Hittite Online

This document, called by modern scholars the "Apology (apologia) of Hattusilis III" recounts the life and military exploits of one of the most successful Hittite kings. Not only was Hattusilis successful in his military exploits, both before and after his assumption of the kingship, he and his wife, Puduhepa, instituted religious reforms within the Hittite kingdom and engaged in extensive diplomatic relations with other great powers of the time such as Egypt and Assyria. As in other historical texts from the Empire period, the king is shown as the beneficiary of divine aid from a special protector. In this document, the deity who protects Hattusilis from his sickly childhood throughout his reign is the Goddess Ishtar. She not only aids him in battle, but she also guides the major events of his personal life.

Reading and Textual Analysis

Hattusilis, the youngest son of Mursilis, was, by his own account, a frail child. In the first two paragraphs (document sections 2-3), Ishtar, in the guise of Hattusilis's brother Muwattallis, appears to his father in a dream and demands that he hand the child over to serve her as priest. This apparently did have the intended effect of strengthening the child and prolonging his life, since Hattusilis went on to become a successful general, serving under his brother king Muwattallis and reestablishing control over the territory charged to his command.

The 3rd paragraph (from document section 9) concerns another crucial event in Hattusilis's life: his marriage to Puduhepa, daughter of Pentipsarris, a priest in the Kizzuwatnan town of Lawanzantiyas. Queen Puduhepa, who was also a priestess in the service of Ishtar, was a formidable personality in her own right, conducting private diplomatic correspondence with, for example, the Egyptian Pharaoh, fostering the children of nobles, and arranging for diplomatic marriages. Significantly too, Puduhepa seems to have initiated a revival of Kizzuwatnan religious practice in the capital city. We know from other documents that she ordered the chief scribe to have recopied earlier religious rituals, presumably those collected from Kizzuwatnan sources during the Middle Kingdom period. The marriage and start of Hattusilis's family occurred before Hattusilis became king. Instead of inheriting the kingship directly, Hattusilis seized it by force. When Muwattallis, the brother of Hattusilis, died, he apparently left no male heirs of the "first rank" (sons of his primary wife). Following the rules of succession laid down by Telepenus, a son of the "second rank", Urhi-Teshup, who took the throne name Mursilis upon assuming the kingship. Hattusilis remained a powerful figure in the court, however. His success as a military commander and administrator seems to have provoked resentment within court circles, and at one point the "apology" relates how he was falsely accused of malfeasance but, with the divine protection of Ishtar, acquitted. Although he initially supported his nephew the king, he later deposed him, once again claiming the divine guidance and support of Ishtar as his authority.

2 - SA ^DIŠTAR par-ra-a ha-an-da-an-da-tar me-ma-ah-hi

• SA -- preposition; Akkadian preposition functioning as graphic indicator of the genitive <SA> of -- of
• ^DIŠTAR -- proper noun; Sumerogram functioning here as genitive <IŠTAR> Ishtar -- Ishtar
• par-ra-a ha-an-da-an-da-tar -- noun; accusative singular neuter of <parā handandātar> divine might, power -- divine power
• me-ma-ah-hi -- verb; 1st person singular present of hi-conjugation <mēma-, mēmiya-> say, speak -- I will proclaim

na-at DUMU.NAM.LU.U₁₉.LU-as is-ta-ma-as-du

• na-at -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic personal pronoun; 3rd person singular accusative neuter of <-at> he, she, it -- it
• DUMU.NAM.LU.U₁₉.LU-as -- noun; Sumerogram <DUMU.NAM.LU.U₁₉.LU> humankind, human beings + Hittite phonetic complement <-as> (indicating nominative singular animate) -- humankind
• is-ta-ma-as-du -- verb; 3rd person plural imperative of mi-conjugation <istamass-> hear, listen -- hear

nu `zi-la-du-wa SA ^DUTU^ŠI DUMU-ŠU DUMU.DUMU-ŠU NUMUN ^DUTU^ŠI DINGIR^MEŠ-as-kan is-tar-na A-NA ^DIŠTAR na-ah-ha-a-an e-es-du

• nu -- sentence particle; <nu> and -- and
• `zi-la-du-wa -- adverb; <ziladuwa> henceforth, in the future -- from henceforth # The Glossenkeil "`" may indicate that this word was borrowed from Luvian.
• SA -- preposition; Akkadian preposition functioning as graphic indicator of the genitive <SA> of -- of
• ^DUTU^ŠI -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as genitive singular animate <^DUTU^ŠI> my majesty -- of my majesty
• DUMU-ŠU -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as accusative <DUMU> son, child + Akkadian enclitic possessive pronoun; 3rd person singular <-SU> his -- his son
• DUMU.DUMU-ŠU -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as accusative <DUMU.DUMU> grandson + Akkadian enclitic possessive pronoun; 3rd person singular <-SU> his -- his grandson
• NUMUN -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as accusative plural <NUMUN> seed, descendant -- and descendants
• ^DUTU^ŠI -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as genitive singular <^DUTU^ŠI> my majesty -- of my majesty
• DINGIR^MEŠ-as-kan -- noun; Sumerogram <DINGIR> god + Sumerian plural marker <-MEŠ>... + Hittite phonetic complement <-as> (indicating dative-locative plural) + locative participle <-kan> (indicating downward motion) -- the gods
• is-tar-na -- postposition; <istarna> among -- among
• A-NA -- preposition; Akkadogram <A-NA> (functioning as graphic indicator of the dative) -- to
• ^DIŠTAR -- proper noun; Sumerogram functioning here as dative <IŠTAR> Ishtar -- Ishtar
• na-ah-ha-a-an -- verb participle; accusative singular neuter of hi-conjugation <nahh-> fear, revere -- revered
• e-es-du -- verb; 3rd person singular imperative of mi-conjugation <ēs-> be -- be

3 - A.BU-YA-an-na-as-za ^MMur-si-li-is 4 DUMU^{MEŠ M}Hal-pa-su-lu-pi-in ^MNIR.GÁL-in ^MHa-at-tu-si-li-in ^FDINGIR^MEŠ.ARAD-in-na DUMU.MUNUS-an ha-as-ta

