Hittite Textual Tradition and External Influences

The Hittites used several textual traditions, as it is clear from the presence of foreign texts in the Hittite tablet collections, where eight different languages are attested. Some of these traditions are autochthonous from Anatolia itself and may not have been perceived as foreign, whereas the others coming from Mesopotamia. Already since the early days of Hittitology scholars have attempted to identify many different foreign influences in the Hittite texts. While some of their results and identified criteria are still accepted, others have been discarded, or have been modified due to the increasing new materials. Even today, one hundred years after the decipherment of the Hittite language, this issue concerning the possible identification of foreign elements, is still controversial. This workshop aims to highlight again the problem of identifying “otherness” through the analysis of the texts. The first part discusses the process of translation, as manifested by the existence of various bilingual texts. Why are they not a simple word-for-word translation, but the start text differs from its (expected) target text? The deviations give us some clues for the identity of the “translator(s)” behind the respective text. The second part approaches the problem from a different perspective. We want to discuss the presence of different local influences in the Hittite compositions and their transmission to the central tradition of the Hittite state. How can we recognize foreign influences in compositions? Do they relate to a specific local tradition? The answers to these questions can bring us to a better understanding of the dynamics behind the formation of the heterogeneous textual tradition(s) of the Hittites.

Program