A digitzed list of Hittite names contained in cuneiform texts and in hieroglyphic seal inscriptions (Beta Version)
The database deals with two important socio-historical tools which are intertwined: onomastics and prosopography. Onomastics deals with the structure and origin of names, while prosopography is engaged with the study of information on a group of persons classified according to various criteria, such as profession, kinship etc. The archives of the Hittite Empire, which spanned most of Asia Minor and the territories of northern Syria during the 13th century BCE, contain a rich collection of names of dignitaries and state officials. The purpose of these raw data lists is the computerization of the data contained in cuneiform texts and in hieroglyphic seal inscriptions. A future online platform currently under development will enable to reconstruct the prosopographic profiles of the main dignitaries and officials active in the administration of the Hittite kingdom. Besides this major thrust, this database may also illuminate other aspects of Hittite culture, e.g., the growing Luwian influence at the end of this period, the unfolding changes in the Hittite administration of Syria, and more. It should be underlined that such a comprehensive prosopography of the Hittite kingdom has not been done as yet.
An onomasticon of each name based on previously established corpora. Namely, the published onomastica of Hittite sources were scanned and entered into the database in picture format under each entry: 1) the seminal work of Emmanuel Laroche, Les noms des Hittites (Paris 1966) and its 1981 update; 2) the updates of Tischler (1982) and Beckman (1983); 3) the latest update of M.-C. Trémouille, Répertoire onomastique, published on the website of the Mainz Academy (www.hethiter.net), which adds the names from texts found between 1983 and 2006. Names found in texts published after 2006 were extracted from the concordances of the recently published volumes of the ongoing series of Hittite texts from Hattuša: Keilschrifttexte aus Boghazköy (KBo). In the next stage we began to feed the name entries found in all these secondary sources into the database. Up till now scanned published records pertaining to over 50% of the names in the Hittite corpus are collected in the database, and this part of the work is ongoing (see also 'summary' below). Hittite texts documenting the names of title holders originate from several archives excavated in Anatolia and northern Syria. The majority come from the various Hattuša archives: buildings A, B, D, E and K on the Acropolis (Büyükkale), the storage rooms around Temple 1, the "House on the Slope" in the Lower City, Nisantepe, and the temples in the Upper City. Apart from these archives from the capital, 13th century names of officials also appear in texts from other Hittite cities, such as Kusakli-Sarissa in eastern Anatolia, and Carchemish, Ugarit or Emar in northern Syria. A few Hittite names also appear in foreign sources, Assyrian, Babylonian and Egyptian, with whom the Hittites maintained diplomatic relations (see Pruzsinszky 2003; Malbran-Labat 2004; Saporetti 1970, 1979; Schneider 1992).
This section of the database is made up of scanned Hittite glyptic sources, i.e. the published seals and seal impressions, of local vassal kings, princes, dignitaries and various court, temple and army officials. They will be made available in the future via a IIIF server. Seal owners frequently inscribed their seals with name, title and / or profession, sometimes accompanied by an iconographic scene. Building on the fruits of a previous research on Hittite glyptics (also funded by the ISF), a large amount of published material has been scanned and computerized. It includes mainly sealed bullae used to seal wooden dockets (diptych), boxes, bags and other storing vessels. The hundreds of names on bullae uncovered in the largest official archive of Nisantepe have all been fed into the database search engine. The Nisantepe bullae represent more than half of all the Hittite glyptic material. This database will eventually include all the following published glyptic materials: (1) Stratified sealed bullae and sealings from administrative archives in Bogazköy-Hattuša (Büyükkale, Building D: Güterbock 1942; Temple 1: Güterbock 1975, Boehmer/Güterbock 1987; Nisantepe, Westbau: Herbordt 2005; Upper-City Temples: not yet published, see various articles by A. M. Dinçol 1993, 2001; B. Dinçol 1998a,1998b, 2001; Dinçol/Dinçol 2003); (2) Stratified non-archived material from Hittite peripheral centres in Anatolia, such as Kusakli-Sarissa (Müller-Karpe 1995:16f. Abb. 12–13, 1997:108, 110 Fig. 8, 1998:102–106 Figs. 7–9, 1999:62f. Fig. 6a-b, 2001:227f. Fig. 3), Tarsus in Cilicia (Gelb 1956), Korucutepe in Išuwa (Güterbock 1973, 1980; Ertem 1988:5–11) and Kaman Kalehöyük (Yoshida 1999, 2006); (3) Seal impressions of Hittite officials in the provinces of northern Syria, notably Ras Shamra-Ugarit (Laroche 1956) and Meskene-Emar (Laroche 1981, 1983; Gonnet 1991; Singer 2000; Beyer 2001); (4) Finally, scattered seals and impressions originating from outside the confines of the Hittite Empire, such as Thebes in Greece (Porada 1981/82:46–49 no. 25; Güterbock 1981/82) and Tell el-FarNah in Israel (Singer 2006:738f.). There are also many unprovenanced seals in various museums and private collections in Turkey and around the world: e.g., Dinçol/Dinçol 2001; Mora 1987, 1990a; Beckman 1998, 2004; Poetto 1980, 2007.
