Ethnic Composition of the Population of the International Kanish Trade Colony (1800 ВС)
Nikitina A. D.
The onomastic and glyptic data from Kul-tepe levels II-lb (c. 1875-1800 ВС) gives an opportunity to reconstruct ethnic distrubution of the population of the Kanish trade colony as follows: at the northern part of the site, mainly inhabited by foreign traders, 50-60% of population belonged to Mesopotamian/Semitic ethnic enclave (Assyrians, Amoreans, mostly associated to them, and с 5-7% traders from South Mesopotamia), occupying the northern and partly central part of the site. The Hurrians from South-East Anatolia and North Mesopotamia (to whom the so-called «Assyro-Anatolian» glyptic style can be attributed) constitute с 10-15% of population at any part of the site - northern, central or southern. The local Hittite-Luwians occupied mostly the southern part. On the whole, the ethnic ratio for both northern and central parts can be approximately given as > 46% (Semitic Mesopotamians) : 12% (Hurrians) : < 42% (Hittites and luwians), while for the southern part it would be с 15% (Hurrians) : 85% Hittite-Luwians (70% of Hittites and 15% of Luwians). The existence of two different ethnic enclaves/communities (Semitic and Anatolian), inhabiting different quarters, with Hurrians dispersed throughout the whole site as the third independent group, can be deduced from these ratios.