Hittite Dictionary: M-N Fascicle 3 - Volume 3

The Hittite language, dating back to around 1650-1180 B.C., is the oldest documented language in the Indo-European language family, with clay tablets discovered in central Asia Minor. During this five hundred year period, many political powers in the Near East rose, flourished, and eventually declined.

Today, the study of the Hittite language serves multiple purposes. Historical linguists analyze Hittite texts to uncover the connections between different Indo-European languages and to speculate on the structure of their common ancestor, Proto-Indo-European. Historians utilize Hittite annals, treaties, royal edicts, and political correspondence to piece together the events that shaped mid-second-millennium Western Asia. Anthropologists, mythographers, and scholars of comparative religion delve into Hittite religious texts for insights into myths, magical healing rituals, and religious festivals dedicated to the gods of the empire. Additionally, students of legal history examine ancient Hittite precedents for legal procedures that are still in use today.

All researchers with an interest in the Hittite language rely heavily on written texts, as our understanding of this ancient language is limited and serves as a barrier to further exploration. This interdependence on written records is highlighted in the preface of the CHD L N, emphasizing the significance of Hittite language studies in various fields of research.

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