; Milit belongs to Karchemish
- Becomes increasingly independent (kingdom of Kammanu or Malida)
- Palace with a splendid gate; statue of king Mutalluh and several orthostats ("Traditional Style I", dated to c.1050-c.850 BCE); statues of lions (which is why the site is called Arslan Tepe, "hill of the lion")
- Kammanu/Malida was subject to Urartu in the first half of the eighth century BCE
- 712 BCE: captured by Sargon II
- Cimmerian attacks; decline
Later History
- Part of the Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian Empires
- Royal Road
- Part of Cappadocia
- During the reign of Ariarathes V Eusebes Philopator (r.163-131/130 BCE) conflict with Comagene about Melitene
- 63 BCE Melitene, as it is now called, becomes a vassal of the Roman Empire
- Military base of XII Fulminata; bridge into Armenia
- Capital of province of Armenia II
 Melitene, Relief of a chariot |
 Melitene, Inscription and relief of a lion hunt |
 Melitene, Relief of several gods |
 Melitene, Lion Gate, lion |