Adam Kryszeń (Hrsg.)

Citatio: Adam Kryszeń (Hrsg.), hethiter.net/: CTH 626.Tg02 (INTR 2025-12-10)


CTH 626.Tg02

Festival of Haste (nuntarriyašḫa-). Day 2

introductio



Kurzbeschreibung

According to the outline tablets, DAY 2, which most likely takes place in Katapa, is organized into two main events. The first involves the tutelary deity Zitḫariya and a prince performing celebrations in a building, whose name is only partially preserved (É ḫ[u-). This edition follows Nakamura M. 2002a: 17, 19 and 23f., and restores it as É ḫ[uḫḫaš] “House of the Ancestors”, but the reading should not be taken as secure.

The second event of DAY 2 is the holy ablution (šuppa warpuwar) in the palace (É.GAL-LIM). The use of the latter term instead of the usual ḫalentu- is unexpected, since É.GAL usually implies the administrative function of the palace, rather than the location. The exact nature of the holy ablution remains obscure – no descriptions of what it entails have been identified.

To date, the outline tablets remain virtually the only source of information about the celebrations taking place during DAY 2 of the nuntarriyašḫa- festival. No day-tablets have been identified, although some fragments from CTH 682 (Festival for the protective deities) might be relevant. Note also the passage in the oracle ABoT 1.14 v 12′–20′ (also known as KBo 31.167+), which mentions celebrations to Zitḫariya after the king’s return from military campaigns, and may refer to DAY 2 (as postulated by Houwink ten Cate Ph.H.J. 1988a: 181), or DAY 25.

History of publication

The events of DAY 2 as known from the outline tablets have been commented on by Houwink ten Cate Ph.H.J. 1988a: 181 and Nakamura M. 2002a: 23–25.

Editio ultima: 2025-12-10