Archaeologists have uncovered a royal archive of cuneiform tablets in the ancient Hittite city of Samuha, modern-day Sivas, in central Turkey. This year's excavation unearthed 131 tablets and fragments recording an epidemic of fever, military logistics, religious practices and royal daily life 3,400 years ago. Last year's dig found 53, so this season's discoveries more than triple the number of texts. It is now the largest, most comprehensive archive of Hittite-language documents found in the 21st century. The records date to the reign of King Tudhaliya II and are written in Hittite and Hurrian.
One text describes a fever epidemic that struck the infant daughter of the king. She never recovered, and her health declined until she died. The tablet records the funerary ritual that followed. The health of princes and princesses, from babies to adults, was a major focus of the records, and children of high-ranking officials received similar attention. Because illness was seen as an expression of divine will, religious leaders performed many rituals to watch over the physical health of royal and official children.
Another notable document is a letter from Hittite generals in western Anatolia appealing to the king for reinforcements of men, horses and chariots to fend off enemy forces. Their warnings are dire, claiming the army would be destroyed without fresh strength, and they disclaim responsibility for any failures if help does not arrive. The text also confirms that the king was at Samuha when the letter arrived, underscoring the city's political importance. It was a royal stronghold during periods of upheaval, and his successor Suppiluliuma I later used it as a launching pad for campaigns that expanded the Hittite Empire.
Samuha was also a major religious center. Its patron deity was the goddess Sauska, the Hurrian counterpart of Ishtar and the most important goddess in the Hurrian pantheon. One tablet records the journeys of bird diviners who traveled through different regions, noting their routes, stopovers and observed birds in a diary-like format. These documents offer previously unknown information on how bird omens were observed and interpreted, giving researchers new material on Hittite religion, language and scribal culture.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing