3,400-year-old Hittite royal archive unearthed in Türkiye
Baku, October 8, AZERTAC
A newly uncovered Hittite royal archive in central Türkiye has revealed accounts of a deadly epidemic affecting children, the death of an infant princess and urgent military appeals from generals facing enemy threats, according to Türkiye Today.
Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced that excavations carried out in 2026 at Kayalipinar, the site of the ancient city of Samuha in Sivas province, brought to light 131 cuneiform tablets and fragments dating back to the reign of King Tudhaliya II.
Together with discoveries made during the previous excavation season, the collection now comprises 184 tablets and fragments, making it the most extensive Hittite-language archive discovered in the 21st century, according to Ersoy.
Written in Hittite and Hurrian, the approximately 3,400-year-old documents provide new evidence of royal affairs, state administration, military developments and religious practices.
Among the findings are records describing a high-fever epidemic that spread from city to city, particularly affecting infants and children.
The tablets also document the illness of an infant princess, her subsequent death and the funeral rituals carried out for her, offering insight into events within the Hittite royal family.
Other documents reveal the military challenges faced by the kingdom. In one letter, Hittite generals stationed in western Anatolia appealed to the king for additional soldiers, horses and war chariots as they confronted an enemy threat.
The commanders warned that their army could be destroyed unless reinforcements arrived.
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