Baharın Müjdecisi: Çiğdem (Crocus) ya da AN.TAH.SUM.SAR Hititler Devri Anadolu Florasına Küçük Bir Katkı

Abstract

The Sumerian word AN.TAHSUM SAR is known from several Hittite cuneiform texts as a bulbous plant. It took or perhaps gave its name to the spring festivals of the Hittites. The scientific identification of the plant AN.TAH.SUM SAR is stiil debated and several plant names, such as Allium or Lilium, from various plant families, have been suggested. It is known from the texts that the plant or its fruit is edible. During the 38 day Spring festival it was presented to the temple of the Gods in the capital of Hattussah, as well as in other Hittite towns. In Arinna, the plant was presented to the Sun Goddess, Deer were also important elements of this festival. In the inscriptions the number of bulbs were indicated from 3 to 12 or by the bunch, which the hieroglyphics represented with one finger and a mountain sign. Ethnographic studies in modern Turkish villages suggest that Crocus, in Iridaceae family, with over 30 species in Turkey was the plant most likely represented by the Hittite hieroglyphics and Sumerian ideograms AN.TAHSUM The Crocus (commonly known as cigdem) is a well known edible bulbuous plant in Central and South Eastern Anatolia. It is one of the early flowering spring plants of high Anatolian plateau and contemporary villagers recognise it as a harbinger of the spring. In February and March when the Crocus blooms, the plant with its bright yellow flowers are collected by children who decorate dried branches with Crocus bulbs and flowers, and go in groups from house to house chanting a traditional Turkish quatrain about cigdem. They tell the villagers of the arrival of spring, and in their turn are given bulghur (cracked wheat) and fat, to cook the bulbs, which the children then eat.