Tamas Peter Kisbali
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
This paper is about the configuration and function of courtyards in the Anatolian architecture of the 2nd millennium BC. The term “courtyard” itself is not easily defined and many different readings are available, but in the current study we are primarily interested in courtyards as open spaces enclosed in architectural complexes (e.g. “inner courtyards”). These are attested in both cult buildings (temples) and administrative/representative buildings (“palaces”). These open spaces (both singular ones or systems of multiple courtyards) organised and controlled movement throughout the complex, but could also serve as a place for gatherings and rituals; thus, they had both structural and semantic functions.
The paper will provide a study of various building complexes, with special attention to a group of the most interesting ones, including (but not limited to) Beycesultan V (the so-called “Burnt Palace”), Kültepe, Acemhöyük; palaces and temples of major Hittite centres such as Alacahöyük, Boğazkale/Hattusa, Kuşaklı/Sarissa and others.
The topic of courtyards constitutes a key problem of 2nd millennium BC architecture. The aforementioned complexes are an integral part of the Near Eastern building traditions, but certain distinctive traits are attested mostly in ancient Asia Minor. Many of them also exemplify the connection between courtyards and porticos, thus contributing to the study of detached columns in ancient architecture. The buildings under consideration also influenced the architecture of the 1st millennium BC in Asia Minor and adjacent regions.