Motifs Utilized in Anatolia in the Pre-Turkic Period (7000 BCE – 1071 CE)
The civilizations that once thrived in Anatolia used motifs not merely as decoration but also as tools of religious, magical, and cultural communication. Each motif functioned as a language, an identity, and a monumental memory.
🧱 1. Neolithic – Chalcolithic Period (7000 – 3000 BCE)
Sites: Çatalhöyük – Hacılar – Canhasan
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Geometric Patterns: Zigzag, meander (wave motifs), triangles.
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Meaning: Water, life energy, fertility.
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Materials: Wall paintings, ceramic vessels, ornamentation.
🌸 Mother Goddess Figurine
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Depiction: Wide hips, hands resting on knees, sometimes in childbirth.
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Symbolism: Fertility, abundance, embodiment of the agrarian matriarchal cult.
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Traces: Figurines from Çatalhöyük (ca. 6500 BCE)
🐂 2. Hittite Civilization (1600 – 1200 BCE)
Center: Hattusa (Boğazköy)
☀️ Sun Disks
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Types: Double-headed eagle, horned, spiral-armed forms.
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Origin: Cult of the Sun Goddess of Arinna.
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Usage: Royal tombs, temples, ceremonial chariots.
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Craftsmanship: Bronze casting, repoussé technique.
🐂 Bull (Teshub / Storm God of the Hurrians)
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Religious Role: Symbol of celestial power, controller of storms and rain.
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Artistic Use: Reliefs, ritual hammers, votive objects.
🐍 Serpent Motifs
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Function: Underworld, fertility, domestic protection (carved into house walls).
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Parallel: Cultural kinship with Mesopotamian snake deity Ningishzida.
🛕 3. Urartian Civilization (900 – 600 BCE)
Center: Van, Eastern Anatolia
🦁 Lions and Winged Creatures
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Meaning: Royal guardianship, strength, and victory.
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Typical Motif: Mythical creatures with lion bodies and eagle wings (Griffin-like).
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Mediums: Bronze belts, helmets, temple artifacts.
🌿 Stylized Botanical Motifs
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Lotus Flower: Influences from the East (Urartian-Persian transition).
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Palmette: Symbol of paradise and eternal life.
🏺 4. Phrygian Civilization (750 – 300 BCE)
Center: Gordion, near Ankara
🔄 Meander / Spiral Patterns
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Meaning: Infinity, cosmic cycles.
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Artistic Use: Wooden inlays, ceramics, stone architecture.
🐏 Ram Heads and Animal Masks
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Ritual Use: Sacrificial culture; motifs offered to deities.
⛩️ Stylizations on Rock Monuments
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Example: Geometric reliefs on the façade of the Midas Monument.
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Purpose: Religious protection in temple and tomb architecture.
🏛 5. Greek – Roman – Byzantine Period (600 BCE – 1071 CE)
🍃 Acanthus Leaf
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Origin: Hellenistic art.
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Meaning: Life, rebirth, resurrection.
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Application: Corinthian capitals, mosaic borders.
🌀 Palmette / Rosette
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Meaning: Aesthetic harmony, stylized representation of nature.
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Function: Architectural friezes, mosaic floors, stone carvings.
🕊 Byzantine Symbols
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Motifs: Cross, dove, grapevine.
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Meaning: Peace, salvation of the soul, eternal life.
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Materials: Mosaics, frescoes, apse decorations.
🧭 Historical and Cultural Continuity of Motifs
| Symbol | Neolithic | Hittite | Urartian | Phrygian | Roman/Byzantine | Influence on Turkish Culture |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Disk | ☀️ | ✅ | ➖ | ➖ | ❌ | Sun/star motif |
| Animal Figures | 🐂 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Ram’s horn, wolf track |
| Spirals | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Symbol of water, eternity |
| Botanical Motifs | 🌿 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Tree of life, palmette |
| Mother Goddess | 👩 | ✅ | ➖ | ➖ | ➖ | "Elibelinde" motif in Turkish kilims |
🔍 Conclusion: Evolution of Anatolian Motifs
When the Turks arrived in Anatolia, they encountered this ancient symbolic world. They interacted with the art, architecture, and symbols of indigenous cultures. As a result, a new design language emerged:
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A fusion of shamanic traditions and Anatolian symbolism,
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A blend of geometric simplicity with symbolic richness,
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A reinterpretation of ancient meanings through the lens of Islamic aesthetics.