This repository is made freely available under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) license. This means you are free to share and adapt the code and datasets, under the conditions that you cite the project appropriately, note any changes you have made to the original code and datasets, and if you are redistributing the project or a part thereof, you must release it under the same license or a similar one.
For more information about the license, see here.
If you are experiencing any issues with the git repository, please contact us at dhl.arieluni@gmail.com, and we would gladly assist you. We would also much appreciate feedback about using the code via the website, or about the repository itself, so please send us any comments or suggestions.
- Shai Gordin
Beckman, G.
1983 "A Contribution to Hittite Onomastic Studies". JAOS 103/3: 623–627.
1998 "Anatolian Stamp Seals from a California Collection". SMEA 40: 83–86.
2004 "Two New Hittite Hieroglyphic Seals". Pp. 65–68 in M. Mazoyer – O. Casabonne, eds., Antiquus Oriens. Mélanges offerts au Professeur René Lebrun (Volume I), (Collection KUBABA - Série Antiquité 5). Paris.
Beyer, D. 2001 Emar IV. Les sceaux, (OBO Series archaeologica 20). Fribourg.
Boehmer, R. M. & Güterbock, H. G. 1987 Glyptik aus dem Stadtgebiet von Bogazköy, (BoHa XIV). Berlin.
Dinçol, A. M. 1993 "Interessante Beispiele von Schreibersiegeln aus Bogazköy". Pp. 127–130 in M.J. Mellink, E. Porada, T. Özgüç, eds., Aspects of Art and Iconography. Anatolia and its Neighbors. Studies in Honor of Nimet Özgüç. Ankara.
2001 "Ein interessanter Siegelabdruck aus Bogazköy und die damit verknüpften historischen Fragen". ICH 4 (StBoT 45): 89–97.
Dinçol, A. M. - Dinçol, B. 2001 "Studies on Hittite Hieroglyphic Seals". Pp. 315–317 in O. Belli, ed., Istanbul University’s Contribution to Archaeology in Turkey (1932-2000). Istanbul.
2002 "Große, Prinzen, Herren. Die Spitzen der Reichsadministration im Spiegel ihrer Siegel Seals". Pp. 82–87 in Die Hethiter und ihr Reich. Das Volk der 1000 Götter, Katalog der Ausstellung, Bonn 18. Januar-28. April 2002. Stuttgart.
2003 "Enkel des Königs, aber kein Prinz!". Pp. 93–100 in G. Beckman, R. Beal, G. McMahon, eds. Hittite Studies in Honor of Harry A. Hoffner Jr. On the Occasion of his 65th Birthday. Winona Lake.
Dinçol, B. 1998a "Tönerne Siegelkopien aus Bogazköy". ICH 3: 167–175.
1998b "Der Titel GAL GEŠTIN auf den hethitischen Hieroglyphensiegeln". AoF 25: 163–167.
2001 "Bemerkungen über die hethitischen Siegelhinaber mit mehreren Titeln". ICH 4 (StBoT 45): 98–105.
Ertem, H. 1988 Korucutepe. 1973-1975 kazi yillarinda eie geçen Erken Hitit-Imparatorluk çagi arasi buluntulari. Ankara.
Freydank, H. & Saporetti, C. 1979 Nuove Attestazioni dell'onomastica medio-assira. Roma.
Gelb, I. J. 1956 "Hittite Hieroglyphic Seals and Seal Impressions". Pp. 242–254 in H. Goldman, Excavations at Gözlü kule, Tarsus II. Princton.
Gonnet, H. 1991 "Les légendes des empreintes hiéroglyphiques anatoliennes". Pp. 198-214 in D. Arnaud, Textes syriens de I'âge du bronze récent, (AuOr Supplementa 1). Barcelona.
Güterbock, H. G. 1942 Siegel aus Bogazköy II (AfO Beiheft 7). Osnabrück.
1973 "Hittite Hieroglyphic Seal Impressions from Korucutepe". JNES 32: 135–147.
1975 "Hieroglyphensiegel aus dem Templebezirk". Pp. 47–75 in K. Bittel et al., Bogazköy V. Funde aus den Grabungen 1970 und 1971, (AbhDOG 18). Berlin.
1980 "Hittite Hieroglyphic Seal Impressions". Pp. 127–132 in M. N. van Loon, ed., Korucutepe III. Amsterdam.
1980a "Seals and Sealing in Hittite Lands". Pp. 51–63 in K. DeVries, ed. From Athens to Gordion: the papers of a Memorial symposium for Rodney S. young. Philadelphia.
