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Hittite Online

Lesson 6

Sara E. Kimball and Jonathan Slocum

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

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

nu `zi-la-du-wa SA DUTUŠI DUMU-ŠU DUMU.DUMU-ŠU NUMUN DUTUŠI DINGIRMEŠ-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 DUMUMEŠ MHal-pa-su-lu-pi-in MNIR.GÁL-in MHa-at-tu-si-li-in FDINGIRMEŠ.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.KAMHI.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 DINGIRLIM ARAD-an-ni pe-es-ta

nu-za A-NA DINGIRLIM LÙsa-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 DINGIRLUM BAL-u-wa-an-zi i-ya-ah-ha-ha-at nu-za DINGIRLUM i-ya-nu-un

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

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

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

nu-un-na-as DUMU.NITAMEŠ DUMU.MUNUSMEŠ i-ya-u-en

nam-ma-mu DINGIRLUM GAŠAN-YA Ù-at QA-DU ÉTI-ma-mu ARAD-ah-ha-hu-ut

nu A-NA DINGIRLIM QA-DU ÉTI-YA ARAD-ah-ha-ha-at

nu-un-na-as É-er ku-it e-es-su-u-en nu-un-na-as-kan DINGIRLUM 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

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 DUTUŠI DUMU-ŠU DUMU.DUMU-ŠU NUMUN DUTUŠI DINGIRMEŠ-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 DUMUMEŠ MHal-pa-su-lu-pi-in MNIR.GÁL-in MHa-at-tu-si-li-in FDINGIRMEŠ.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.KAMHI.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 DINGIRLIM ARAD-an-ni pe-es-ta nu-za A-NA DINGIRLIM LÙsa-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 DINGIRLUM BAL-u-wa-an-zi i-ya-ah-ha-ha-at nu-za DINGIRLUM i-ya-nu-un
 nu-za DUMU.MUNUS MPe-en-ti-ip-sa-ri LÙSANGA FPu-du-he-pa-an IŠ-TU INIM DINGIRLIM DAM-an-ni da-ah-hu-un
 nu ha-an-da-a-u-en
 nu-un-na-as DINGIRLUM ŠA LÚMU-DI DAM a-as-si-ya-tar pe-es-ta
 nu-un-na-as DUMU.NITAMEŠ DUMU.MUNUSMEŠ i-ya-u-en
 nam-ma-mu DINGIRLUM GAŠAN-YA Ù-at QA-DU ÉTI-ma-mu ARAD-ah-ha-hu-ut
 nu A-NA DINGIRLIM QA-DU ÉTI-YA ARAD-ah-ha-ha-at
 nu-un-na-as É-er ku-it e-es-su-u-en nu-un-na-as-kan DINGIRLUM 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:

    DSIN-as-wa-kan   nepisaz   mausta
    moon-it-quotative-locatival   from heaven (abl.)   fell
    "The moon, it fell from heaven."
    karizz-a-kan   GIM-an   URU-az   sēhur   IM-an   ārri
    flood-and-locatival   as   from the city (abl.)   filth   mud   washes
    "As the flood washes filth (and) mud from the city..."
    arunaz   ehu
    from the sea (abl)   come
    "From the sea, come!"
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:

    karū   MŪhnas   LUGAL   URUZālpuwa
    previously   Uhna   king   of Zalpa
    DSiusummin   URUNēsaz   URUZālpuwa   pēdas
    Siusummi   from Neza (abl.)   to Zalpa (all.)   had carried
    appezziyan-a   MAnittas   LUGAL.GAL   DSiusummin
    later-but   Anittas   Great King   Siusummi
    URUZālpuwaz   āppa   URUNēsa   pēdahhun
    from Zalpa (abl.)   back   to Nesa (all.)   I carried
    "Previously, Uhna, King of Zalpuwa, had carried Siusummi from Nesa to Zalpuwa. But later, (I), Anitta, the Great King, carried Siusummi back from Zalpuwa to Nesa."
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":

    takku   amiyaraza   GIŠINBAM   kuiski   ārgi
    if   from an irrigation ditch (abl.)   fruit trees   someone   cuts off
    "If someone cuts fruit trees off from an irrigation ditch..."
    ammuk-ma-aza   ŠÀ-az   lahlahhiman   ŪL   tarhmi
    I-but-reflexive   from heart (abl.)   worry   not   overcome
    "But I cannot overcome the worry from (my) heart."
26.3. Consequence

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

    takku   LÚ-an   nasma   MUNUS-an   sullanaz   kuiski   kuenzi
    if   man   or   woman   quarrel (abl.)   someone   kills
    "If someone kills a man or a woman as the result of a quarrel."
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:

    zik-kan   mahhan   sakunis   GE6-az (abl.)   KI-az (abl.)
    you-locatival   just as   spring   dark-from   earth-from
    purut   EGIR   sarā sakuneskesi        
    mud   back   keeps bubbling up        
    nu   edani   antuhsi   ANA   EN.SISKUR
    and   for this   for person   for   patient
    IŠTU   UZUÚRHI.A-ŠU   idalu   papratar    
    (from)   from limbs (abl)-his   evil   impurity    
    QA-TAM-MA   mutāi            
    just so   remove            
    "Just as you, spring, keep gushing up mud from the dark world, just so, from the limbs of this person, the patient, remove evil impurity!"
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":

    DUTU-us-kan   nepisaza   katta   sakuwayat
    The Sungod-locatival   from heaven (abl.)   down   looked
    "The Sungod looked down from heaven."
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.

    kūnnaz-tit   iyatta
    on right (abl.)-your   walks
    "He walks on your right."

