Ancient Clay Tablet Unveils Hittite Empire's Invasion Amid Civil War Revelations

A 3,300-year-old clay tablet unearthed in central Turkey recounts a devastating foreign invasion during a Hittite civil war, supporting one faction. Discovered at Büklükale by Kimiyoshi Matsumura in May 2023, the tablet reveals the city's potential significance as a major Hittite urban center and royal residence, comparable to Hattuša. The invasion, detailed in cuneiform text, offers insights into the mysterious Bronze Age Hittite Empire's tumultuous history.

Who Are the Hittites?

The Hittites, an ancient Indo-European group, established an empire in Anatolia (modern Turkey) around 1600 BCE at Hattusa in Asia Minor. Flourishing in the mid-1300s BCE, the Hittite Empire expanded into Asia Minor, the northern Levant, and Upper Mesopotamia, benefitting from advancements like horse domestication and technologies such as the wheel and wagon. However, by approximately 1180 BCE, the empire disintegrated into independent Neo-Hittite city-states, enduring until the eighth century BCE.

The Hittites, mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, engaged in battles with ancient Egyptians, leaving their mark in history. The battle featured evenly matched armies, with Egyptian chariots prioritizing speed and Hittite chariots accommodating an additional person for enhanced spear-throwing, showcasing sophisticated military technology and state power in both civilizations.

Despite conflicting claims of victory by Ramesses and Hittite leader Muwatalli, the Treaty of Kadesh emerged as the first peace treaty, illustrating the ability of large civilizations to negotiate and determine their war status with one another.

3,300-Year-Old Clay Tablet Reveals Büklükale's Invasion and Religious Traditions

In the deciphered cuneiform text on the 3,300-year-old clay tablet discovered at Büklükale, central Turkey, the Hittite language reveals that "four cities, including the capital, Hattusa, are in disaster," with the remaining 64 lines constituting a prayer in the Hurrian language seeking victory.

The use of Hurrian suggests a sacred ritual performed by the Hittite king, indicating his presence at Büklükale and involvement in the ritual. Despite years of excavation yielding broken clay tablets, this well-preserved find sheds light on Hurrian religious traditions and Hittite royal practices.

Hurrian, originally from the Mitanni kingdom, later a Hittite vassal state, remains poorly understood. The inscription on the tablet, translated by Mark Weeden, an associate professor at University College London, is a prayer to Teššob (Teshub), the storm god head of both Hittite and Hurrian pantheons.

The prayer praises the deity and laments communication issues between gods and humans, listing potential enemy kings and culminating in a plea for divine guidance.

Dated to the reign of Hittite king Tudhaliya II, circa 1380-1370 B.C., the tablet predates the Late Bronze Age collapse by about 200 years. Although the collapse, linked to various factors, notably climate changes, led to the Hittite Empire's disappearance, the tablet references an invasion during Tudhaliya II's reign, indicating a civil war period with multiple invasions causing temporary destruction of many cities.

While not yet formally published, the discovery significantly enriches knowledge of Hurrian devotional literature and underscores the central role of Hurrian religious traditions at the Hittite royal court during the early empire period, according to Daniel Schwemer, chair of ancient Near Eastern studies at the University of Würzburg.