Opening details

The palm-sized tablet was found in May 2023 by archaeologist Kimiyoshi Matsumura of Japan’s Anatolian Archaeological Institute among Hittite ruins in Büklükälä, about 60 kilometers southeast of Turkey’s capital Ankara.

Archaeologists believe that Büyükkale was a major Hittite city. The new discovery suggests that it was also a royal residence, perhaps on par with the royal residence at the Hittite capital Hattusa (also spelled Hattusa), about 112 kilometers to the northeast.

Here are the ruins of Büyükale / Photo: Kimiyoshi Matsumura, Japanese Anatolian Archeology Institute

According to a translation by Mark Weeden, associate professor of ancient Near Eastern languages ​​at University College London, the first six lines of the cuneiform tablet read in Hittite that “four cities, including the capital Hattus, are in disaster.” The remaining 64 lines are a Hurrian prayer requesting victory.

Kimiyoshi Matsumura said that the Hurrian language was used in religious ceremonies in the empire. It may be thought that the tablet may be a record of a sacred ritual performed by the Hittite king himself.

The discovery of the Hurrian tablet means that a religious ritual was performed by a Hittite king in Büyüklukal. This shows that at least a Hittite king came to Büyükkale and performed the ritual.
– says Matsumura.

The tablet was found on the northern side of the Hittite ruins at Buklukal. The sacred Hurrian language written on the tablet suggests that it was a royal residence or temple / Photo: Kimiyoshi Matsumura, Japanese Anatolian Archaeological Institute

What do we know about the Hittite Empire?

Archaeologists believe that the first Hittite kingdoms were established in Central Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) around 2100 BC. By 1450 BC the Hittites were already a major regional power. They are mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, and ancient Egyptian inscriptions show that the Hittite Empire fought them in 1274 BC in the Battle of Kadesh, one of the oldest battles in history.

Matsumura and his colleagues have been excavating the ruins at Byklukal for about 15 years. Previously they had only found broken clay tablets, but this one is in almost perfect condition.

Hurrian was originally the language of the Mitanni kingdom, which later became vassals of the Hittites. According to Matsumura, the language is still poorly researched and experts have spent months trying to decipher the meaning of the inscription.

The Hurrian script appears to be a prayer addressed to Teshsob (also spelled Teshub), the Hurrian name for the storm god who was the head of both the Hittite and Hurrian pantheons. The text glorifies God and his divine ancestors and also repeatedly mentions communication problems between gods and humans..

The prayer continues by listing several individuals, possibly enemy kings, and ends with a request for divine counsel.

Civil war

Hittite Empire B.C. It disappeared from history in the early 12th century. This coincided with the collapse of the Late Bronze Age, when many ancient civilizations around the Mediterranean were in turmoil.

The reasons for this decline are unknown to scientists, but may include famine caused by climate change, according to historian Eric Klein.

However, the invasion mentioned in the newly discovered tablet does not seem to have much to do with it. Matsumura says Tablet, Hittite king II. It dates to the reign of Tuthaliya, roughly between 1380 and 1370 BC.. This predates the decline of the Late Bronze Age by about 200 years.

According to him the sign “It looks like it belongs to the civil war period that we know from others [хетських] texts”. During this period, Hittite lands were invaded from many directions at the same time, and many cities were temporarily destroyed.

A new find from Büyükkale confirms the key role of Hurrian religious traditions in the Hittite royal court.

The finding has not yet been formally published in a peer-reviewed journal.