Repertoire geographique des textes cuneiformes, vol. 6.2, Die Orts- und Gewassernamen der hethitischen Texte.

• Author: Singer, Itamar

Hittite historical geography was until recently a highly speculative discipline, with only a handful of place-names fixed out of many hundreds mentioned in the texts. The situation has somewhat improved in the last decade due to several fortunate new discoveries. The Bronze Tablet from Bogazkoy provides some valuable identifications in Pamphylia (Parha = Perge, Kastaraya = Kestros), while the hieroglyphic text from Yalburt throws new light on the Bronze Age map of Lycia (Talawa = Tlos, Pinata = Pinara, Awarna = Xanthos, etc.);(1) the tablets from Masat Hoyuk provide a badly needed fixed-point in the northern Halys Basin (Masat H. = Tapikka(2)); the recently discovered archives from Ortakoy and from Kusakli apparently also disclose the Hittite names of these sites, Sapinuwa and Sarissa, respectively.(3)

A prerequisite for any serious historical-geographical study is a reliable inventory of all the geographical names occurring in the Hittite texts. Such a list was compiled by the author in 1978 in the framework of the cuneiform geographical repertory published by the Tubinger Atlas (with the cooperation of J. Tischler, who did the hydronyms). The sizable growth of material in the seventeen years that passed between the first volume (RGTC 6) and the supplement reviewed here (RGTC 6.2) testifies to the pace of discoveries or, more accurately, to the gratifying promptness of publication of the new texts. A similar supplement prepared by P. Cornil is updated through 1987.(4) RGTC 6.2 extends through 1991, with thirty new volumes of texts from Bogazkoy and from Masat Hoyuk. As in RGTC 6, del Monte's work is accurate and reliable. It includes, besides the textual references, also translations of significant passages and selected references to secondary literature, especially the relevant entries of the Reallexikon der Assyriologie (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1972ff.) and the prolific historical-geographical studies of M. Forlanini. The following comments, some of which derive from texts published after 1991, are but minor adjustments to an otherwise excellent volume:

A town [Ar]iyasha is now attested in KBo 39.68, 5' (CTH 626), which confirms R. Werner's reading of KBo 40.90, 14' as A-ri-ag-ha[-(StBoT 4, 67), rather than A-ri-hu-w[a, as suggested in RGTC 6: 31.

Harpis is not an abbreviated form, but rather the Hattic name without the Hittite thema-vowel (like Hakpis/Hakpisa, or Nerik/Nerikka).

As specified in RGTC 6: 132, Mount Huwatnuwanta is...