Archaeologists have discovered a previously unknown Indo-European language inscribed on a cuneiform tablet. This find was made during excavations in Hattusa, the once-mighty capital of the Hitтιтe Empire, positioned in modern-day Turkey.

The words in the unknown language were written in cuneiform script on a clay tablet found at Boğazköy-Hattuşa. Credit: Andreas Schachner / Deutsches Archäologisches Insтιтut

Notable experts and insтιтutions, including Professor Daniel Schwemer of Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Germany, Professor Andreas Schachner of the German Archaeological Insтιтute, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Boğazköy-Hattusha, have played pivotal roles in this astonishing linguistic discovery.

The Hitтιтe Empire was a dominant force in Western Asia from 1650 to 1200 BCE. For over a century, the German Archaeological Insтιтute has led extensive excavations in Boğazköy-Hattusha, an archaeological treasure trove recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.

These excavations have yielded an impressive collection of approximately 30,000 clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform writings. These tablets granted a place in the UNESCO World Documentary Heritage in 2001, have been a key source of insights into the history, society, economy, and religious customs of the Hitтιтes and their contemporaries.

This clay tablet with an Indo-European language was found during excavations in Hattusa, the ancient capital of the Hitтιтe Empire. Credit: Carole Raddato / wikimedia commons CC BY-SA 2,0

Most of these cuneiform tablets are inscribed with Hitтιтe, the oldest attested Indo-European language and the dominant tongue of the region. However, this year’s excavations uncovered an astonishing revelation: concealed within a Hitтιтe ritual text lies an unknown Indo-European language.

The Hitтιтe ritual text itself referred to this newfound language as the “language of the land of Kalašma,” believed to be situated in the northwestern edge of the Hitтιтe heartland, encompᴀssing areas near modern-day Bolu and Gerede.

The Hitтιтes demonstrated an exceptional fascination with recording rituals in foreign languages. These ritual texts, penned by Hitтιтe scribes, encompᴀss a broad spectrum of Anatolian, Syrian, and Mesopotamian traditions and linguistic landscapes.

Apart from the predominant Hitтιтe language, the texts contain fragments in Luwian and Palaic, two other Anatolian-Indo-European languages closely related to Hitтιтe, and Hattic, a non-Indo-European language. The recent revelation of the Kalašmaic language adds a new dimension to this multilingual tapestry.

However, the newly found Kalasmaic text remains largely enigmatic due to the scarcity of decipherable content. Professor Elisabeth Rieken, an expert in ancient Anatolian languages and a colleague of Professor Schwemer at Marburg University, has confirmed its affiliation with the Anatolian-Indo-European language family.

Nearly 30,000 clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform script have been discovered in Boğazköy-Hattuşa. Most of these tablets are inscribed in Hitтιтe. Among them, this one clay tablet housed at the British Museum records a peace treaty. Credit: Trustees of the British Museum

Remarkably, despite its geographical proximity to Palaic, the text seems to share more linguistic affinities with Luwian. This has opened the door to further research, examining the degree of resemblance between the language of Kalasma and other Luwian dialects from the Late Bronze Age Anatolia period.

This finding exemplifies the linguistic mosaic that existed in Late Bronze Age Anatolia, beyond the dominion of Hitтιтe. The tablet with this monumental linguistic discovery is still under comprehensive study and analysis.