From conquest to cohesion: Linguistic data for understanding conflict dynamics in Hittite Anatolia

In the Bronze Age Hittite archives, cuneiform tablets were discovered bearing inscriptions not only in Hittite—the Indo European language spoken by the rulers of Hatti during the 2nd millennium BCE—but also in a diverse array of other languages. This contribution investigates how linguistic and epigraphic features may serve as indicators for modeling escalating and de-escalating processes among conflict dynamics. Specifically, we examine, from a quantitative perspective, the variation between (1) bilingual and monolingual (Hattic and Hurrian) texts within the Hittite archives between 1600 BCE and 1300 BCE; (2) their typologies—such as war accounts, religious texts, and economic treaties; (3) the prevalence of Hattic and Hurrian names and titles within the Hittite court; and (4) the linguistic and orthographic proficiency of Hittite scribes in these languages.