2000 year old bronze tablet shows that Greek was spoken in Anatolia
The Anisa bronze tablet provides evidence of Greek usage in Anatolia 2000 years ago and highlights the existence of a multicultural society.
Anisa, an ancient Cappadocian city situated 19 km northeast of Caesarea on the site of Kültepe-Karahöyük, is mentioned in Assyrian texts dating back to the 19th century BC as the Hittite city of Kaniş (or Kaneş), from which the name Anisa likely derived.
Kültepe, an archaeological site in Kayseri Province, Turkey, has been inhabited since the early Bronze Age, around the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. The discovery of approximately 10,000 clay cuneiform tablets at Kültepe, known as the "Cappadocian tablets," brought significant attention to the site. The oldest known evidence of the Greek name Anisa comes from a city coin dating back to the third century BC. Although no ancient writer mentions Anisa, an inscription (ενΑνίσoις) carved on a bronze plate found at Kültepe-Karahöyük reveals an honorary decree of the city of Anisa dating to the late 2nd or early 1st century BC.
Professor Fikri Kulakoğlu, head of the Kültepe Excavation, stated that this significant artifact is now housed in the Berlin Museum. He noted that the tablet contains a council decision, suggesting it was intended for display in a temple within the city.
Kulakoğlu emphasized that Kültepe's significance extends beyond its tablets, with excavations revealing a settlement sequence dating back at least 6,000 years. Notably, evidence from the Hellenistic period, following the 300 BC, indicates a dense settlement at Kültepe, with related structures and artifacts discovered.
Regarding the Anisa Plate, Professor Kulakoğlu explained that it was smuggled to Berlin by an antiquarian in the 1880s and dates back to approximately 160-150 BC. The tablet bears a council decision honoring a high-level administrator and indicates Greek as the language of the city during that period, alongside traces of Persian culture.
Highlighting the multicultural society of the era, Kulakoğlu pointed out the diverse names mentioned on the tablet, suggesting a blending of Greek and Persian influences.
Kulakoğlu stressed the importance of exhibiting a replica of the plate in Kayseri, proposing collaboration with the Berlin Museum to accomplish this.
The Anisa Plate, along with Anisa coins, provides crucial insights into the Hellenistic period of Kültepe, shedding light on legal practices and social life in both Kültepe and the Cappadocia Region.
The decree on the Anisa Plate, inscribed in Greek, commemorates the honoring of Apollonios, son of Abbas, the city administrator of Anisa, with the title of 'benefactor' by the city council and assembly.
The bronze tablet of Anisa listed officials and institutions, believed to be stored at the city's temple of Astarte, and commemorated a constitutional grant by Cappadocian king Ariarathes to the citizens of Anisa.
This decree was offered at the city's sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Astarte, closely associated with the Assyrian goddess Ishtar, who was prevalent in the Hittite state, though less worshipped in Asia Minor.
