Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Kayalıpınar in Türkiye have discovered a Hittite royal archive containing 184 cuneiform tablets and fragments.
Kayalıpınar, identified with the ancient city of Šamuḫa, is located in the Yıldızeli district of Sivas Province in central Türkiye.
Excavations conducted by Koç University under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism have uncovered 131 cuneiform tablets and fragments during the latest archaeological season.
Combined with tablets recovered during previous excavations, the discovery brings the total number of documents from the archive to 184.
The tablets date from approximately 3,400 years ago during the reign of the Hittite king Tudhaliya II and contain records relating to the political, military and administrative affairs of the Hittite state.
Preliminary examination of the texts has revealed references to military activities, epidemics, the death of an infant princess and requests for assistance sent to the king by Hittite military commanders.
Researchers say that the archive could provide important new information about the administration of the Hittite kingdom and aspects of daily life during the Late Bronze Age.
The Hittites established a powerful kingdom in Anatolia during the 2nd millennium BC, which developed into an empire extending across much of Anatolia and parts of the northern Levant.
Šamuḫa was an important Hittite administrative and religious centre and is frequently mentioned in surviving textual sources. The city was particularly associated with the worship of Šauška, a goddess connected with love and war.
The newly discovered documents could provide further evidence for the role of Šamuḫa within the political and administrative structure of the Hittite state.
According to Sivas Governor Yılmaz Şimşek: “These tablets, which date back approximately 3,400 years, provide us with important information on many aspects of the Hittite civilisation, from state administration and military activities to their beliefs and daily lives.”
Thousands of Hittite cuneiform tablets have previously been discovered at Hattusa, the Hittite capital near modern Boğazkale. Excavations beginning during the early 20th century uncovered extensive royal archives containing diplomatic correspondence, treaties, religious texts and administrative records.
According to the researchers, the Kayalıpınar assemblage represents the most extensive Hittite royal archive discovered during the 21st century and is one of the most significant concentrations of Hittite documents found outside Hattusa.
Excavations at Kayalıpınar are ongoing, while further translation and analysis of the tablets could reveal previously unknown details concerning Hittite politics, military organisation, religion and society.
Sources : Sivasirade