Most of the excavated texts were written in Hittite, but recent research has shown that some tablets also contain writings in a previously unknown language. Archaeologists have not yet provided any photographs of these tablets with unknown inscriptions.

What is known

The Hittites were an ancient group of Indo-Europeans who settled in Anatolia and established one of the most powerful empires of the Late Bronze Age (1650-1200 BC). The Hittites were famous for their military prowess and documented their battles with records on clay tablets.

Researchers haven’t figured out the new language yet, but it’s already clear It was probably spoken by the Kalash inhabitants of the northwestern tip of the Hittite state.. The language is similar to Luwian, well known to the inhabitants of the Hittite Empire. One of the previously deciphered cuneiform inscriptions refers to an ancient ritual performed in Kalash.

Professor Daniel Schwemer says the Hittites had an unusual interest in recording rituals in foreign languages. According to him, the new language is closely related to the Indo-European languages ​​spoken today in much of Europe, as well as on the Iranian plateau and the north of the Indian subcontinent.