HFR Team

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


CTH 626.Tg02

Festival of Haste (nuntarriyašḫa-). Day 2

introductio



Short description

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