"Discover & Release": Ancient Hittite Tablets of King Tudhaliya II Tell Tales, in Sivas

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 9 October 2026)

          A king, yes. But a regular dad, too.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced 

that 131 cuneiform tablets and fragments dating back to the reign 

of King Tudhaliya II were unearthed during the 2026 excavations 

at Kayalıpınar in Sivas, bringing the total count to 184 when 

combined with those found in the previous season. 

Ersoy noted that these finds,constituting the most comprehensive 

Hittite archive discovered in the 21st century—offer new insights 

into a wide range of areas, spanning from state administration 

and military developments of approximately 3,400 years ago to

 a high-fever epidemic, the experiences of the royal family, and 

Hittite divination practices.

This time, the soil of Anatolia has brought to light not merely 

the artifacts of a civilization, but state documents that directly 

record events from approximately 3,400 years ago. Excavations 

at Kayalıpınar in the Yıldızeli district of Sivas—a settlement 

referred to as Šamuḫa in Old Assyrian and Hittite sources—

have revealed significant new data regarding Hittite history.

Hmmm, seems to be a comma missing in the third line...

Minister Ersoy’s statement is as follows:

“We have achieved a highly significant discovery in Kayalıpınar, 

Sivas, that reaches into the state archives of the Hittites. During 

the 2026 excavations at ancient Šamuḫa, we unearthed 131 

cuneiform tablets and fragments dating back to the reign of 

King Tudhaliya II. Together with those found in the previous 

season, the total count has reached 184. 

Thus, the royal archive at Kayalıpınar has secured its place in 

history as the most comprehensive Hittite archive unearthed in

the 21st century. Penned in both Hittite and Hurrian, these 

documents bring the state administration, military developments, 

religious beliefs, and the experiences of the royal family from 

approximately 3,400 years ago directly to the present day.

The tablets reveal traces of a high-fever epidemic that spread 

from city to city—affecting children and infants in particular—

and document the health condition of a sick infant princess, her

subsequent passing, and the funeral ritual performed for her.

Not much else to do in those days, other than 

chisel tablets.

 

Another letter, sent by Hittite generals in Western Anatolia to the 

king, details requests for soldiers, horses, and chariots in the face 

of an enemy threat, while warning that the army could be 

annihilated if aid failed to arrive. Tablets recording the routes 

followed and observations made by bird diviners also offer 

previously unknown insights into Hittite practices of divination. 

This unique archive opens new doors in numerous fields, ranging 

from Hittite history and religious practices to the evolution of the 

language and the culture of scribes. We continue to bring 

Anatolia’s millennia-old memory to light through science, to 

preserve it, and to carry it into the future.”