131 cuneiform tablets found at Hittite city of Shamuka in central Anatolia

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Key facts

• A total of 131 cuneiform tablets and fragments were recovered at the ancient Hittite city of Shamuka during the 2026 excavation season.
• Combined with 53 similar tablets and fragments found in other years, this is the most extensive Hittite archive found in the 21st century.
• The tablets date to the reign of King Tudhaliya II, roughly 3,400 years ago.
• Shamuka was a major Hittite administrative and religious centre and became a royal residence during periods of political instability.
• Texts show the royal household monitoring the health of young princes, princesses and the children of high-ranking officials.
• One account records an infant princess falling ill with high fever during an epidemic in the city of Zilulila, her deterioration, death and the funerary ritual performed for her.
• Another is a letter from a general in western Anatolia appealing directly to the king for additional soldiers, horses and chariots against a growing threat.
• A third group documents Hittite bird diviners, recording their routes, stopping places and the observations they made.

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