The Corpus of Hittite Divinatory Texts (HDivT)

Digital Edition and Cultural Historical Analysis

Birgit Christiansen

Citatio: Birgit Christiansen (Hrsg.), hethiter.net/: CTH 565.3 (INTR 2024-10-01)


CTH 565.3

An Oracle Report Concerning the Cult of the Horse God Pirwa

introductio



Short description

The text contains oracle inquiries concerning the cult of the horse god Pirwa in various cities. Due to the fragmentary state of preservation, the content of the individual inquiries can only be determined in part. However, it is evident that the majority of them relate to offerings made to the deity while others pertain to cult objects.

In addition to the oracle inquiries, the text also contains reports of interviews with various people conducted before the oracles to determine which sacrifices the deity of a particular city had received (KBo 44.209 obv. I 2–6; obv. I 18–19; obv. II 2–6; rev. III 5′; KBo 44.219 obv. 3′). By doing so, the aim was to identify any shortcomings and reasons for divine wrath. Notably, some people questioned are mentioned by name, and their responses are quoted directly. Thus, KBo 44.209 obv. I 18 mentions a certain Mašduri (KBo 44.209 obv. I 18) and a man whose name begins with the sign GUL (KBo 44.219 obv 3′). A further individual whose name is not preserved is mentioned in KBo 44.209 obv. II 4. Other passages refer to certain personnel (cf. KBo 44.209 obv. II 3 LÚ.MEŠx[; KBo 44.219 rev. 2′ LÚ.MEŠUGULA).

After gathering relevant information by interviewing these people, Pirwa is asked whether he is displeased with any shortcomings concerning his cult.namma=ma The deity’s response is determined using extispicy2KBo 44.209 obv. I 6–7; 10–11; rev. IV 5′; 6′; 12′; KBo 44.219 obv. 8′–9′ 14′–15′. and the KIN oracle3KBo 44.209 obv. I 6–7; 10–11; rev. III 2′; rev. IV 5′; 6′; 7′; 12′; l.e. r. col. 6; KBo 44.219 obv. 10′–13′; l.e. l. col. 1–5.. In most cases, the KIN oracle is used to verify the results of the extispicy. Exceptions can be found in KBo 44.209 rev. III 2′; l.e. r.col. 6. The fact that in KBo 44.209 rev. III 2′ a blank line precedes the KIN oracle indicates that here, too, an examination of the entrails was carried out first, but its execution and result were not recorded.

The questions concern Pirwa of Tuttuwa4KBo 44.209 obv. I 1–16., Pirwa of Lammanza5KBo 44.209 obv. I 17ff., Pirwa of Zipariwa6KBo 44.209 rev. 8′– KBo 44.219 l.e. l. col. 5., and presumably Pirwa of Parminiya (cf. KBo 44.219 rev. 7′). In addition, KBo 44.209 lo.e. l.col. 1 mentions a Pirwa deity of a city whose name begins with the sign TU. According to Roszkowska-Mutschler H. 2007a, 195, the name URUT[u-ut-tu-wa is to be restored. However, as the cult of Pirwa of Tuttuwa is already the subject of the initial investigation (KBo 44.209 obv. I 1–16), probably another city name is to be restored in lo.e. l.col. 1. One possible candidate is the city Turuwaturuwa. This assumption is supported by the fact that Pirwa of Turuwaturuwa along with Pirwa of Nenišaḫuwa and Pirwa of Ikšuna is mentioned in the list of invoked deities in Muwatalli’s Great Prayer to the gods (KUB 6.46 rev. III 29 // KUB 6.45 obv. II 62; see Singer I. 1996a, 22; 61; Singer I. 2002c, 90; E. Rieken et al. (ed.), hethiter.net/: CTH 381 (TX 2017-12-02, TRde 2017-12-09). The city name accompanying the name of the god in KBo 44.209 lo.e. r.col. is completely broken off. Whether the oracle inquiry concerning damaged cult objects in KBo 44.209 rev. III 3′-rev. IV 7– refers to Pirwa of another city remains unclear due to the fragmentary state of preservation.

The oracle inquiry about Pirwa of Zipariwa also pertains to cult objects. This inquiry is of particular interest because it includes a description of the statue of Pirwa, which is similar to the description found in the cult inventory KUB 38.4 and the oracle report Çorum 6–1–96. According to the description, the statue is of a man plated with silver, standing on a horse of bronze and holding silver reins. The statue is placed on a bronze base, with a wooden trough in front. The oracle question about whether the objects belonging to the statue are the only ones, along with the requested and the actual unfavorable result of the extispicy, indicate that some objects belonging to Pirwa’s statue are missing. The KIN oracle, carried out as a countercheck, confirms the outcome of the extispicy.

