Uncovering a Tablet in a Previously Unknown Language: Excavation Results Revealed

The Digital Hammurabi Podcast

In this episode of Digital Hammurabi, Dr. Daniel Schwemer, an expert in magic and witchcraft in the Ancient Near East, joins the host to discuss the recent excavation at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Boğazköy-Hattuša. The focus of the conversation is on a tablet written in a previously unknown language that was discovered during the excavation. Dr. Schwemer shares his journey into the study of the Ancient Near East and how he became involved in the excavations at Boğazköy-Hattuša. Tune in to learn more about this fascinating discovery and its implications for our understanding of the ancient world.
Timestamps:
[00:00:46] Previously unknown language
[00:07:01] Hittite Old Kingdom and Empire
[00:09:38] Ancient East and excavation process
[00:17:12] Identifying and reuniting fragments
[00:22:18] Administrative texts and society
[00:26:18] Political history and religious practice
[00:29:33] Understanding ancient tablet inscriptions
[00:34:05] Hittite adoption of foreign traditions
[00:39:01] Syncretization and types of deities
[00:44:48] Location of Kalashma

Chapters

1. Journey to Assyriology (00:00:46)

2. Hittie Old Kingdom (00:07:01)

3. Duties of an Epigraphist (00:09:38)

4. Identifying and Reuniting Fragments (00:17:12)

5. Text Genres (00:22:18)

6. Political History and Religious Practices (00:26:18)

7. Understanding Cuneiform Inscriptions (00:29:33)

8. Hittite Adoption of Foreign Traditions (00:34:05)

9. Hittite Syncretization (00:39:01)