• A.BU-YA-an-na-as-za -- noun; Akkadogram functioning here as nominative singular of <ABU> father + Akkadian enclitic possessive pronoun; 1st person singular <-YA> my + enclitic personal pronoun <-annas> (indicating 2nd person plural accusative) + enclitic reflexive particle <-za>... -- my father
• ^MMur-si-li-is -- proper noun; nominative singular animate of <Mursili-> Mursilis -- Mursilis
• 4 -- numeral; <4> four -- four
• DUMU^MEŠ -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as accusative animate <DUMU> son, child + Sumerian plural marker <-MEŠ>... -- children
• ^MHal-pa-su-lu-pi-in -- proper noun; accusative singular animate of <Halpasulupi-> Halpasulupis -- Halpasulupis
• ^MNIR.GÁL-in -- proper noun; Sumerogram <NIR.GÁL> strength + Hittite phonetic complement <-in> (indicating accusative singular animate) -- Muwattallis # This is a rebus-like spelling for Muwattallis. Sumerian NIR.GA/L is to be read as muwa-, "strength".
• ^MHa-at-tu-si-li-in -- proper noun; accusative singular animate of <Hattusili-> Hattusilis -- Hattusilis
• ^FDINGIR^MEŠ.ARAD-in-na -- proper noun; Sumerogram <DINGIR^MEŠ.ARAD> servant of the god + Hittite phonetic complement <-inn-> (indicating accusative singular animate) + enclitic conjunction <-a> and -- Massanauzzi # The Sumerogram DINGIR^MEŠ is to be read massan- after the Luvian word for "god," massani-.
• DUMU.MUNUS-an -- noun; Sumerogram <DUMU.MUNUS> girl, daughter + Hittite phonetic complement <-an> (indicating accusative singular animate) -- a daughter
• ha-as-ta -- verb; 3rd person singular preterite of hi-conjugation <hās-, hass-> give birth, beget -- begot

nu-za hu-u-ma-an-da-as-pat EGIR-ez-zi-is DUMU-as e-su-un

• nu-za -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic reflexive particle <-za>... -- and
• hu-u-ma-an-da-as-pat -- adjective; genitive plural of <hūmant-> all, each, every + emphasizing particle <-pat>... -- of all
• EGIR-ez-zi-is -- adjective; Sumerogram <EGIR> after + Hittite phonetic complement <-ezzis> (indicating superlative nominative singular animate) -- the youngest # The Hittite word for "last," or "youngest," was appezziya-. The Sumerogram EGIR is normally read as āppan or āppanda.
• DUMU-as -- noun; Sumerogram <DUMU> son, child + Hittite phonetic complement <-as> (indicating nominative singular animate) -- child
• e-su-un -- verb; 1st person singular preterite of mi-conjugation <ēs-> be -- I was

nu-za ku-it-ma-an nu-u-wa DUMU-as e-su-un ŠA ^KUŠKA.TAB.ANŠE-za e-su-un

• nu-za -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic reflexive particle <-za>... -- and
• ku-it-ma-an -- adverb; <kuitman> when, while -- while
• nu-u-wa -- adverb; <nūwa> still, yet -- still
• DUMU-as -- noun; Sumerogram <DUMU> son, child + Hittite phonetic complement <-as> (indicating nominative singular animate) -- a child
• e-su-un -- verb; 1st person singular preterite of mi-conjugation <ēs-> be -- I was
• ŠA -- preposition; Akkadogram <ŠA> (functioning as graphic indicator of the genitive) -- of
• ^KUŠKA.TAB.ANŠE-za -- noun; Sumerogram <KA.TAB.ANŠE> donkey + Hittite phonetic complement <-za> (indicating nominative singular animate) -- foolish
• e-su-un -- verb; 1st person singular preterite of mi-conjugation <ēs-> be -- I was

nu ^DIŠTAR GAŠAN-YA A-NA ^MMur-si-li A.BI-YA Ù-et ^MNIR.GÁL-in ŠEŠ-YA u-i-ya-at

• nu -- sentence particle; <nu> and -- ...
• ^DIŠTAR -- proper noun; Sumerogram functioning here as nominative <IŠTAR> Ishtar -- Ishtar
• GAŠAN-YA -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as nominative singular animate <GAŠAN> lady + Akkadian enclitic possessive pronoun; 1st person singular <-YA> my -- my lady
• A-NA -- preposition; Akkadogram <ANA> (functioning as graphic indicator of the dative) -- to
• ^MMur-si-li -- proper noun; dative singular of <Mursili-> Mursilis -- Mursilis
• A.BI-YA -- noun; Akkadogram functioning here as dative singular of <ABI> father + Akkadian enclitic possessive pronoun; 1st person singular <-YA> my -- my father
• Ù-et -- noun; Akkadogram <Ù> dream + Hittite phonetic complement <-et> (indicating instrumental singular) -- in a dream
• ^MNIR.GÁL-in -- proper noun; Sumerogram <NIR.GÁL> strength + Hittite phonetic complement <-in> (indicating accusative singular animate) -- Muwattallis
• ŠEŠ-YA -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as accusative singular of <ŠEŠ> brother + Akkadian enclitic possessive pronoun; 1st person singular <-YA> my -- my brother
• u-i-ya-at -- verb; 3rd person singular preterite of mi-conjugation <wiya-> send -- sent

A-NA ^MHa-at-tu-si-li-wa MU.KAM^HI.A ma-ni-in-ku-wa-an-te-es

• A-NA -- preposition; Akkadogram <ANA> (functioning as graphic indicator of the dative) -- for
• ^MHa-at-tu-si-li-wa -- proper noun; dative singular of <Hattusili-> Hattusilis + quotative particle <-wa>... -- Hattusilis # This is an example of a possessive dative.
• MU.KAM^HI.A -- noun; Sumerogram <MU> year + Sumerogram <KAM> a measure of time + Sumerian plural marker <-HI.A>... -- the years
• ma-ni-in-ku-wa-an-te-es -- adjective; nominative plural animate of <maninkuwant-> short -- are short

