Ziparwa, originally known as Zaparwa, was the head of the pantheon of the Palaians, inhabitants of a region of northern Anatolia known as Pala in the Bronze Age.
Ziparwa was the head of the "extremely heterogenous" pantheon of the Palaians,[1][2] speakers of Palaic, a language closely related to Hittite and Luwian.
[6] The signs with subscripts, such as waa, constituted a Hittite invention, and it is assumed that they reflected "Hattic syllables beginning with the sound /f/ or /v/".
[8] It has been proposed that in Palaic context, the logogram d10, used to designate such deities, can be read as Ziparwa's name, but there is no certain proof in favor of this interpretation.
[8] Taracha assumes that under Hattian influence, a Palaic god received a new title, and that his original name was close to Hittite Tarḫunna and Luwian Tarḫunz.
[11] As a result, most of the available information about Ziparwa comes from Hittite texts, though there is no indication that he was ever a "pan-Anatolian" deity, and it is presumed his cult was centered in Pala.
[11] Celebrations in honor of Ziparwa formed a part of a state festival dedicated to the Sun goddess of Arinna and the "gods of Hatti" as a whole, established during the reign of Šuppiluliuma I.