3,400-year-old Hittite royal archive found: Epidemic, baby princess and war warnings

Excavations at Kayalıpınar in the Yıldızeli district of Sivas, an ancient settlement known as Šamuḫa in Old Assyrian and Hittite sources, have brought to light important new information about Hittite history.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced on his social media account that 131 cuneiform tablets and fragments dating to the reign of King Tudhaliya II were unearthed during the 2026 excavations.

Minister Ersoy said:

"We have made a very important discovery in Sivas Kayalıpınar, reaching into the state memory of the Hittites. During the 2026 excavations at ancient Šamuḫa, we unearthed 131 cuneiform tablets and fragments dating to the reign of King Tudhaliya II. Together with those found during the previous season, the number has reached 184. Thus, the royal archive at Kayalıpınar has taken its place in history as the most extensive Hittite-language archive uncovered in the 21st century.

Written in Hittite and Hurrian, these documents bring directly to the present day information about state administration, military developments, the world of beliefs, and the experiences of the royal family approximately 3,400 years ago. The tablets contain traces of a high-fever epidemic that spread from city to city and particularly affected children and babies, while also recording the health condition of a baby princess who fell ill, her subsequent death, and the funeral ritual performed for her. Another letter sent to the king by Hittite generals in western Anatolia reveals that they requested soldiers, horses and chariots in the face of an enemy threat, warning that the army could be destroyed if assistance did not arrive. Tablets recording the routes followed and observations made by bird diviners also provide previously unknown information about Hittite divination practices. This unique archive opens a new window onto many areas, from Hittite history and religious practices to the development of the language and scribal culture"

The Epidemic of 3,400 Years Ago Was Recorded on Tablets

The archive contains texts in the categories of divination, augury, letters, rituals and prayers. Among the most striking documents are those describing a high-fever epidemic that spread from city to city.

The tablets show that, because the disease was causing the deaths of children and babies, the health conditions of young princes and princesses, as well as the children of high-ranking Hittite officials, were monitored through divinatory inquiries. The texts also directly reflect the concern caused by the epidemic within the Hittite royal family.

The documents show that the health of a baby princess who was still being breastfed was a matter of great concern, and that attempts were made to determine her prospects through divination. Another tablet records that the baby princess died and documents the funeral ritual performed for her.

Another tablet sent to the king by a diviner reveals that the baby princess fell ill in the city of Ziulila, whose location has not yet been identified.

War Alert to the King from Western Anatolia

The documents recovered from the royal archive reveal not only the health crises experienced by the palace but also the military threats faced by the Hittite state.

A letter sent by Hittite generals in western Anatolia to the Hittite king in Šamuḫa reports that the Hittite territory was surrounded by enemies. The generals request that soldiers, horses and chariots be sent in order to defeat the enemy.

The letter warns that the situation would worsen and the Hittite army would be destroyed if the requested support did not arrive. The generals also inform the king that they would not assume responsibility for the consequences if the necessary support was not sent.

New Information Emerges About Hittite Bird Divination

The archive also provides previously unknown information about the Hittites' world of beliefs and divination.

One tablet records the observations made by bird diviners after they left Šamuḫa and traveled through different regions, almost in the form of a diary. The cities where the diviners stayed, the routes they followed and the birds they observed are recorded in detail in the documents.

The cuneiform texts also reveal previously unknown information about how bird divination was assessed and interpreted.

The Most Extensive Hittite-Language Archive of the 21st Century

The 53 cuneiform tablets and fragments unearthed at the same site in Kayalıpınar in 2025 are also considered to have belonged to this archive. With the 131 new finds unearthed in 2026, the total number of tablets and fragments in the archive has reached 184.

According to the excavation team's assessment, the royal archive uncovered at Kayalıpınar is the most extensive Hittite-language archive discovered in the 21st century.

The texts dating to the reign of King Tudhaliya II contain important new information not only about Hittite history and religious practices, but also about the development of the Hittite language of the period and scribal culture.

The excavations at Kayalıpınar have been conducted since 2021 by a team led by Associate Professor Çiğdem Maner, a faculty member in Koç University's Department of Archaeology and History of Art, with the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.