An Indo-European language has resurfaced after a 2023 excavation in Turkiye (Turkey).
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Boğazköy-Hattusha has been a treasure trove of archaeological artifacts. Once the capital of the Hittite Empire, a Bronze-Age superpower (1650 B.C.E. to 1200 B.C.E.), researchers have uncovered nearly 30,000 clay tablets that contained cuneiform writing.
While most of the writings were in Hittite, considered the oldest Indo-European language and the primary language of the area at that time, researchers noticed a previously unknown language inscribed within the clay.
A New Foreign Language
While this new discovery is fascinating, according to Daniel Schwemer, a professor and head of the Chair of Ancient Near Eastern Studies at Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Germany, the discovery isn’t surprising.
“The Hittites were uniquely interested in recording rituals in foreign languages,” Schwemer said in a press release.
According to Schwemer, the new language, written within a Hittite ritual text, originates from the land of Kalašma — an area located near modern-day Bolu or Gerede. This isn’t the first ritual text researchers have uncovered at the site. According to the records, Hittite scribes also wrote with Anatolian, Syrian, and Mesopotamian styles and linguistic methods.
Through these discoveries, researchers have also noted that Hittite scribes have compiled works in Luwian and Palaic — other Anatolian-Indo-European languages. Researchers can now add Kalašmaic to the list.
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Decoding the Ancient Text
Researchers are still working on decoding the Kalašmaic text. According to Elisabeth Rieken, a specialist in ancient Anatolian languages and professor at Philipps-Universität Marburg, the language does fall into the Anatolian-Indo-European family.
Rieken noted that, although Kalašma is geographically closer to where Palaic was spoken, the new language more closely resembles Luwian. However, further research is still needed to determine just how closely Luwian and Kalašma are related.
Uncovering Artifacts and Stone Tablets
The German Archaeological Institute has been excavating the Boğazköy-Hattusha site for over 100 years, and in 1986 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of its most notable features is the Lion Gate that boasts two large, stone-carved lions.
Archaeologists have uncovered thousands of artifacts, including stone tablets, temples, pottery, and a square green stone that may have had religious significance. However, some of the most important finds are the cuneiform stone tablets.
As of 2023, Professor Andreas Schachner of the Istanbul Department of the German Archaeological Institute has lead annual excavations to uncover more artifacts, like the tablet with the new language on it. Each year, these excavations provide more insight into the Hittites and their neighbors.
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Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
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Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg. New Indo-European Language Discovered
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UNESCO. Hattusha: the Hittite Capital
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Britannica. Boğazköy
A graduate of UW-Whitewater, Monica Cull wrote for several organizations, including one that focused on bees and the natural world, before coming to Discover Magazine. Her current work also appears on her travel blog and Common State Magazine. Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.