Ú-UL-wa-ra-as TI-an-na-as nu-wa-ra-an-mu am-mu-uk pa-ra-a pa-a-i nu-wa-ra-as-mu ^LÙsa-an-ku-un-ni-is e-es-du nu-wa-ra-as TI-an-za

• Ú-UL-wa-ra-as -- adverb; Akkadian negative <ŪL> not + quotative particle <-war>... + enclitic personal pronoun; 3rd person singular nominative of <-as> he, she, it -- not he
• TI-an-na-as -- noun; Sumerogram <TI> life + Hittite phonetic complement <-ānnas> (indicating genitive singular) -- of life # In other words, "He will not live long."
• nu-wa-ra-an-mu -- sentence particle; <nu> and + quotative particle <-war>... + enclitic personal pronoun; 3rd person singular accusative animate of <-an> him, her, it + enclitic personal pronoun; 1st person singular dative <-mu> me -- him to me
• am-mu-uk -- tonic personal pronoun; 1st person singular dative <ammuk> me -- ...
• pa-ra-a pa-a-i -- verb; 2nd person singular imperative of hi-conjugation <parā pāi-> give -- give
• nu-wa-ra-as-mu -- sentence particle; <nu> and + quotative particle <-war>... + enclitic personal pronoun; 3rd person singular nominative <-as> he, she, it + enclitic personal pronoun; 1st person singular dative <-mu> me -- and... him... my
• ^LÙsa-an-ku-un-ni-is -- noun; nominative singular animate of <sankunni-> priest -- priest
• e-es-du -- verb; 3rd person singular imperative of mi-conjugation <ēs-> be -- let... be
• nu-wa-ra-as -- sentence particle; <nu> and + quotative particle <-war>... + enclitic personal pronoun; 3rd person singular nominative <-as> he, she, it -- then he
• TI-an-za -- verb; Sumerogram <TI> life + Hittite phonetic complement <-anza> (indicating nominative singular animate participle) -- will live

nu-mu A-BU-YA DUMU-an sa-ra-a da-a-as nu-mu A-NA DINGIR^LIM ARAD-an-ni pe-es-ta

• nu-mu -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic personal pronoun; 1st person singular accusative <-mu> me -- me
• A-BU-YA -- noun; Akkadogram functioning here as nominative singular animate of <ABU> father + Akkadian enclitic possessive pronoun; 1st person singular <-YA> my -- my father
• DUMU-an -- noun; Sumerogram <DUMU> son, child + Hittite phonetic complement <-an> (indicating accusative singular animate) -- a child
• sa-ra-a da-a-as -- verb; 3rd person singular preterite of hi-conjugation <sarā dā-> offer, take -- offered
• nu-mu -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic personal pronoun; 1st person singular accusative <-mu> me -- me
• A-NA -- preposition; Akkadogram <ANA> (functioning as graphic indicator of the dative) -- to
• DINGIR^LIM -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as dative <DINGIR> god + Akkadian phonetic complement <-LIM> deity -- the goddess
• ARAD-an-ni -- noun; Sumerogram <ARAD> slave, servant, vassal + Hittite phonetic complement <-ānni> (indicating dative singular) -- to her service
• pe-es-ta -- verb; 3rd person singular preterite of hi-conjugation <pāi-, piya-> give -- gave

nu-za A-NA DINGIR^{LIM LÙ}sa-an-ku-un-ni-ya-an-za BAL-ah-hu-un

• nu-za -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic reflexive particle <-za>... -- and
• A-NA -- preposition; Akkadogram <ANA> (functioning as graphic indicator of the dative) -- for
• DINGIR^LIM -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as dative singular <DINGIR> god + Akkadian phonetic complement <-LIM> deity -- the goddess
• ^LÙsa-an-ku-un-ni-ya-an-za -- verb participle; nominative singular animate of <sankunniya-> serve as priest -- serving as priest
• BAL-ah-hu-un -- verb; Sumerogram <BAL> make sacrifice + Hittite phonetic complement <-ahhun> (indicating 1st person singular preterite hi-conjugation) -- I made sacrifice

nu-za-kan A-NA ŠÚ ^DIŠTAR GAŠAN-YA `lu-ú-lu u-uh-hu-un

• nu-za-kan -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic reflexive particle <-za>... + locatival particle <-kan> (indicating downward motion) -- and
• A-NA -- preposition; Akkadogram <ANA> (functioning as graphic indicator of the dative) -- in
• ŠÚ -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as dative singular of <ŠU> hand -- the hand
• ^DIŠTAR -- proper noun; Sumerogram functioning here as genitive <IŠTAR> Ishtar -- of Ishtar
• GAŠAN-YA -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as genitive singular <GAŠAN> lady + Akkadian enclitic possessive pronoun; 1st person singular <-YA> my -- my lady
• `lu-ú-lu -- noun; accusative singular neuter <lūlu> prosperity? -- prosperity? # The Glossenkeil "`" probably indicates that this word was borrowed from Luvian. The word's exact meaning is unclear, but it indicates a favorable condition of some sort.
• u-uh-hu-un -- verb; 1st person singular preterite of hi-conjugation <au-, u-> look, see -- I saw

nu-mu ^DIŠTAR GAŠAN-YA ŠÚ-za IṢ-BAT na-as-mu-kan pa-ra-a ha-an-da-an-te-es-ta

• nu-mu -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic personal pronoun; 1st person singular accusative <-mu> me -- me
• ^DIŠTAR -- proper noun; Sumerogram functioning here as nominative <IŠTAR> Ishtar -- Ishtar
• GAŠAN-YA -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as nominative singular <GAŠAN> lady + Akkadian enclitic possessive pronoun; 1st person singular <-YA> my -- my lady
• ŠÚ-za -- noun; Sumerogram <ŠU> hand + Hittite phonetic complement <-za> (indicating ablative singular) -- by the hand
• IṢ-BAT -- verb; Akkadian 3rd person singular preterite of <ṢĀBATU> seize, take -- took
• na-as-mu-kan -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic personal pronoun; 3rd person singular nominative <-as> he, she, it + enclitic personal pronoun; 1st person singular accusative <-mu> me + locatival particle <-kan> (indicating downward motion) -- she... me
• pa-ra-a ha-an-da-an-te-es-ta -- verb; 3rd person singular preterite of mi-conjugation <parā handantēss-> show divine guidance -- showed... divine guidance

