Editorial for Rosetta Journal issue 19.
Articles
Among the treaties issued by the Hittite kings, only two can be attributed to Šuppiluliuma II. Even though Hittite treaties show a standardised structure, nonetheless, some documents, particularly the two treaties for Tarḫuntašša (CTH1106.II.2 and the Bronze Tablet), have some characteristics that allow them to be identified as particular forms (Sonderformen). Since the reign of Šuppiluliuma II faced problems like food shortages and massive movements of peoples that would lead to the end of the Hittite Empire, it is interesting to analyse the treaties issued by this king. The purpose of the analysis is to established whether the treaty as a juridical medium of diplomacy and subordination is still enforced and, if so, to what extent the texts issued by Šuppiluliuma II are similar to earlier treaties.
Keywords: treaties, diplomacy, end of the Hittite Empire
From the earliest Mesopotamian literature, royal inscriptions were written with the need to commemorate and preserve the king’s deeds. Along with several literary devices, titles and epithets were denotative elements bounded together on an archetypal approach to Near Eastern kingship. Despite the biasness of their contents, they were still part of a geopolitical and sociocultural environment. The references to both Tukultī-ninurta I and Šamšī-adad V (who ruled during the Middle and Early Neo-Assyrian periods, respectively) provide a theoretical framework on the incorporation of Southern royal titles among Assyrian royal inscriptions. These include titles such as ‘King of Sumer and Akkad’, ‘King of Karduniaš’, among others. However, the rise of the Sargonids (VIII-VII BC) accentuates the malleability of these titles.
Keywords: Neo-Assyrian Empire; Royal Inscriptions; Assyro-Babylonian relationship; Titles; Epithets.
Book Reviews
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Notes and Shorter Pieces
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