1981/82 "The Hieroglyphic Inscriptions on the Hittite Cylinder, No. 25". AfO 28: 71–72.
Herbordt, S. 2005 Die Prinzen- und Beamtensiegel der Hethitischen grossreichszeit auf Tonbullen aus dem Nisantepe-Archiv in Hattusa, mit Kommentaren zu den Siegelinschriften und Hieroglyphen von J. David Hawkins (BoHa XIX), Mainz am Rhein.
2006 “Hittite Glyptic: A Reassessment in the Light of Recent Discoveries”. Pp. 95–108 in D. P. Mielke et al., eds. Structuring and Dating in Hittite Archeology (BYZAS 4). Istanbul.
Laroche, E. 1956 "Documents hiéroglyphiques hittites provenant du palais d'Ugarit". Pp. 97–160 in CI.F.-A. Schaeffer, Ugaritica III. Sceaux et cylindres hittites, épée gravée du cartouche de Mineptah. tablettes chypro-minoennes et autres découvertes nouvelles da ras shamra, (BAH 64). Paris.
1966 Les Noms des Hittites. Paris.
1981 "Les noms des Hittites: supplément". Hethitica 4: 3–58.
1981a "Les hiéroglyphes de Meskene-Emar et le style "Syro-Hittite"". Akkadica 22: 5–14.
1983 "Les hiéroglyphes hittites de Meskene-Emar: un emprunt d'écriture". Comptes-rendus des Séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres: 12–24.
Malbran-Labat, F. 2004 "Les hittites et Ougarit". Pp. 69-104 in M. Mazoyer & O. Casabonne, eds. Studia Anatolica et Varia. Mélanges offerts au Professeur René Lebrun (Volume II). Paris.
Mora, C. 1987 La glittica anatolica del II millennio A.C.: Classificazione tipologica. I. I sigilli a iscrizione geroglifica, (StMed 6). Pavia.
1990 La glittica anatolica del II millennio A.C.: Classificazione tipologica. I. I sigilli a iscrizione geroglifica, primo supplemento. Pavia.
Müller-Karpe, A. 1995 "Untersuchungen in Kusakli 1992-94". MDOG 127: 5–27.
1997 "Untersuchungen in Kusakli 1996". MDOG 129: 103–120.
1998 "Untersuchungen in Kusakli 1997". MDOG 130: 93–112.
1999 "Untersuchungen in Kusakli 1998". MDOG 131: 57–66.
2001 "Untersuchungen in Kusakli 2000". MDOG 133: 225–237.
Poetto, M. 1980 "Nuovi e vecchi sigilli in luvio geroglifico". Kadmos 19: 1–8.
2007 "Nuovi sigilli in luvio geroglifico VI". Pp. 623–627 in A. Metin - M. D. Alparslan - H. Peker, eds., Belkıs Dinçol ve Ali Dinçol’a Armagan VITA Festschrift in Honor of Belkıs Dinçol and Ali Dinçol. Istanbul.
Porada, E. 1981/82 "The Cylinder Seals Found at Thebes in Boeotia". AfO 28: 1–70.
Pruzsinsky, R. 2003 Die Personennamen der Texte aus Emar. Bethesda.
Saporetti, C. 1970 Onomastica medio-assira (Vol. I+II). Rome.
Schneider, T. 1992 Asiatische Personnamen in agyptischen Quellen des Neuen Reiches. Freiburg (Schwiez).
Singer, I. 2000 "Appendix 1: The Hittite Seal Impressions". Pp. 81–89 in J. Goodnick Westenholz, Cuneiform Inscriptions in the Collection of the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem - The Emar Tablets, (CM 13). Groningen.
2006 "The Hittites and the Bible Revisited". Pp. 723–756 in A. M. Maeir & P. de Miroschedji, eds., “I Will Speak the Riddles of Ancient Times”. Archaeological and Historical Studies in Honor of Amihai Mazar on the Occasion of His Sixtieth Birthday. Winona Lake, Indiana.
Tischler, J. 1982 "Beiträge zur hethitischen Anthroponymie". Pp. 439–453 in J. Tischler, ed. Serta Indogermanica. Festschrift für Günter Neumann zum 60. Geburstag. Innsbruck.
Trémouille, M.-C. 2006 Répertoire onomastique. http://www.hethport.uni.wuerzburg.de/hetonom/ONOMASTIdata.html.
Yoshida, D. 1999 Hethitische Hieroglyphensiegel aus Kaman-Kalehöyük. Pp. 183–197 in H. I. H. Prince Takahito Mikasa, ed., Essays on Ancient Anatolia, (Bulletin of the Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan XI). Wiesbaden.
2006 'Mittelhethitische' Siegelfunde von Kaman-Kalehöyük". Kaman-Kalehöyük 15, (Anatolian Archeological Studies XV): 151–161.