9 - GIM-an-ma IŠ-TU KUR Mi-iz-ri EGIR-pa i-ya-ah-ha-ha-at nu-za I-NA KUR ^URULa-wa-za-an-ti-ya A-NA DINGIR^LUM BAL-u-wa-an-zi i-ya-ah-ha-ha-at nu-za DINGIR^LUM i-ya-nu-un

• GIM-an-ma -- conjunction; Sumerogram <GIM> when + Hittite phonetic complement <-an> (indicating accusative singular animate) + enclitic conjunction <-ma> but, and -- but when # The Sumerogram is to be read as mahhan.
• IŠ-TU -- preposition; Akkadogram <IŠTU> (functioning as graphic indicator of the ablative) -- from
• KUR -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as ablative singular <KUR> land, territory -- the land
• Mi-iz-ri -- proper noun; stem form functioning here as genitive singular of <Mizri-> Egypt -- of Egypt
• EGIR-pa -- adverb; Sumerogram <EGIR> back, again + Hittite phonetic complement <-pa>... -- back again
• i-ya-ah-ha-ha-at -- verb; 1st person singular middle preterite of <iya-> go, march -- I went
• nu-za -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic reflexive particle <-za>... -- then
• I-NA -- preposition; Akkadogram <INA> (functioning as graphic indicator of the dative) -- to
• KUR -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as dative singular <KUR> land, territory -- the land
• ^URULa-wa-za-an-ti-ya -- proper noun; stem form functioning here as dative <Lawazantiya-> Lawazantiya -- of Lawazantiya
• A-NA -- preposition; Akkadogram <ANA> (functioning as graphic indicator of the dative) -- to
• DINGIR^LUM -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as dative singular <DINGIR> god + Akkadian phonetic complement <-LUM> deity -- the Goddess
• BAL-u-wa-an-zi -- verb; Sumerogram <BAL> make sacrifice + Hittite phonetic complement <-uwanzi> (indicating infinitive) -- to make sacrifice
• i-ya-ah-ha-ha-at -- verb; 1st person singular middle preterite of <iya-> go, march -- I went
• nu-za -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic reflexive particle <-za>... -- and
• DINGIR^LUM -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as dative singular <DINGIR> god + Akkadian phonetic complement <-LUM> deity -- to the Goddess
• i-ya-nu-un -- verb; 1st person singular preterite of mi-conjugation <iya-> do, make -- I made sacrifice

nu-za DUMU.MUNUS ^MPe-en-ti-ip-sa-ri ^LÙSANGA ^FPu-du-he-pa-an IŠ-TU INIM DINGIR^LIM DAM-an-ni da-ah-hu-un

• nu-za -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic reflexive particle <-za>... -- and
• DUMU.MUNUS -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as accusative singular animate of <DUMU.MUNUS> girl, daughter -- the daughter
• ^MPe-en-ti-ip-sa-ri -- proper noun; stem form functioning here as genitive singular of <Pentipsari-> Pentipsaris -- of Pentipsaris
• ^LÙSANGA -- proper noun; Sumerogram functioning here as genitive singular of <^LÙSANGA> priest -- the priest
• ^FPu-du-he-pa-an -- proper noun; accusative singular animate of <Puduhepa-> Puduhepa -- Puduhepa
• IŠ-TU -- preposition; Akkadogram <IŠTU> (functioning as graphic indicator of the ablative) -- at
• INIM -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as ablative singular of <INIM> word, matter, affair -- the command
• DINGIR^LIM -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as genitive singular <DINGIR> god + Akkadian phonetic complement <-LIM> deity -- of the Goddess
• DAM-an-ni -- noun; Sumerogram <DAM> wife, marriage + Hittite phonetic complement <-ānni> (indicating dative singular) -- in marriage
• da-ah-hu-un -- verb; 1st person singular preterite of hi-conjugation <dā-> take -- I took

nu ha-an-da-a-u-en

• nu -- sentence particle; <nu> and -- and
• ha-an-da-a-u-en -- verb; 1st person plural preterite of mi-conjugation <handāi-> order, arrange, marry -- we married

nu-un-na-as DINGIR^LUM ŠA ^LÚMU-DI DAM a-as-si-ya-tar pe-es-ta

• nu-un-na-as -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic personal pronoun; 1st person plural dative <-nnas> us -- and to us
• DINGIR^LUM -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as nominative singular <DINGIR> god + Akkadian phonetic complement <-LUM> deity -- the Goddess
• ŠA -- preposition; Akkadogram <ŠA> (functioning as graphic indicator of the genitive) -- of
• ^LÚMU-DI -- noun; Akkadogram functioning here as genitive singular of <^LÚMU-DI> husband -- husband
• DAM -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as genitive singular <DAM> wife, marriage -- (and) wife
• a-as-si-ya-tar -- noun; accusative singular neuter of <āssiyātar> love -- the love
• pe-es-ta -- verb; 3rd person singular preterite of hi-conjugation <pāi-, piya-> give -- gave

nu-un-na-as DUMU.NITA^MEŠ DUMU.MUNUS^MEŠ i-ya-u-en

• nu-un-na-as -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic personal pronoun; 1st person plural dative <-nnas> us -- to us
• DUMU.NITA^MEŠ -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as accusative plural of <DUMU.NITA> son + Sumerian plural marker <-MEŠ>... -- sons
• DUMU.MUNUS^MEŠ -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as accusative of <DUMU.MUNUS> girl, daughter + Sumerian plural marker <-MEŠ>... -- (and) daughters
• i-ya-u-en -- verb; 1st person plural preterite of mi-conjugation <iya-> do, make -- we had

