Excavations at the Kayalıpınar site in Sivas province, central Turkey, uncovered 131 cuneiform tablets and fragments in 2026. When combined with 53 similar artifacts recovered during excavations in 2025, the total assemblage reaches 184 tablets dating to the reign of King Tudhaliya II, forming the largest and most comprehensive Hittite-language archive found in the 21st century.
The image shows the actual cuneiform tablets that form the Hittite royal archive discussed in the article, providing visual evidence of the archaeological find.
Among the tablets are records of a severe fever epidemic that particularly affected infants and children within the royal household. One tablet describes the illness of the king’s infant daughter, who was still nursing when she contracted the fever; diviners monitored her condition through omens, and after her death another tablet records the funeral rites performed for her.
The archive also contains a letter from Hittite generals stationed in western Anatolia appealing to the king for reinforcements of troops, horses, and chariots to counter enemy forces, while explicitly disclaiming responsibility for any failures if the requested support did not arrive. Additional texts shed light on religious practices centered on the goddess Sauska and on bird‑divination practices, where specialists documented their travels and interpretations of avian omens in diary‑like formats. Scholars note that many tablets remain fragmentary and that further analysis is needed to pinpoint the exact nature of the epidemic and the identity of the enemy forces referenced in the generals’ letter.