(from kūnna- 'right')

    iskisaz   EGIR-pa   iyattāri
    backwards (abl.)   back   he walks
    "He retreats backwards."

(from iskis- 'back')

    ANA   LÚSANGA-as   DU   GÙB-laza
    to   the priest   of the Stormgod   on the left (abl.)
    iyatta            
    she walks            
    "She walks to the left of the priest of the Stormgod."

(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):

    nu-za   DINGIRMEŠ   idālawaz   uddanaz    
    and-reflexive   gods   evil (abl.)   words (abl.)    
    linkiyaz   hūrdiyaz   ēshanaz   isgaruwaz   hūmandazzi-ya
    oath (abl.)   curse (abl.)   murder (abl.)   tears (abl.)   from all (abl.)-and
    parkuwaēs   ēsten            
    free   let you be            
    "May you, O gods, be free of evil words, perjury, curse, murder, tears, and of all (similar things)."
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:

    Singular       Plural
nom.anim.   hūman-za       hūmant-es
acc.anim.   hūmand-an       hūmand-us
nom.-acc.n.   hūman       hūmant-a
gen.   hūmant-as       hūmand-an, hūmand-as
dat./loc.   hūmant-i       hūmand-as
inst.   hūmant-et        
abl.   hūmant-aza, hūmand-az       hūmanda-za
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:

Present        
Singular        
1   wah-nu-mi   parku-nu-mi
2   wah-nu-si   parku-nu-si
3   wah-nu-zzi   parku-nu-zzi
Plural        
1   wah-nu-meni   parku-nu-mmeni
2   wah-nu-tteni   parku-nu-tteni
3   wah-nuw-anzi   parku-nuw-anzi
Preterit        
Singular        
1   wah-nu-nun   parku-nu-nun
2       *parku-nu-tten
3   wah-nu-t   parku-nu-t
Plural        
1   wah-nu-men   parku-nu-men
2   *wah-nu-tten   *parku-nu-tten
3   wah-nu-er   parku-nu-er
Imperative        
Singular        
1        
2   *wah-nu-t   parku-nu-t
3   *wah-nu-ttu   parku-nu-ddu
Plural        
1        
2   *wah-nu-tten   parku-nu-tten
3   *wah-nuw-andu   parku-nuw-andu

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:

    annisan-pat-an   MNIR.GÁL-is   LUGAL-us   ANA   ABU-YA    
    before-emphatic-him   Muwattallis   the king   to   father-my    
    MHattusili   sallanummanzi   piyan   harta   n-an   annisan-pat
    Hattusilis   to raise   given   had   and-him   already-indeed
    ABU-YA   sallanusket                
    father-my   raised                
    "Previously Muwattalli, the king, had given him to my father, Hattusilis, to raise, and indeed, my father had already raised him."

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:

    TÚGNÍG.LÁMMEŠ-kan   kēzza   arranzi
    festival-clothes-locatival   with this   they wash
    n-at   parkunuwanzi    
    and-them   they clean    
    "And they wash festive garments with this and clean them."
             
    nu   kūn   EN.SISKUR   apēz   sapiya
    and   this   patient   with it   scrub
    n-an   12   UZUÚR   parkunut    
    and-him   twelve   body part(s)   purify    
    "Scrub this patient with it and purify the twelve parts of (his) body."

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

    nu-ssi   peran   hūmantes   parkunwantes   wehanta
    and-him   before   all   purified   they go about
    "And all go about before him in a purified state."

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

    n-an-kan   ŪL-pat   wahnunun
    and-it-locatival   not-certainly   I turned
    "And certainly I did not alter it (a tablet)."

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

    ug-a-smas-san   ERÍNMEŠ-an   sēr   3   ŠU   wahnumi
    I-but-them-locatival   soldiers   over   three   times   I make turn
    "I wave the (clay statues of the) soldiers over them three times."

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

    n-as   linganunun   nu-tta
    and-them   I have put under oath   and-to you
    memian   sakuwasar   memandu
    word   truthfully   let them speak
    "I have put them under oath; let them tell you the truth."
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:

Singular    
Present    
1.   maniy-ah-mi
2.   maniy-ah-ti
3.   maniy-ah-zi, maniy-ahh-i
Plural    
1.   *maniy-ah-weni
2.   *maniy-ah-teni
3.   *maniy-ahh-anzi
Preterit    
Singular    
1.   maniy-ahh-un
2   maniy-ah-ta
3.   maniy-ahh-is, maniy-ah-ta
Plural    
1.   *maniy-ahh-wen
2.   *maniy-ahh-ten
3.   maniy-ahh-ir
Imperative    
Singular    
2.   maniy-ah
3.   maniy-ah-du
Plural    
2.   maniy-ah-ten
3.   *maniy-ahh-andu

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:

    mān   ŪL-ma   nu-smas-san   uwanzi
    if   not-but   then-to-you-locatival   they come
    apiya   pēdi   tasuwahhanzi    
    there   in the place   they make blind    
    "If you don't (obey the king's orders), then they will come to you and will blind (you) on the spot."
                 
    n-at   luluwāi   happinahhi-ya-at
    and-it   sustain   make rich-and-it
    "Sustain it (the country of Hatti), and enrich it"
28.3. Mi-conjugation verbs in -ēss-

The central meaning of the mi-conjugation verbs in ēss- is to become