Smallest Hittite figurine goes on display in Çorum

ÇORUM

A 3,500-year-old “Young Storm God” figurine, found by chance by a local resident in Çorum and delivered to the Boğazköy Museum, is on display for visitors for the first time.

The figurine, which dates back to the Hittite Kingdom period (15th–14th centuries B.C.), is considered a unique example of its kind and the smallest known Hittite bronze figurine of a storm deity.

Discovered in the Büyükdona village in the Alaca district, the artefact measures just 7.65 centimeters and has drawn significant attention from the archaeological world. After conservation and documentation work, it was added to the museum’s collection.

Experts say the figurine was produced using arsenical copper casting techniques. It is distinguished by its use of a rare “riveted limb technique” developed by the Hittites, with peg holes indicating that its arms and legs were attached separately to the body.

The Storm God, regarded as the “King of Gods” in the Hittite pantheon, symbolizes fertility, rain and the power of the sky. Known as Taru in Hattian, Tarhunza in Luwian, Teshub in Hurrian and Tarhuna in Hittite sources, the deity was typically depicted in human or bull form.

The figurine was unveiled at a ceremony held as part of Tourism Week at the Boğazköy Museum, attended by Çorum Governor Ali Çalgan, Mayor Halil İbrahim Aşgın and other officials.

Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Çalgan said the artefact is a “highly valuable and unique piece” made around 3,500 years ago in the region, thanking the citizen who discovered it and handed it over to the museum.

Museum officials noted that the figurine was first introduced to the academic world during an exhibition in South Korea and later presented at a local archaeology symposium.