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Cuneiform Tablet Found in Buyukkale Preserves References to Refugees, Housing Destruction, and Rules Between Egypt and Hatti, Expanding Understanding of One of the Earliest Known Written Peace Agreements
Another one of those historically significant discoveries has just been reported. A small fragment of a cuneiform tablet found in the ruins of Hattusa, the ancient capital of the Hittite Empire in central Turkey, has been identified as part of a copy of the Treaty of Peace of Kadesh. Confirmation came after about a year of scientific examinations and adds a new piece to the reconstruction of one of the earliest known written peace agreements.
The discovery was announced on September 21 by Turkey’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.
The fragment was located during archaeological excavations in Buyukkale, within the ancient city of Hattusa, in present-day Çorum Province.
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According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the piece was found near what is referred to as Building E. Only one side of it survived in a condition suitable for examination. Still, that was sufficient.
Researchers concluded that the material belongs to one of the copies of the agreement between Hittite King Hattusili III and Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II.
“Scientific examinations determined that a fragment of a cuneiform tablet found during excavations in Buyukkale, in Hattusa, Çorum, belongs to one of the copies of the Treaty of Peace of Kadesh,” Ersoy stated.
Fragment Preserves Rules for People Fleeing from Egypt and Hatti
The content also caught researchers’ attention. The parts that can still be read are related to provisions in Articles 12 to 20 of the treaty.
These are sections concerning the treatment of people leaving one of the two countries and seeking refuge in the other.
The text is incomplete and quite fragmented, but it retains references to people fleeing from the lands of Egypt and Hatti, the ancient Hittite kingdom. There are also passages involving the protection of homes from destruction.
“The new fragment contains portions of treaty provisions that regulate the treatment of people who sought refuge in one country after fleeing from another“, the minister stated.
Ersoy further mentioned that the references to housing destruction carry a message that has transcended thousands of years.
By announcing the identification on World Peace Day, he linked the discovery to Anatolia’s historical role in diplomacy and also referenced the situation in Palestine.
Tablet Preserved in Both Egyptian and Hittite Versions
The Treaty of Peace of Kadesh is associated with the end of the conflict between the Hittite and Egyptian kingdoms following the Battle of Kadesh, fought in the 13th century B.C.
Different parts of this agreement reached researchers through various paths.
In Egypt, the version of the treaty was inscribed in hieroglyphics on the walls of temples. In Hattusa, fragments of clay tablets containing the Akkadian version began to be discovered during the initial archaeological excavations at the site, between 1906 and 1912.
These pieces are now held in various institutions. Fragments can be found in the Archaeological Museums of Istanbul, at the Anatolian Civilizations Museum in Ankara, the Museum of the Middle East in Berlin, and the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
The new discovery now joins this collection.
Excavations Continue in Search of the Missing Parts
Hattusa is located near the present-day city of Bogazkale, in Çorum Province. The city served as the capital of the Hittite Empire, which established itself as a major power in Anatolia and the region during the second millennium B.C. The archaeological site was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
For researchers, the identification of the fragment could aid in reconstructing copies of the treaty produced on clay tablets found during the excavations at Hattusa.
The work is not yet finished. Excavations at Buyukkale continue, and researchers hope to find new fragments belonging to the missing parts of the Treaty of Peace of Kadesh.
Sources: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and statements from Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy included in the base material; information from the archaeological excavations in Hattusa and Buyukkale provided in the material.
