Hittite royal archive found in Turkey

Archaeologists have uncovered a royal archive of cuneiform tablets in the ancient Hittite city of Samuha, modern-day Sivas, central Turkey. This year’s excavation unearthed 131 cuneiform tablets and fragments which record an epidemic of fever, military logistics, religious practices and events of royal daily life 3,400 years ago. Last year’s excavation uncovered 53 cuneiform tablets and fragments, 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.

考古学家在土耳其安纳托利亚中部的萨穆哈（Samuha，即今日的锡瓦斯）古赫梯城市中发现了一处楔形文字泥板皇家档案馆。今年的挖掘工作出土了131块楔形文字泥板及其残片，记录了3400年前的一场发热疫情、军事后勤、宗教习俗以及王室日常生活。去年的挖掘工作发现了53块泥板及残片，因此本季的发现使文献数量增加了两倍多。这是21世纪以来发现的规模最大、最全面的赫梯语文献档案。

The records date to the reign of King Tudhaliya II, and are written in Hittite and Hurrian. One text tells of a fever epidemic that struck the infant daughter of the king. She was still a nursing baby when she became ill. She never recovered from the fever and her health declined precipitously until she passed away. The cuneiform tablet records the funerary ritual that followed.

这些记录可追溯至图特哈里亚二世（Tudhaliya II）国王统治时期，以赫梯语和胡里安语书写。其中一份文献讲述了一场袭击国王幼女的发热疫情。她在患病时仍是一名吃奶的婴儿。她最终未能从高烧中康复，健康状况急剧恶化直至去世。这块楔形文字泥板记录了随后的葬礼仪式。

The health of the princes and princesses, not just babies but even up to adulthood, was an important focus of the records. The children of high-ranking imperial officials were given the same attention. Because illness was considered an expression of divine will, religious leaders performed many rituals to keep an eye on the physical health of the children of kings and government officials.

王子和公主的健康状况，不仅是婴儿时期，甚至直到成年，都是这些记录的重要关注点。帝国高级官员的子女也受到了同样的重视。由于疾病被视为神意的体现，宗教领袖们举行了许多仪式，以密切关注国王和政府官员子女的身体健康。

Another notable document is a letter from Hittite generals in western Anatolia appealing to the king for reinforcements in men, horses and chariots to fend off enemy forces. The generals’ warnings are dire. They plead that without an infusion of strength, the army would be destroyed by the enemy. They have the temerity to disclaim all responsibility for any upcoming failures if the reinforcements don’t come.

另一份值得注意的文件是来自安纳托利亚西部赫梯将军的一封信，请求国王增援士兵、马匹和战车以抵御敌军。将军们的警告十分严峻。他们恳求道，如果没有援军注入，军队将被敌人摧毁。他们甚至大胆地表示，如果援军不到位，他们将不对任何即将发生的失败承担责任。

It’s a rare glimpse into the realities of military logistics with armies long distances from the king and court. 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 for King Tudhaliya during times of military and political upheaval. His successor Suppiluliuma I used it as a launching pad for military campaigns that consolidated and expanded the territory of the Hittite Empire.

这为了解军队远离国王和朝廷时的军事后勤现实提供了一个难得的视角。文本还证实，当这封信送达时，国王正身处萨穆哈，这凸显了该城的政治重要性。在军事和政治动荡时期，这里是图特哈里亚国王的皇家据点。他的继任者苏皮卢利乌马一世（Suppiluliuma I）将其作为军事行动的基地，巩固并扩张了赫梯帝国的领土。

Samuha was also a major center of religious administration. Its patron deity was the goddess Sauska, goddess of love and war who was the Hurrian version of Ishtar and the most important goddess in the Hurrian pantheon. The association with the goddess was central to the city’s identity and was reflected in its religious ceremonies.

萨穆哈也是宗教管理的主要中心。其守护神是爱与战争女神萨乌斯卡（Sauska），她是伊什塔尔（Ishtar）的胡里安版本，也是胡里安神系中最重要的女神。与这位女神的联系是该城市身份的核心，并反映在其宗教仪式中。

One tablet records the journeys of bird diviners who left Samuha and traveled through different regions. Their routes, the cities where they stayed and the birds they observed were recorded in a format resembling a diary. The documents also provide previously unknown information about how bird omens were observed, evaluated and interpreted by the Hittites.

一块泥板记录了离开萨穆哈并前往不同地区的观鸟占卜师的旅程。他们的路线、停留的城市以及观察到的鸟类都以类似日记的格式记录了下来。这些文件还提供了关于赫梯人如何观察、评估和解读鸟类预兆的未知信息。

The archive includes texts covering divination, correspondence, rituals and prayers, offering researchers new material for studying Hittite religious practices as well as the development of the Hittite language and scribal culture.

该档案包括涵盖占卜、通信、仪式和祈祷的文本，为研究人员研究赫梯宗教习俗以及赫梯语言和书吏文化的发展提供了新材料。

“Hittite generals in western Anatolia appealing for reinforcements to fend off enemies”?!? 😲️

“安纳托利亚西部的赫梯将军请求增援以抵御敌人”！？😲️

Does it read 𒌷𒃾𒇻𒊭 anywhere (“Wilusa”)? – OK – Almost certainly, there were several enemies.

文中是否有任何地方提到了 𒌷𒃾𒇻𒊭（“Wilusa”，维鲁萨）？——好吧——几乎可以肯定，当时有几个敌人。

What the Romans later referred to as “Troja”/Troy had been a Hittite stronghold in western Anatolia, back then in Greek referred to as Ἴλιον/ (w)Ilion –Hence, the “Iliad”–, and later as Ἴλουζα/ Iluza.

罗马人后来称之为“Troja”/特洛伊的地方，曾是赫梯在安纳托利亚西部的据点，当时在希腊语中被称为 Ἴλιον/ (w)Ilion（因此有了《伊利亚特》），后来被称为 Ἴλουζα/ Iluza。

“Arzawa”/ Assuwa was located in Western Anatolia, and the “Greeks” were the “Achaeans” from the Iliad. Apparently, “Hittite texts” mention a nation Ahhiyawa or 𒄴𒄭𒅀𒉿.

“Arzawa”（阿尔扎瓦）/ Assuwa（阿苏瓦）位于安纳托利亚西部，而“希腊人”就是《伊利亚特》中的“亚该亚人”。显然，“赫梯文献”提到了一个名为 Ahhiyawa（阿希亚瓦）或 𒄴𒄭𒅀𒉿 的国家。

Arguably, there may have been –at some point in time– a Mycenaean colony in western Anatolia, and not without conflicts –including an unknown number of horses (wooden and real ones)– but who am I to know? 😀

可以说，在某个时间点，安纳托利亚西部可能存在过迈锡尼殖民地，而且并非没有冲突——包括数量不明的马匹（木制的和真实的）——但我又怎么会知道呢？😀

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