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Archaeological research in the Middle East is revealing how a long-forgotten ancient civilisation used previously undiscovered linguistics to promote multiculturalism and political stability.
The revolutionary findings are also providing new insights into the functioning of ancient empires.
Current digs in Turkey, happening in the remains of the old capital of the Hittite empire, are producing noteworthy proof that the imperial civil service had departments solely or partially devoted to studying the religions of conquered peoples.
During the second millennium BC, Hittite leaders instructed their civil servants to document the religious practices and customs of subject peoples in their native languages, using Hittite script. This was done in order to preserve and integrate these traditions into the empire’s diverse and all-encompassing religious system.
Up to this point, contemporary specialists in old languages have determined that Hittite governmental employees conserved and documented religious records from at least five subordinate ethnic groups.
The most recent instance was discovered only 60 days ago. It was revealed to be recorded in a previously undocumented language from the Middle East that had been forgotten for approximately 3,000 years.
One of Hatussa’s city gates survives: the two stone lions were put there to ward off evil – like the newly discovered religious texts, their role was to protect the people
In the past several years, approximately 30,000 intact and partial clay tablets have been discovered in the remains of the old Hittite capital – Hattussa (currently known as Bogazkoy), located about 100 miles east of Ankara, the modern capital of Turkey.
The majority of the texts were written in the primary language of the empire, which was Hittite. However, around 5 percent of them were written by the scribes of the Hittite government using the languages of minority ethnic groups within the empire, such as the Luwians (from southeastern Anatolia), Palaians (from northwestern Anatolia), Hattians (from central Anatolia), and Hurrians (from Syria and northern Mesopotamia).
A newly discovered minority language, documented by officials of the government (previously unknown to contemporary researchers), is referred to as Kalasmaic. This language appears to have been used by a subjugated group residing in Kalasma, located on the western border of the empire.
A replica of a portion of the city wall at Hatussa.
The finding implies that even lesser-known languages within the empire were being documented, analyzed, and saved in written records. This also opens up the potential for other obscure Middle Eastern languages to be uncovered and documented on Hittite clay tablets, specifically in the ancient scriptoria being excavated at Bogazkoy by archaeologists.
The scribes of the empire’s civil service used a Hittite version of cuneiform, a pre-existing writing system originating in Mesopotamia (the oldest in the world), to write all of their manuscripts. This writing system consists of wedge-shaped lines arranged in groups to represent syllables.
During ancient times, the Middle East region that is now known as Turkey had a diverse array of languages.
The variety of languages is often influenced by the physical features of an area. Areas with more mountains and isolated valleys are more likely to have a greater number of languages that develop and continue to exist.
Currently, the Bronze Age Hittite empire is only known to have five minority languages. However, due to the mountainous terrain, it is possible that there were actually at least 30 languages spoken.
Near the ancient Hittite Empire lies the Caucasus mountain region, where there are still approximately 40 languages spoken today.
The Hittite language is the oldest known Indo-European language.
The oldest written records can be traced back to the 16th century BC. As a member of the Indo-European language family, it shares similarities with many current European languages (such as English) and several Asian languages (like Iranian and various Indian languages). Surprisingly, despite being separated by 3,000 years, ancient Hittite and modern English share numerous words.
For example, the Hittite term for “water” was Watar. The main component of their word for “daughter” was Duttar. They referred to “wine” as wiyana, and “new” as newa. The word for “card” also had a connection to the heart or cardiac.
The archaeological digs at Bogazkoy’s ancient scriptoria will provide linguists with a deeper understanding of how ancient Bronze Age Indo-European languages, which have a distant connection to English, evolved.
At the moment, professor Andreas Schachner from the German Archaeological Institute in Istanbul is overseeing the ongoing excavations. The analysis of the texts on the clay tablets is being carried out by paleo-linguists from Wurzburg and Istanbul universities.
According to Professor Daniel Schwemer of Wurzburg University, the history of the Bronze Age in the Middle East is only partially understood. However, the recent discovery of clay tablet documents is aiding scholars in significantly expanding their understanding of this time period. As a cuneiform script expert, Professor Schwemer is heading the investigation into these newly found texts.
Fragment of a Hittite festival text in cuneiform script found in the Hittite capital, Hatussa/Bogazkoy, this year
The excavations at Bogazkoy are currently yielding between 30 and 40 new cuneiform tablets or tablet fragments every year. Bogazkoy (ancient Hattusa) is particularly important because, as the centre of the Hittite empire (around 1650 BC to 1200 BC), it was the capital of one of the world’s first half dozen really large imperial political systems. It was therefore home to one of the world’s first really substantial document-producing civil services.
The Hittite empire expanded from the Aegean Sea in the western direction to modern-day northern Iraq in the east, and from the Black Sea in the north to Lebanon in the south.
The civilization had a significant impact on human history. Its advancements in technology, such as the utilization of iron and the creation of advanced lightweight war chariots, allowed for a growth in warfare and government, leading to the formation of larger empires. Additionally, the establishment of a considerable civil service also played a role in this development.
Ongoing excavations at Bogazkoy are revealing fascinating insights into the functioning of the Hittite civilization, providing a deeper understanding of its role in shaping human history.
Source: independent.co.uk