A similar oracle inquiry might have been conducted regarding Pirwa of Tuttuwa (KBo 44.209 obv. I 1–16), suggested by the mention of a horse in obv I 2′. However, due to the fragmentary context, it is not possible to confirm this hypothesis.

A similar oracle inquiry was probably recorded in KBo 44.209 l.e .r.col. 1-4. In contrast to the oracle inquiry related to Pirwa of Zipariwa, it does not refer to the deity’s statue (ALAM), but to a stele (NA₄ZI.KIN) of Pirwa of a city whose name is not preserved.

Noteworthy is also that the inquiry concerning Pirwa of the city T[u-… concerns the spring festival spring festival (EZEN₄ DI₁₂-ŠI; KBo 44.209 lo.e. l.col. 1–6).

Texts

Manuscript AA₁KBo 44.219525/fBk. C
+ A₂+ KBo 44.209+ 647/fBk. C

History of publication

The two fragments have been published in cuneiform copies by Otten H. – Rüster C. 2003a, 43–44 no 209; 48 no 219). The indirect join was suggested by Y. Sakuma (3.8.2003). Roszkowska-Mutschler H. 2007a, 192–196; 209–211 provided transliterations, and Warbinek L. 2020a, 388–390 published a transliteration and translation of the passages referring to the KIN procedure.

Tablet characteristics

The text is written on a red-brown baked two-column tablet. The beginning of obverse I and obverse II and the lower part of rev. III and IV are preserved. The left and lower edges are inscribed, with the lower edge divided into a left and right column. The distance between the two fragments KBo 44.209 and KBo 44.219 remains unclear. The average line length can be determined based on the wholly preserved lines KBo 44.209 obv. I 12–16. The maximum length is about 20 signs.

Palaeography and handwriting

The writing is relatively careful, and the signs are deeply impressed in the clay. The sign shapes suggest a dating date from the New Hittite or even Late Hittite period. Of particular importance is the shape of KI with two verticals (see, e.g., KBo 44.209 obv. I 3; obv. I 6; obv. I 20; obv. I 22; obv. II 2; KBo 44.219 obv. 1′; rev. 1′, 5′; 9′). There are, however, also attestation of the sign written with only one vertical (see, e.g., KBo 44.219 obv. 4′; rev. 4′). URU and LI are attested in the IIIb variants; other signs are written in earlier variants (cf., e.g., IT, MEŠ).

Historical context

The text does not contain any information that can be linked to a specific historical setting.

Such a connection could, at best, be established based on the name Mašduri. Thus, according to Hout Th.P.J. van den 2006f, 283, the person bearing this name in KBo 44.209 obv. I 18 might be the king of the Šeḫa river land of the same name. However, since Mašduri, attested in the present oracle text, apparently belongs to the cultic personnel, it is more likely that the name refers to a different person.

Intertextuality

As already further above, the description of the statue of Pirwa of Zipariwa (KBo 44.209 rev. 8′–10′) is similar to the descriptions found in the cult inventory KUB 38.4 and the oracle report Çorum 6–1–96. Since all three texts have only survived in a fragmentary state, their contents can be partly restored from one another.

Overview of contents

Section 1ID=1Oracle inquiry confirms that Pirwa of Tuttuwa is angry about cultic misconduct
Section 2ID=2Oracle inquiry confirms that Pirwa of Tuttuwa is not angry about further transgressions
Section 3ID=3Oracle inquiry concerning misconduct in the cult of Pirwa of Lammanza (oracle outcome not preserved)
Section 4ID=4Oracle inquiry concerning further misconduct (presumably in the cult of Pirwa of another city)
Section 5ID=5Oracle inquiry concerning further cultic misconduct
Section 6ID=6Oracle inquiry concerning broken implements for the cult of Pirwa of a certain city (name not preserved)
Section 7ID=7Interview with certain overseers and further oracle inquiry
Section 8ID=8Oracle inquiry regarding the deity of Parmi[niya?]
Section 9ID=9Interview with certain individuals regarding cultic issues and related oracle inquiry
Section 10ID=10Oracle inquiry concerning the cult of Pirwa of Zipariwa and missing implements
Section 11ID=11Oracle inquiry concerning the cult of Pirwa of the city T[u-…] and the celebration of the Spring festival
Section 12ID=12Oracle inquiry concerning the cult of Pirwa of a certain city (name not preserved)
Editio ultima: 2024-10-01