The babilili-Ritual from Hattusa (CTH 718) (Mesopotamian Civilizations)

Hittite culture of the second millennium B.C.E. was strongly influenced by Mesopotamian culture, in part through the mediation of the peripheral cuneiform civilizations of northern Syria, in part through direct contact with Babylonia and Assyria. The text edited here (CTH 718) presents an extreme example of this cultural impact, featuring incantations in the Akkadian language (Hittite __babilili__) embedded within a ceremony set forth in the Hittite tongue. This ritual program has therefore become known to scholars as the “__babilili__-ritual.” With almost 400 preserved lines, this ceremony is one of the longest religious compositions recovered from the Hittite capital, and there are indications that a significant additional portion has been lost. The divine figure to whom the rite is addressed is Pirinkir, a variety of the well-known Ishtar of Mesopotamia. Its purpose seems to be the elimination of the sins of a member of the royal family. Many of the ritual activities and offering materials employed here are characteristic of the cult practice of the Classical Cilician region known as Kizzuwatna, which was introduced into the central Hittite realm during the final two centuries of the state’s existence. Nonetheless, the Akkadian of the incantations is neither the Akkadian employed in the Hurrian-influenced area of Syria and eastern Anatolia nor that otherwise known from the Hittite royal archives; rather, it is closer to the language of the later Old Babylonian period, even if no precise Mesopotamian forerunners can yet be identified.

Hittite culture of the second millennium B.C.E. was strongly influenced by Mesopotamian culture, in part through the mediation of the peripheral cuneiform civilizations of northern Syria, in part through direct contact with Babylonia and Assyria. The text edited here (CTH 718) presents an extreme example of this cultural impact, featuring incantations in the Akkadian language (Hittite babilili ) embedded within a ceremony set forth in the Hittite tongue. This ritual program has therefore become known to scholars as the “ babilili -ritual.”

With almost 400 preserved lines, this ceremony is one of the longest religious compositions recovered from the Hittite capital, and there are indications that a significant additional portion has been lost. The divine figure to whom the rite is addressed is Pirinkir, a variety of the well-known Ishtar of Mesopotamia. Its purpose seems to be the elimination of the sins of a member of the royal family.

Many of the ritual activities and offering materials employed here are characteristic of the cult practice of the Classical Cilician region known as Kizzuwatna, which was introduced into the central Hittite realm during the final two centuries of the state’s existence. Nonetheless, the Akkadian of the incantations is neither the Akkadian employed in the Hurrian-influenced area of Syria and eastern Anatolia nor that otherwise known from the Hittite royal archives; rather, it is closer to the language of the later Old Babylonian period, even if no precise Mesopotamian forerunners can yet be identified.

Hittite culture of the second millennium B.C.E. was stronglyinfluenced by Mesopotamian culture, in part through the mediationof the peripheral cuneiform civilizations of northern Syria, inpart through direct contact with Babylonia and Assyria. The textedited here (CTH 718) presents an extreme example of this culturalimpact, featuring incantations in the Akkadian language (Hittitebabilili) embedded within a ceremony set forth in theHittite tongue. This ritual program has therefore become known toscholars as the "babilili-ritual."

With almost 400 preserved lines, this ceremony is one of thelongest religious compositions recovered from the Hittite capital,and there are indications that a significant additional portion hasbeen lost. The divine figure to whom the rite is addressed isPirinkir, a variety of the well-known Ishtar of Mesopotamia. Itspurpose seems to be the elimination of the sins of a member of theroyal family.

Many of the ritual activities and offering materials employedhere are characteristic of the cult practice of the ClassicalCilician region known as Kizzuwatna, which was introduced into thecentral Hittite realm during the final two centuries of the state'sexistence. Nonetheless, the Akkadian of the incantations is neitherthe Akkadian employed in the Hurrian-influenced area of Syria andeastern Anatolia nor that otherwise known from the Hittite royalarchives; rather, it is closer to the language of the later OldBabylonian period, even if no precise Mesopotamian forerunners canyet be identified.

