Hittite royal archive with 184 tablets unearthed in central Türkiye

Daily Sabah · Daily Sabah · 2026-10-08 09:30 UTC

A royal archive unearthed at the ancient Hittite settlement of Samuha, in present-day Sivas in central Türkiye, has shed new light on the Hittite Empire,...

A royal archive unearthed at the ancient Hittite settlement of Samuha, in present-day Sivas in central Türkiye, has shed new light on the Hittite Empire, revealing records of a deadly epidemic, military threats and royal life dating back about 3,400 years.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced that archaeologists uncovered 131 cuneiform tablets and fragments during the 2026 excavations at Kayalıpınar in Sivas’ Yıldızeli district. Together with 53 tablets and fragments found at the site last year, the number of discoveries has reached 184.

The documents, dating to the reign of King Tudhaliya II, are considered the most extensive Hittite-language archive discovered in the 21st century, according to the excavation team.

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