The archives of the Hittite capital at Hattuša is characterized by an unusual variety of structurally quite diverse languages (Sumerian, Akkadian, Hurrian, Hittite, Luvian, Palaic, and Hattic). Some of these languages found written form for the first time through the works of Hittite scholars, who employed the already extant cuneiform to write these "new" languages. In addition, a second writing system, Anatolian hieroglyphs, was also used. Bi- and multilingual texts show how phenomena from one language were applied to others. The necessary linguistic knowledge to do so was never made explicit. The goal of the dissertation is to reconstruct this knowledge of language and its structure.

 

Central to the study is the tradition of the so-called lexical lists, which played an important role in the production and transmission of knowledge. The main focus will be on the role of the lexical list Erimḫuš.

 

Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Eva Cancik-Kirschbaum, Prof. Dr. Jörg Klinger.