GoKawiilArchaeologists unearth 131 Hittite cuneiform tablets at Samuha in Turkey
This year's dig at the Hittite city of Samuha (modern Sivas) recovered 131 cuneiform tablets and fragments, more than tripling last year's haul of 53 and making it the largest Hittite-language archive found this century. The texts, written in Hittite and Hurrian and dated to King Tudhaliya II's reign, describe a fatal fever epidemic in an infant princess, rituals monitoring royal and official children's health, and a general's urgent plea to the king for military reinforcements.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The scale of the find offers historians an unusually detailed window into Hittite court life, religious practice and military administration roughly 3,400 years ago. The letter confirming the king's presence at Samuha during a military crisis suggests the city held greater political and strategic importance than previously documented, which could prompt reassessment of Hittite imperial geography.
- 131 tablets found this season, over triple last year's 53
- Texts include a royal infant's fatal illness and funerary ritual
- A general's plea for reinforcements confirms Samuha's strategic importance
Source: thehistoryblog.com, 2026-10-13
Published there as: “Hittite royal archive found in Turkey”
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