Hittite culture of the second millennium B.C.E. was strongly influenced by Mesopotamian culture, in part through the mediation of the peripheral cuneiform civilizations of northern Syria, in part through direct contact with Babylonia and Assyria. The text edited here (CTH 718) presents an extreme example of this cultural impact, featuring incantations in the Akkadian language (Hittite babilili ) embedded within a ceremony set forth in the Hittite tongue. This ritual program has therefore become known to scholars as the " babilili -ritual." With almost 400 preserved lines, this ceremony is one of the longest religious compositions recovered from the Hittite capital, and there are indications that a significant additional portion has been lost. The divine figure to whom the rite is addressed is Pirinkir, a variety of the well-known Ishtar of Mesopotamia. Its purpose seems to be the elimination of the sins of a member of the royal family. Many of the ritual activities and offering materials employed here are characteristic of the cult practice of the Classical Cilician region known as Kizzuwatna, which was introduced into the central Hittite realm during the final two centuries of the state's existence. Nonetheless, the Akkadian of the incantations is neither the Akkadian employed in the Hurrian-influenced area of Syria and eastern Anatolia nor that otherwise known from the Hittite royal archives; rather, it is closer to the language of the later Old Babylonian period, even if no precise Mesopotamian forerunners can yet be identified. Hittite culture of the second millennium B.C.E. was strongly influenced by Mesopotamian culture, in part through the mediation of the peripheral cuneiform civilizations of northern Syria, in part through direct contact with Babylonia and Assyria. The text edited here (CTH 718) presents an extreme example of this cultural impact, featuring incantations in the Akkadian language (Hittite babilili ) embedded within a ceremony set forth in the Hittite tongue. This ritual program has therefore become known to scholars as the babilili -ritual. With almost 400 preserved lines, this ceremony is one of the longest religious compositions recovered from the Hittite capital, and there are indications that a significant additional portion has been lost. The divine figure to whom the rite is addressed is Pirinkir, a variety of the well-known Ishtar of Mesopotamia. Its purpose seems to be the elimination of the sins of a member of the royal family. Many of the ritual activities and offering materials employed here are characteristic of the cult practice of the Classical Cilician region known as Kizzuwatna, which was introduced into the central Hittite realm during the final two centuries of the state s existence. Nonetheless, the Akkadian of the incantations is neither the Akkadian employed in the Hurrian-influenced area of Syria and eastern Anatolia nor that otherwise known from the Hittite royal archives; rather, it is closer to the language of the later Old Babylonian period, even if no precise Mesopotamian forerunners can yet be identified. The babilili-Ritual from Hattusa (CTH 718) 4 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Register of Texts CTH 718 12 Introduction 16 The Ritual Texts from Hattusa 16 The babilili-Ritual 17 Archaeological Location of the Tablets 17 Dating of the Text 18 The Central Deity 18 The Ritual Program 19 The Cultural Milieu 19 The Akkadian of the Incantations 20 The Main Texts: Transliterations 22 CTH 718.1 22 CTH 718.2 47 The Main Texts: Translations 50 CTH 718.1 50 CTH 718.2 56 The Fragments 57 F1 KUB 39.94 + KBo 17.97 57 F2 KUB 32.3 58 F3 KUB 39.69 59 F4 KUB 39.76 60 F5a–b KUB 39.77, KUB 39.79 61 F6 KUB 39.82 62 F7 KUB 39.83 63 F8 KUB 39.84 64 F9 KUB 39.86 64 F10 KUB 39.88 66 F11 KUB 39.93 68 F12 KUB 39.95 69 F13 KUB 39.96 iv 70 F14 KBo 39.172 70 F15 645/z 71 F16a–b KBo 43.214, Bo 5664 72 F17 KBo 32.206 73 F18 KBo 45.258 74 F19 KUB 60.42 75 F20 Bo 9382 75 F21 KBo 49.202 76 F22 KBo 56.208 76 F23 KBo 42.142 77 The Commentary 78 Text 1 78 Text 2 83 F1 84 F2 84 F4 85 F5 85 F6 85 F7 85 F9 86 F10 86 F11 86 F12 86 F14 86 F17 86 F19 87 F20 87 F23 87 The Incantations 88 Akkadian 89 I. Invitation to Meal 89 II. Worship and Praise 91 III. Request for Purification 92 IV. Request for Boon 93 V. Unintelligible 93 VI. Fragmentary 93 Hittite 93 Bibliography 95 Indexes 100 Hittite 100 Sumerograms 107 Akkadograms 109 Numerals 110 Divine Names 110 Place-Names 110 Akkadian Vocabulary in Incantations 110 Gary M. Beckman. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. English Translations Of Hittite And Akkadian Lines, With Examples In Original Languages.