nam-ma-mu DINGIR^LUM GAŠAN-YA Ù-at QA-DU É^TI-ma-mu ARAD-ah-ha-hu-ut

• nam-ma-mu -- conjunction; <namma> furthermore, moreover + enclitic personal pronoun; 1st person singular dative <-mu> me -- and to me
• DINGIR^LUM -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as nominative singular <DINGIR> god + Akkadian phonetic complement <-LUM> deity -- the Goddess
• GAŠAN-YA -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as nominative singular <GAŠAN> lady + Akkadian enclitic possessive pronoun; 1st person singular <-YA> my -- my lady
• Ù-at -- verb; Sumerogram <Ù> dream + Hittite phonetic complement <-at> (indicating 3rd person singular preterite) -- (appeared) in a dream
• QA-DU -- adverb; Akkadogram <QADU> along with -- along with
• É^TI-ma-mu -- noun; Sumerogram nominative singular neuter <É> house + Akkadian phonetic complement <-TI> (indicating abstract noun) + enclitic conjunction <-ma> but, and + enclitic personal pronoun; 1st person singular dative <-mu> me -- (your) household... me
• ARAD-ah-ha-hu-ut -- verb; Sumerogram <ARAD> slave, serve + Hittite phonetic complement <-ah-ha-hu-ut> (indicating 2nd person singular preterite middle) -- serve

nu A-NA DINGIR^LIM QA-DU É^TI-YA ARAD-ah-ha-ha-at

• nu -- sentence particle; <nu> and -- and
• A-NA -- preposition; Akkadogram <ANA> (functioning as graphic indicator of the dative) -- to
• DINGIR^LIM -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as dative singular <DINGIR> god + Akkadian phonetic complement <-LIM> deity -- to the Goddess
• QA-DU -- adverb; Akkadogram <QADU> along with -- along with
• É^TI-YA -- noun; Sumerogram nominative singular neuter <É> house + Akkadian phonetic complement <-TI> (indicating abstract noun) + Akkadian enclitic possessive pronoun; 1st person singular <-YA> my -- my household
• ARAD-ah-ha-ha-at -- verb; Sumerogram <ARAD> slave, serve + Hittite phonetic complement <-ah-ha-ha-at> (indicating 1st person singular preterite middle) -- I did service

nu-un-na-as É-er ku-it e-es-su-u-en nu-un-na-as-kan DINGIR^LUM an-da ar-ta-at

• nu-un-na-as -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic personal pronoun; 1st person plural dative <-nnas> us -- and... us
• É-er -- noun; Sumerogram <É> house + Hittite phonetic complement <-er> (indicating nominative singular) -- the household
• ku-it -- relative pronoun; accusative singular neuter of <kui-> that, which, who -- that
• e-es-su-u-en -- iterative verb; 1st person plural preterite of <iya-> do, make -- we established
• nu-un-na-as-kan -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic personal pronoun; 1st person plural dative <-nnas> us + locatival particle <-kan> (indicating downward motion) -- among us
• DINGIR^LUM -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as nominative singular <DINGIR> god + Akkadian phonetic complement <-LUM> deity -- the Goddess
• an-da ar-ta-at -- verb; 3rd person singular preterite middle of <anda ar-> stand -- stood

nu-un-na-as É-er pa-ra-a i-ya-an-ni-is ka-ni-is-su-u-wa-ar-ma-at ŠA ^DIŠTAR GAŠAN-YA e-es-ta

• nu-un-na-as -- sentence particle; <nu> and + enclitic personal pronoun; 1st person plural dative <-nnas> us -- and our
• É-er -- noun; Sumerogram <É> house + Hittite phonetic complement <-er> (indicating nominative singular) -- household
• pa-ra-a i-ya-an-ni-is -- verb; 3rd person singular preterite of mi-conjugation <parā iya> prosper? -- prospered? # The verb parā iyannāi- means literally "go forward"; its meaning in this context is not entirely clear.
• ka-ni-is-su-u-wa-ar-ma-at -- noun; nominative singular neuter of <kanissuwar> recognition, favor + enclitic conjunction <-ma> but, and + enclitic personal pronoun; 3rd person singular accusative neuter of <-at> he, she, it -- the favor
• ŠA -- preposition; Akkadogram <ŠA> (functioning as graphic indicator of the genitive) -- of
• ^DIŠTAR -- proper noun; Sumerogram functioning here as genitive <IŠTAR> Ishtar -- of Ishtar
• GAŠAN-YA -- noun; Sumerogram functioning here as genitive singular <GAŠAN> lady + Akkadian enclitic possessive pronoun; 1st person singular <-YA> my -- my lady
• e-es-ta -- verb; 3rd person singular preterite of mi-conjugation <ēs-> be -- had

Lesson Text

² SA ^DIŠTAR par-ra-a ha-an-da-an-da-tar me-ma-ah-hi
na-at DUMU.NAM.LU.U₁₉.LU-as is-ta-ma-as-du
nu `zi-la-du-wa SA ^DUTU^ŠI DUMU-ŠU DUMU.DUMU-ŠU NUMUN ^DUTU^ŠI DINGIR^MEŠ-as-kan is-tar-na A-NA ^DIŠTAR na-ah-ha-a-an e-es-du

