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New archaeological findings in the Middle East are shedding light on the use of previously unknown languages by an ancient civilization to encourage diversity and maintain political harmony.
The revolutionary findings are also revealing new insights into the operations of ancient empires.
Recent diggings in Turkey, at the site of the former center of the Hittite empire, have uncovered compelling proof that the ruling government had specialized departments focused on studying the beliefs of conquered groups.
During the second millennium BC, there is evidence to suggest that Hittite leaders instructed their civil servants to document the religious practices and traditions of subject peoples in their own local languages, using Hittite script. This was done in order to preserve these traditions and incorporate them into the empire’s diverse and inclusive religious system.
Modern scholars of ancient languages have revealed that Hittite government officials documented religious texts from at least five different ethnic groups.
The most recent instance was discovered only 60 days ago. It was determined to be written in a Middle Eastern dialect that was previously undiscovered and had been absent for approximately 3,000 years.
from harm.
The only remaining gate in the city of Hatussa is guarded by two stone lions, believed to have been placed there to protect the citizens from danger, much like the recently unearthed religious texts.
Over the years, approximately 30,000 clay tablet documents, both whole and broken, have been discovered in the remains of the old Hittite capital – Hattussa (currently called Bogazkoy), located about 100 miles east of Ankara, the capital of modern Turkey.
The majority of the documents were written in the primary language of the empire, known as Hittite. However, a small portion, approximately 5%, were written by scribes from the Hittite government in the languages of minority ethnic groups within the empire. These groups included the Luwians from south-eastern Anatolia, the Palaians from north-west Anatolia, the Hattians from central Anatolia, and the Hurrians from Syria and northern Mesopotamia.
A recently uncovered minority language, documented by official scribes (previously unknown to present-day researchers) is now referred to as Kalasmaic. This language appears to have been used by a subjugated group living in a region called Kalasma on the outskirts of the empire’s northwestern territory.
A replica of a portion of the city wall of Hatussa.
The findings indicate that even lesser-known languages within the empire were being documented, analyzed, and conserved through written records. This also implies the potential discovery of other small, previously unknown Middle Eastern languages on Hittite clay tablets found in the ancient scriptoria currently being excavated at Bogazkoy.
The scribes of the empire’s civil service wrote their manuscripts using a Hittite adaptation of cuneiform, the world’s oldest writing system that originated in Mesopotamia. Cuneiform is made up of wedge-shaped lines arranged in groups to represent syllables.
During ancient times, the region known as Turkey in the Middle East was abundant in various languages.
The variety of languages is influenced by the topography of an area. Areas with many mountains and isolated valleys tend to have a higher chance of developing and preserving multiple languages.
Currently, there are only five minority languages that are recognized from the Hittite empire during the Bronze Age. However, due to the hilly terrain, it is likely that there were actually at least 30 languages present.
The Caucasus mountains region, located next to the ancient Hittite Empire, is home to approximately 40 different languages that are still spoken today.
The Hittite language is the earliest recorded Indo-European dialect in the world.
The oldest written records can be traced back to the 16th century BC. Being an Indo-European language, it shares similarities with many contemporary European languages (such as English) and numerous Asian languages (like Iranian and various Indian languages). Surprisingly, despite the 3,000-year difference, ancient Hittite and modern English share a considerable number of words.
For example, Watar meant “water” in the Hittite language. Duttar was a component of the Hittite term for “daughter”. The Hittite word for “wine” was wiyana, and they used newa to refer to something “new”. The word for “card” was related to the concept of “heart” or “cardiac”.
The diggings of the old writing rooms in Bogazkoy will provide linguists with a deeper understanding of how ancient Indo-European languages, which English has a distant connection to, developed during the Bronze Age.
Professor Andreas Schachner, from the German Archaeological Institute in Istanbul, is currently leading the excavations. The clay tablets are being studied by paleo-linguists from Wurzburg and Istanbul universities.
According to Professor Daniel Schwemer of Wurzburg University, the history of the Middle East during the Bronze Age is not fully understood. However, the recent discovery of clay tablet documents is aiding scholars in expanding their understanding of this time period. Professor Schwemer, an expert in cuneiform script, is leading the investigation into these newly found texts.
A section of a Hittite festival document written in cuneiform script was discovered this year in the Hittite capital of Hatussa/Bogazkoy.
The ongoing excavations at Bogazkoy have led to the discovery of approximately 30 to 40 new cuneiform tablets or fragments annually. This site, also known as ancient Hattusa, holds great significance as it was the center of the Hittite empire from approximately 1650 BC to 1200 BC. As the capital of one of the earliest large imperial political systems, it housed a significant civil service responsible for producing numerous documents.
The Hittite empire stretched from the Aegean Sea in the west to what is now northern Iraq in the east and from the Black Sea in the north to Lebanon in the south.
The civilization had a profound impact on human history as it introduced new technologies such as iron, advanced ultra-lightweight war chariots, and a well-organized civil service. These advancements allowed for an increase in warfare and government power, leading to the formation of vast empires.
Ongoing excavations at Bogazkoy are providing significant insights into the functioning of Hittite civilization, and its impact on the course of human history.
Source: independent.co.uk
