The Washington herald., 1907-02-10
SECRETS OF HITTITES
Archives Reveal Existence Of
Powerful Empire.
CLAY TABLETS TELL HISTORY
Important Archaeological Find Of
DR.. Hugo WineEIeF Expected TO
Difficulty in DecipherInE InscriD-
tions-A Treaty with the Pharaohs.

Few archaeological discoveries in the
last half century have equaled in inter
est, so far as Orientalists and students
of ancient history generally are con
cerned the remarkable find of DR.. Hugo
WinclIler in the ruins at Boghaz-Koi. the
evident site of the capital of the little
known Hittite empire Attention has
now been directed to the discovery Of the
remarkable series of more than 1900 tab
lets by the recent report of DIT. Winckler,
which has just been published in Ger
many says the Philadelphia Ledger.
DR.. Winckler, who is a professor OF
history and Assyriology in the University
of Berlin, headed an expedition sent out
last summer by the German Oriental So
ciety. The ruins of the ancient city of
Piterium were reached, and what is gen
orally regarded as the archives of the
ancient Hittite empire were discovered.
The ruins Of three buildings. usually re-
gaTded as fortresses. lie outside the
ancient city. and in the greater one of
these, now believed to be the remains of
the palace. DIR. Winckler found the
fragments of clay tablets.
Secret Nearer solution.
These tablets are Of two kinds-Baby-
lonian. and IN language as yet un-
known, but supposed to be a translation,
or rather the Hittite language. Too short
a time has elapsed for a study Of all the
tablets, but Dr. Winckler has found
what appears to be treaty between
Khattushi, or Kheta-sar. the mighty
chief of the HitJites, and that mighty
Pharaoh, Ramessu II. Copies of this
treaty have been known TO Psychologists
for some years from the hicrOglyphic in
scriptions in the temple AT Karnak and
IN the R2messeum at Thebcs. What is
regarded as one Of the best texts of the
treaty was made by Prof. Max Mueller,
of this city, in 1902. Prof Mueller has
twice gone out to Egypt since that time.
representing the Carnegie Institute.
There are many reasons to believe that
the secret of the Hittites. their language
and civilization is nearer solution to-day
ilan IL ever WCg. From the brief study
or some Of the fragments already made
IL IS known that the list OF their gods is
practically the same as those in the
Babylorian tablets Reference has also
been made In DIT Winckler's report 70 Il
silver ta5let-a Kind OF stele-uDon which
the treaty between the Hittites and the
Egyptians was evidently inscribed This
silver tablet most probably was the doc
umeut' which the great chief Of the Hit
utes sent to RFmessu IT. In the Egyptian
inscriptions mention is made of a silver
tablet. and the now famous treaty may
be, In measure. the key 10 the unknown
language, as the Rosetta stone led 10 the
displacement OF the monuments of Egypt
Hitites a Powerful People.
Very little is positively known about the
Hittites. who seem 10 have been "a power
ful people. Scholars for some time have
recognized, however. that Asia Minor was
the great theater of the Hittite civiiza-
ton. as the strength of the empire
founded 10y the HIttitcs was such that in
the thirteenth century b. C.. in the time
of R-messu II. they gave the Egyptians
a great deal o. trouble, and at the end OF
fifteen years the Nile government was
compelled to complete a treaty which was
not any too favorable TO its professions.
For "a few centuries the Hittites made
trouble for the Assyraus-iodeed. the
passing Elimpscs Of this people which his
tory gives shows them as warlke and
strong race. For ut least six centuries
they kept tbeir nCighbors At bay but
finally. In the tirae OF SarGon-726-7C5 =.
Chat mighty prince put an end TO the
troublesome people.
The HitJitcS appear 70 have spread from
the interior and the northern part Of Asia
Minor down TO Oroutes Northern syria
seems TO have been their center. but
throughout Asia Minor Hittite monuments
have been found i'm large numbers. The
discovery Of Dr. EinckleT is important as
showing that az one time their center was
al EoEhaz-Koi, and from that point they
seem 70 have spread south. II also fur
nishcs conHrmatory evidence Of the site
of its capital.
Strangely Inscribed stone.
Burekhardt, the weH-known traveller.
seems 10 have been the first to mention
the strangely inscribed stone he saw at
Klamath In 1870 the American consul
general at Beirut, J. Augustus Johnson, /
noticed a similarly inscribed stone at
Klamath and in 1872 the Palestine Elk
plorati0n Society sent out its first ex-
petition. and for the first time workable
squeeZes from the stones were made The
inscriptions were cut cameo-like. and are
totally unlike any other known linSual
characters. For years the Klamath in
scriptions have bafiled and puzzled all
who have sought 20 translate them. They
were later recognized as probably Hittite |
Inscriptions, but up until DR. Winck- /
ler's discovery no key was available by /
which their decinherment could be ac-
COmplishcd
The French expedition to Cappadocia in I
lS3-gi visited Boghaz-k0i and returned (
with many fragments of cuneiform tab
lets. Still the puzzle of the Hittite Ian /
guage was UnsoIved. All attempts at de- 4
cIpherment have failed There have been 4
solutions suggested by Saycc, in Eng
land, and Jensen and Peiser in Germany. /
but they have not met with acceptance /
As matter of fact, il is not known to /
what class Of languages the Hittite be- /
longs. Jensen suggests that II was Of the
lndo-Germanic group The tablets found f.
by DR. Winckler, however. VIII. in all /
probability according 90 Assyriologists, /
show that it has affiliations with Mitanni.
of which some specimens were found in /
the famous Tel-Tmarna archives discov-
cred in Egypt about fifteen years ago.
Speaking of the discoveries made by /
Prof. Winckler of Berlin Prof Norris |
Jastrow, of the University of PennSvI- /
vania, characterized them as among the /
most important made for many year.
both because of the valuable material OBJ
tanned by Dr. Winckler and because OF /
the possibilities now opened up for illu-
minadng the very obscure history of the /
great Hittite empire.
His wish.
From the Houstoh Post