³ A.BU-YA-an-na-as-za ^MMur-si-li-is 4 DUMU^{MEŠ M}Hal-pa-su-lu-pi-in ^MNIR.GÁL-in ^MHa-at-tu-si-li-in ^FDINGIR^MEŠ.ARAD-in-na DUMU.MUNUS-an ha-as-ta
nu-za hu-u-ma-an-da-as-pat EGIR-ez-zi-is DUMU-as e-su-un
nu-za ku-it-ma-an nu-u-wa DUMU-as e-su-un ŠA ^KUŠKA.TAB.ANŠE-za e-su-un
nu ^DIŠTAR GAŠAN-YA A-NA ^MMur-si-li A.BI-YA Ù-et ^MNIR.GÁL-in ŠEŠ-YA u-i-ya-at
A-NA ^MHa-at-tu-si-li-wa MU.KAM^HI.A ma-ni-in-ku-wa-an-te-es
Ú-UL-wa-ra-as TI-an-na-as nu-wa-ra-an-mu am-mu-uk pa-ra-a pa-a-i nu-wa-ra-as-mu ^LÙsa-an-ku-un-ni-is e-es-du nu-wa-ra-as TI-an-za
nu-mu A-BU-YA DUMU-an sa-ra-a da-a-as nu-mu A-NA DINGIR^LIM ARAD-an-ni pe-es-ta nu-za A-NA DINGIR^{LIM LÙ}sa-an-ku-un-ni-ya-an-za BAL-ah-hu-un
nu-za-kan A-NA ŠÚ ^DIŠTAR GAŠAN-YA `lu-ú-lu u-uh-hu-un
nu-mu ^DIŠTAR GAŠAN-YA ŠÚ-za IṢ-BAT na-as-mu-kan pa-ra-a ha-an-da-an-te-es-ta

⁹ GIM-an-ma IŠ-TU KUR Mi-iz-ri EGIR-pa i-ya-ah-ha-ha-at nu-za I-NA KUR ^URULa-wa-za-an-ti-ya A-NA DINGIR^LUM BAL-u-wa-an-zi i-ya-ah-ha-ha-at nu-za DINGIR^LUM i-ya-nu-un
nu-za DUMU.MUNUS ^MPe-en-ti-ip-sa-ri ^LÙSANGA ^FPu-du-he-pa-an IŠ-TU INIM DINGIR^LIM DAM-an-ni da-ah-hu-un
nu ha-an-da-a-u-en
nu-un-na-as DINGIR^LUM ŠA ^LÚMU-DI DAM a-as-si-ya-tar pe-es-ta
nu-un-na-as DUMU.NITA^MEŠ DUMU.MUNUS^MEŠ i-ya-u-en
nam-ma-mu DINGIR^LUM GAŠAN-YA Ù-at QA-DU É^TI-ma-mu ARAD-ah-ha-hu-ut
nu A-NA DINGIR^LIM QA-DU É^TI-YA ARAD-ah-ha-ha-at
nu-un-na-as É-er ku-it e-es-su-u-en nu-un-na-as-kan DINGIR^LUM an-da ar-ta-at
nu-un-na-as É-er pa-ra-a i-ya-an-ni-is ka-ni-is-su-u-wa-ar-ma-at ŠA ^DIŠTAR GAŠAN-YA e-es-ta

Translation

² I will tell of Ishtar's divine power; let mankind hear it. And, from henceforth, among the gods of my majesty, of his son, of his grandson, of the descendants of my majesty, let there be reverence toward Ishtar.

³ My father, Mursilis, begat us four children, Halpasulupis, Muwattallis, Hattusilis and Massanauzzis, a daughter. And of all of them, I was the last (i.e. the youngest) child. And while I was still a child, I was foolish. Ishtar, My Lady, sent my brother Muwattalis to my father Mursilis in (i.e. by means of) a dream, (saying) "For Hattusilis, the years are short. He will not live long. Give him to me and let him be my priest. Then he will live." And my father offered me, a child, and he gave me to the service of the deity. And serving as a priest to the deity, I made sacrifice. And in the hand of Ishtar, My lady, I saw prosperity(?). And Ishtar, My Lady, took me by the hand, and she showed me divine guidance.

⁹ When, however, I came back from the land of Egypt, I went to the city of Lawanzantiyas to make libations to the Goddess; and I made sacrifice to the Goddess. And, at the command of the Goddess, I took Puduhepa, the daughter of Pentipsarris, the priest, in marriage; and we married. And the Goddess gave to us the love of husband and wife. And we had (lit. "made") sons and daughters. And the Goddess, my lady, appeared to me in a dream (saying), "Serve me along with your household." And I did service to the Goddess, along with my household. And the Goddess stood among us (in) the household that we established, and our household prospered(?), and it had the favor of My Lady, Ishtar.

Grammar

26. The Ablative.

As in Greek and Sanskrit, the ablative is the case that denotes separation or origin: it is often used to indicate motion away from a location. For example:

26.1. Motion away

In the following passage from the "Proclamation of Anittas," the city names Nēsaz and Zālpuwaz in the ablative indicate motion away from a place and are opposed to the allatives Zālpuwa and Nēsa, which indicate motion towards a place:

26.2. Without verbs of motion

In sentences without verbs of motion, nouns in the ablative may often be translated by English prepositional phrases with "from":

26.3. Consequence

The ablative may also have the sense "as the result of":

26.4. Akkadian IŠTU

The Akkadian preposition IŠTU often accompanies a noun in the ablative case. The following passage from the ritual of Tunnawi uses both Akkadograms with phonetic complements spelled -az to mark nouns as ablative and Akkadian IŠTU:

26.5. Postpositions

The ablative is used with some postpositions, and again, the sense is one of separation or distance. For example, with katta, kattan "down" the sense is "down from":

26.6. Spatial relations

Some adverbs indicating spatial relations are made from the ablative case forms of pronouns, for example apēz "from there" and kēz "from here" (from the ablatives of apā- "that" and kā- "this"). Others may be made from the ablatives of nouns or adjectives.

