Nipas

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Nipas (also spelled Nipaš[1] or Nepaš[2]) was a god worshiped in Kanesh. His name might have been derived from the Hittite word nepis, "heaven", and he might have been a weather god. While he was most likely one of the main deities of the city, and a temple, festival and clergy associated with him are attested, for unknown reasons he does not appear in any later sources.

Name and character[edit]

Nipas' name was rendered as Ni-pá-as in cuneiform.[3] According to Piotr Taracha [de], it most likely originated in a language he refers to as a "central Anatolian substrate", similar to these of other local deities of Kanesh: Ḫariḫari, Ḫigiša, Parka, Tuḫtuḫani and possibly Anna.[1] Guido Kryszat instead connects it with the Hittite word nepis, "heaven".[4] This explanation is also accepted by authors such as Manfred Hutter[5] and Gojko Barjamovic.[6] However, it has been criticized by Daniel Schwemer, who argues that as a neuter noun, this word would be an unusual theonym, and additionally points out that to accept Kryszat's view one has to assume the word preserved the initial n as in Hittite, but developed the same suffix as its Luwian cognate, which starts with a t.[7]

Nipas might have been was a weather god, though the deity represented by the logogram dIM in texts from Kanesh is more likely to be Hittite Tarḫunna than him.[8]

It has been proposed that seals from Kanesh showing a family of deities might depict Nipas and Anna accompanied by divine children, but this interpretation is far from certain.[9]

Worship[edit]

Since Nipas, Anna and Parka appear particularly often in known texts from Kanesh from the karum period, it is possible that they formed the core of the local pantheon.[10] Guido Kryszat outright refers to him as the most important deity of this city next to Anna.[8] Despite their prominence, these deities are largely absent from theophoric names.[4]

A temple dedicated to Nipas existed in Kanesh.[11] A festival held in his honor is also attested.[12] It is presumed it occurred in the fourth month in the contemporary Assyrian calendar, in which the year started in October.[13] It took place after the festival of Anna,[14] the city goddess.[15] The local ruler visited Nipas' temple during it.[14] In one text, "when the ruler leaves the temple of Nipas" is the date by which a loan has to be repaid.[16]

A priest of Nipas named Šulili is mentioned in a single document.[17] However, the name is otherwise unattested in the entire corpus of texts from this site.[9]

Nipas is not attested in any Hittite texts postdating the Kanesh tablets.[14] Later Assyrian texts similarly do not mention him in any capacity.[3] The reasons behind his apparent loss of relevance are not known.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Taracha 2009, p. 28.
  2. ^ Barjamovic 2022, p. 529.
  3. ^ a b Schwemer 2008, p. 19.
  4. ^ a b c Kryszat 2006, p. 121.
  5. ^ Hutter 2021, p. 45.
  6. ^ Barjamovic 2022, p. 536.
  7. ^ Schwemer 2008, p. 20.
  8. ^ a b Kryszat 2006, p. 113.
  9. ^ a b Barjamovic 2022, p. 537.
  10. ^ Barjamovic 2022, pp. 536–537.
  11. ^ Veenhof & Eidem 2008, p. 236.
  12. ^ Haas 2015, p. 676.
  13. ^ Veenhof & Eidem 2008, pp. 242–243.
  14. ^ a b c Taracha 2009, p. 29.
  15. ^ Kryszat 2006, p. 117.
  16. ^ Veenhof & Eidem 2008, p. 237.
  17. ^ Veenhof & Eidem 2008, p. 231.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Barjamovic, Gojko (2022). "Before the Kingdom of the Hittites". The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East: Volume II. Oxford University Press. pp. 497–565. doi:10.1093/oso/9780190687571.003.0017. ISBN 978-0190687571.
  • Haas, Volkert (2015) [1994]. Geschichte der hethitischen Religion. Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1: The Near and Middle East (in German). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-29394-6. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  • Hutter, Manfred (2021). Religionsgeschichte Anatoliens: Vom Ende des dritten bis zum Beginn des ersten Jahrtausends (in German). Kohlhammer Verlag. ISBN 978-3-17-026975-0. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  • Kryszat, Guido (2006). "Herrscher, Herrschaft und Kulttradition in Anatolien nach den Quellen aus den altassyrischen Handelskolonien - Teil 2: Götter, Priester und Feste Altanatoliens". Altorientalische Forschungen (in German). 33 (1). Walter de Gruyter GmbH. doi:10.1524/aofo.2006.33.1.102. ISSN 2196-6761. S2CID 164077437.
  • Schwemer, Daniel (2008). "The Storm-Gods of the Ancient Near East: Summary, Synthesis, Recent Studies: Part II". Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions. 8 (1). Brill: 1–44. doi:10.1163/156921208786182428. ISSN 1569-2116.
  • Taracha, Piotr (2009). Religions of Second Millennium Anatolia. Dresdner Beiträge zur Hethitologie. Vol. 27. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-3447058858.
  • Veenhof, Klaus R.; Eidem, Jesper (2008). Mesopotamia: the Old Assyrian period. Fribourg: Academic Press. ISBN 978-3-525-53452-6. OCLC 244654503.
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