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Art. XXI.—Notes on the Hittite Writing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2011

Extract

For the last twenty years the question of the decipherment of the hieroglyphic texts found in Syria and Asia Minor, representing a distinct written character, has excited the interest of Orientalists; and for the last five the question has been much discussed in England and abroad. Fresh monuments have been copied by Puchstein and Hogarth, and a second bilingual has been recovered from Cilicia; but the number of texts which are of any length, or at all complete, is only two dozen, and we are still at the very beginning of the study. We may expect, however, that the successors of those who recovered the Egyptian and Cuneiform systems will, in the end, not fail to conquer a third system, the study of which must be conducted on the same principles, and must result from the same gradual advance, which led to the former final results.

Type
Original Communications
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 1893

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References

page 827 note 1 Mr. Bliss, excavating the site which I identified with Lachish, came on a curious Scarab, which he kindly showed me. The emblems at the sides appear to be the Hittite signs ko mo pu div pe. There is no reason why Hittite remains should not be found near the Hebron monntains, which, according to the Bible, were early inhabited by an Hittite tribe.

page 831 note 1 The early art of Mycenæ and Troy has by some been connected with the Carians. The only remains of early writing found at Troy were a few Cypriote syllables. The actual treasures (including ivory, bronze, jade, and amber, with leaves of gold) show a marked connection with the contemporary art of Mitani, as described in the list of presents sent by the Dusratta to Egypt, including ivory, bronze, jade, and leaves of gold. The Carians seem to have been a branch of the Mongolic race of Armenia, afterwards Aryanised.

page 844 note 1 The Texts from Ibreez, Bulgar Maden, Gurun, Tyana, Kölitolu Yaila, Izgin, and Palanga are given by ProfRamsey, and MrHogarth, D. G. in their “Pre-Hellenic Monuments of Cappadooia.” Paris, 1891 and 1893, with full account of the sitesGoogle Scholar.