(from kūnna- 'right')

(from iskis- 'back')

(from GUB-la- 'left' -- Sumerogram, Hittite reading unkown)

26.7. With parkui-

The ablative may also be used with the adjective parkui- "pure," "free of impurities" in the sense "free of something" (usually something undesirable):

27. nt-stem Adjectives and Nouns

The suffix -nt- is fairly common in Hittite. Forms made with this suffix include adjectives (e.g., hūman- 'all'), participles (e.g., asānt- participle of ēs-, as- 'be' or tarant- participle of tē-, tar- 'say'), including participles used nominally (e.g., appānza 'captive' from appant-, participle of ēpp-, app- 'seize', or iyant- 'sheep', originally the participle of i-, midd. iya- 'go'), and some nouns including, for example, gimmant- 'winter' or ispant- 'night'. Adjectives with the suffix -went-, (e.g., kisduwant- 'hungry' beside kāsza, kest- 'hunger') are also nt-stems, as is the ergative suffix (nominative singular -anza, nominative plural -antes).

By regular sound change, the stem-final -t is lost in the nominative-accusative singular neuter (e.g., hūman from *hūmant). In the nominative singular animate, the combination of the stem-final -t and the nominative ending -s is spelled -za.

The adjective hūmant- 'all' is widely attested, and its paradigm may be taken as representative of the inflection of -nt-stems:

28. Derived Verbs

The verbal suffixes -nu-, -ēss-, and -ahh- play an important role in Hittite word formation, making verbs derived from verbal roots, from adjectives, and from nouns. The suffix -nu-, which can be added to verbal, nominal, or adjectival stems, is causative in value; in other words, it adds the sense "make someone do the action of a verb," or "make someone or something take on the qualities expressed by an adjective or noun." The suffix -ahh- is added to adjectives. Its sense is similar to that of -nu- in that it means "make someone or something take on the qualities expressed by the base adjective." The suffix -ēss-, which was originally primarily attached to adjectives, denotes entry into a state. Its sense is "become the quality expressed by the adjective."

28.1. Causatives in -nu-

Verbs with the suffix -nu- take mi-conjugation endings. Since an earlier sequence of *uw became um in Hittite, the first person plural present and preterit mi-conjugation endings -weni and -wen show up as -meni (or -mmeni) and -men after the suffix -nu-. It should be noted that the common spelling with uw in the third person plural present and imperative indicates that the final u of the suffix became w before the endings -anzi and -andu. The verb wahnu- 'make turn, swing' is related to wēh- 'turn', and parkunu- 'cleanse, purify' is from the adjective parkui- 'clean, pure'. The final i of the adjective is regularly dropped with the addition of the suffix:

The verb in -nu- may have meanings quite close to those of the verb or adjective from which it is formed, or it may develop extended meanings not paralleled by its base. The adjective salli- means "big", and the derivative in -nu-, sallanu-, literally "make big," can mean "raise (children)." For example, this passage from the bronze tablet on which a treaty between the Hittite king Tudhaliya IV and Kurunta of Tarhuntassa is recorded uses the verb in this sense in both the infinitive and in the iterative:

The basic meaning of the adjective parkui- is "pure," "free from" (impurities), (physically or ritually) "clean"; it can also mean "innocent" in a legal context. The derived verb parkunu- has the literal meaning "clean, purify," and it can mean "declare (someone) innocent", "clarify (a matter), "reform" (cf. English "clean up" in the meaning "reform"), for example:

The verb weh- means "turn," and it is often used in the middle in the sense "go about," mill around," as in the following:

The derivative wahnu-, however, means "make turn" and may have metaphorical meanings such as "alter."

With the preverb sēr "above" wahnu- can mean "wave (something) over" (someone or something):

The mi-verb link- means "swear an oath," but the derivative linganu- means "make swear an oath," or "put under oath":

28.2. Factitive verbs in -ahh-

Both mi-conjugation and hi-conjugation inflection is attested for verbs with the suffix -ahh-. Although the base from which maniyahh- 'distribute, entrust, administer, govern' has been formed has been lost, it is a well attested verb, and many of its inflected forms have been found:

The effect of the suffix is to produce a verb that means make someone or something have the quality expressed by the adjective from which the verb is derived. One finds, for example, happinahh- 'make rich, enrich' beside happina- 'rich', dasawahh- 'make blind, blind' from dasuwant- 'blind', or newahh- 'make new, re-copy' beside nēwa- 'new'. The following two sentences provide examples:

28.3. Mi-conjugation verbs in -ēss-

The central meaning of the mi-conjugation verbs in ēss- is to become the possessor of the quality that the base adjective expresses. It should be noted that the archaic pattern for forming such verbs is to drop the suffix that characterizes the adjective. So, for example, ekuness- 'become cold' comes from the a-stem adjective ekuna- 'cold', tepauēss- 'become small, become short' is ultimately from tēpu- 'small, short', militēss- 'become sweet' is from miliddu- 'sweet', salless- 'grow, become big' is from salli- 'big', dalukēss- 'become long' is from daluki- 'long', dankuēss- 'become dark' is from dankui- 'dark', and innarawess- 'become strong' is from innarawant- 'strong'. The suffix has the shape -ēs- before consonants (e.g., tēpawēsta 'it became short') and -ēss- before vowels (e.g., idālauwessanzi 'they became evil'). The following are examples of how verbs in -ēss- are used.

In this passage from the "Annals of Mursilis" the participle of tēpāwēss- is used with ēs- 'be'. The expression "the year had become short" means that fall had come and with it the end of the season during which the king waged war.

28.4. Variable meaning

The following phrases, which use verb forms with different suffixes side-by-side, illustrate how the meanings of these suffixes differ.

