Editing Kültepe (section)

==History==

Kültepe is located about 20&nbsp;km northeast from the modern city [[Kayseri]]. Its ancient name is recorded in Assyrian and Hittite sources. In Assyrian inscriptions from the 20th and the 19th century BC, the city was mentioned as '''''Kaneš''''' (also transcribed as Kanesh); in later [[Hittite language|Hittite]] inscriptions, the city was mentioned as '''''Neša''''' (sometimes transcribed as Nesha, Nessa or Nesa. Neša derives from [Ka]neša). 

The site is divided into two main areas: the circular mound (tepe, höyük) and the lower town to its northeast. The mound was inhabited (with discontinuity) from the Early Bronze Age through the Roman Empire, while the lower town was occupied only from the last decades of the third millennium to the early sixteenth century BCE.<ref name=Michel2020_Women>{{Cite Q|Q130241124 | access-date=2024-09-05 | page = 8}}</ref> The lower town displays four levels of occupation, with only levels II (approximately 1945–1835 BCE) and Ib (approximately 1832–1700 BCE)—which roughly correspond to the Middle Bronze Age—yielding significant written records, totaling around 22,200 and 560 tablets, respectively. In contrast, only forty scattered tablets were found on the mound, where palaces and temples were uncovered, indicating that there are no surviving archives from the local authorities, if such archives ever existed.<ref name=Michel2020_Women/> This ''kārum'' appears to have served as "the administrative and distribution centre of the entire Assyrian colony network in Anatolia".{{sfn|Bryce|2005|p=37}} A late record, from circa 1400 BC, recounts the story of a king of Kaneš called Zipani, with seventeen local city-kings who rose up against [[Naram-Sin of Akkad]], who ruled circa 2254&ndash;2218 BC.{{sfn|Bryce|2005|p=10}}

During the ''kārum'' period, and before the conquest of [[Pitḫana]], these local kings reigned in Kaneš: 
*Ḫurmili (before 1790 BC)
*Paḫanu (a short time in 1790 BC)
*Inar (c. 1790–1775 BC), then
*Waršama (c. 1775–1750 BC).<ref>Kloekhorst, Alwin, (2021). [https://www.academia.edu/53253292/A_new_interpretation_of_the_Old_Hittite_Zalpa_text_CTH_3_1_N%C4%93%C5%A1a_as_the_capital_under_%E1%B8%AAuzzii_a_I_Labarna_I_and_%E1%B8%AAattu%C5%A1ili_I_2021_ "A new interpretation of the Old Hittite Zalpa-text (CTH 3.1): Nēša as the capital under Ḫuzzii̯a I, Labarna I, and Ḫattušili I"], in ''Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol.141, No. 3'', p. 564.</ref>

The king of [[Zalpuwa]], [[Uḫna]], raided Kaneš, after which the Zalpuwans carried off the city's ''Šiuš'' idol. Pitḫana, the king of [[Kuššara]], conquered Neša "in the night, by force", but "did not do evil to anyone in it".<ref>{{cite book |last=Kuhrt |first=Amélie |date=1995 |title=The Ancient Near East, Volume I |location=London and New York |publisher=Routledge |page=[https://archive.org/details/ancientneareastc00akuh/page/226 226] |isbn=0-415-16763-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/ancientneareastc00akuh/page/226 }}</ref> Neša revolted against the rule of Pitḫana's son, [[Anitta (king)|Anitta]], but Anitta quashed the revolt and made Neša his capital. Anitta further invaded Zalpuwa, captured its king [[Huzziya]], and recovered the ''Šiuš'' idol for Neša.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/eieol/hitol-1-R.html | title=The Proclamation of Anittas (Old Hittite) | access-date=2006-07-03 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303180049/http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/eieol/hitol-1-R.html | archive-date=2014-03-03 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the 17th century BC, Anitta's descendants moved their capital to [[Hattusa]], which Anitta had cursed, thus founding the [[List of Hittite kings|line of Hittite kings]]. The inhabitants thus referred to the [[Hittite language]] as ''Nešili'' 'the Neša tongue'.