This phrase has parkunu- 'make clean' beside harkēss- 'become white' as the result of being cleaned (from harki- 'white'):

This phrase is very similar to the one above, except that it uses harganu- 'make white' in place of harkēss- 'become white':

In this sentence, which is about someone who has been accused of a crime and sentenced to trial by ordeal to determine guilt or innocence, parkuēss- 'be proven innocent' (lit. 'become pure') contrasts with parkunu- 'make clean' in a metaphorical sense:

The sentence below discusses the defilement of items in a temple. It contrasts the participle of marsanu- 'desecrate' from marsa- 'false, defiled' with āppa suppiyahh- 'make pure again', with suppiyahh- 'make holy' from suppi- 'pure, holy':

29. The participle

The Hittite participle in -ant- is from an Indo-European active participle. It is inflected as an nt-stem. In most instances, any distinction in voice shown by the participle depends on whether the verb from which it is derived is transitive or intransitive. Normally, participles from transitive verbs, that is verbs that may take direct objects, are passive in sense (e.g., appānt- 'captured', nominal 'captive' from ēpp-, app- 'seize'; piyant- 'given' from pāi- 'give'; or sekkant- 'known' from sākk-, sekk- 'know'). Participles from intransitive verbs, that is, verbs that do not take direct objects, are active and intransitive by contrast (e.g., pānt- 'gone' from pāi- 'go' or maussant- 'fallen' from mū-, mauss- 'fall'). Two exceptions to this pattern are adānt-, participle of ēd- 'eat', which is found in the sense "eaten" and akuwānt-, participle of eku-, aku- 'drink', which occurs in the sense "drunk."

29.1. Verbal adjective

The participle may be used as a verbal adjective (compare, e.g., English "melted butter"):

In some instances, participles that modify nouns seem to have lost, or at least loosened their connections to living verbs (compare, e.g., English "molten lava" with "molten," from an archaic participle of "melt"). For example, enant-, which means something like "tamed" or "trained" in the phrase MÁŠ.GAL enanza 'tamed he-goat', is probably the participle of an otherwise unattested verb inu-. Although the verb ārr- 'wash' is well attested, the participle arrant- seems to be used as an adjective in phrases like arranza halkis 'washed grain' or ŠE arran 'washed barley'. Similarly, an adjectival liliwant- 'swift, urgent' apparently comes from the participle of liliwahh- 'hasten, hurry':

29.2. Transitive verbs

Participles of transitive verbs are used with forms of ēs- 'be' in a construction that may be translated by an English passive.

(with hurtant-, participle of huwart- 'curse')

(with linganuwant-, participle of linganu- 'place under oath')

This construction also occurs in nominal sentences, in which a present form of "to be" is to be understood:

(with huettiyant-, participle of huettiya- 'draw, drag')

29.3. Intransitive verbs

Participles of intransitive verbs are used with finite forms of ēs- 'be' in a construction that may be translated by an English active perfect. The sense remains intransitive:

(with pānt- participle of pāi- 'go')

(with uwant-, participle of uwa- 'come')

(with arant-, participle of ar- 'stand')

29.4. Other uses of participles.

The participle is occasionally used in a semi-adverbial sense:

The participle asant- of ēs- 'be' can have the meaning "true" (literally "as it is"):

Occasonally participles may be nominalized; that is, used in noun functions. For example, in this phrase, aniyant- the participle of aniya- 'do, make, perform' in the nominative-accusative neuter is used in the sense "work":

Similarly, appānt- and kunānt-, the participles of ēpp- 'capture' and kuen- 'strike, kill' can be used as nouns meaning "a captive" or "the dead."

The participle of a transitive verb, when used with forms of hark- 'have, hold', can have the sense "be kept" in the condition specified by the participle.

30. Conditional and Comparative Clauses

Conditional clauses, normally to be translated in English by clauses with "if," may take a number of forms in Hittite. To express factual conditions, two conjunctions meaning "if," takku and mān, are used. Mān is also used in contrary to fact (unreal conditions), and, in the meaning "when" to introduce time clauses. It may also be used as a conjunction meaning "whether." Since the meanings "if" and "when" are close, context determines whether a clause with mān is to be translated as conditional or temporal. Comparative clauses, or clauses in which a thing or an action is likened to another, are fairly frequent in Hittite. Comparative clauses use the subordinating conjunctions mān, māhhan, and mahhanda, each of which can mean "as" or "just as".

30.1. Conditional Clauses

The conjunction takku is found only in early texts and in later copies of early texts. It is very common in the law code, which may be viewed as a series of statements about the consequences of actions.

The conjunction mān in the meaning "if" is found in texts from the earliest period onward. It may also be used in indirect questions. The first sentence below is from the "Proclamation of Telepenus":

This sentence, from a ritual text, sets different conditions for treating men and women:

Conditional clauses with mān are often used in the openings of rituals to indicate the ritual's purpose.

Mān may be used in indirect questions in the sense "if" or "whether":

The conjunction kuit, 'because' joins independent clauses, expressing a logical relationship between a main clause and a qualifying clause that provides the reasons for actions or occurrences. It is placed neither at the head of the sentence nor at the head of the qualifying clause. Instead, it normally follows full phrase of the clause. The effect of this placement may be to focus attention on the immediate reason for the actions taken in the result clause. For example, kuit often follows the subject of the sentence, the agent leading to the action.

In this sentence, kuit follows ŠŪRIPU 'cold', the reason for the king's retreat to the river Astarpa:

30.2. Comparative Clauses

Comparative clauses are especially common in ritual texts in descriptions of ritual actions in which a thing is endowed with the baneful qualities that the ritual practitioner is removing from the patient. In these rituals, the practitioner likens the object to something harmful and performs ritual actions upon it or likens an action to removing harm from the patient. Alternatively, the practioner may use a comparison to a desirable state to wish something good for the patient. Comparative clauses are often complemented by clauses using the correlative adverb apenissan (or the Akkadogram QĀTAMMA) meaning "(just) so" or "likewise."

Mān, which has a number of functions, including use as a postposition meaning "like," may be used as a conjunction meaning "just as" in comparative clauses. It is found within the clause and not initially:

Māhhan is more commonly used as a subordinating conjunction meaning "like," "as," or "just as." The following sentence, which is much like the sentence with mān above, suggests that it could be essentially a synonym of mān in this sense:

The comparative clause may be complemented by a clause that lacks a correlative adverb:

The subordinating conjuncttion māhhanda (also written mānhhanda and mān handa) seems to be exclusively used in comparative clauses. It is presumably a compound of mān and the adverb handa 'facing' in origin. The evidence is unclear, but it may be an archaism confined to early texts and copies of these texts. The following is from a text written by an Old Kingdom prince, perhaps Mursilis I, to his noblemen: