Ilya Yakubovich

Citatio: Valerii Ivanov and Ilya Yakubovich (Hrsg.), hethiter.net/: CTH 764.1 (INTR 2025-08-01)


CTH 764.1

Collection tablet with three conjurations

introductio



Short description

These three conjurations belonging to the Tauriša tradition contain mythological narratives describing the origins of the patient’s diseases.

Texts

Manuscript AA₁KBo 43.22351/gBk. E
+ A₂+ KBo 9.127+ 178/nBk. N
+ A₃+ KUB 36.41+ Bo 938Ḫattuša
+ A₄+ KUB 35.107+ 403/fBk. C

History of publication

The join A₂+A₃ was first proposed in Laroche E. 1959g: 276, which represents the review of KBo 9. For a long time A₄ was regarded as a direct join to KUB 35.108, see, e.g., Laroche E. 1959a: 158–159. This misconception is still reflected in Starke F. 1985a: 236–239, 240–242, where A₄ and (A₂+A₃) were published in transliteration. The fragments A₁ and A₂+A₃ were published in Groddek D. 2007a: 318–321 as alleged parallel versions. In the same year 2007, Jared Miller proposed to detach A₄ from KUB 35.108 and to join it to the ensemble under discussion. The final join A₁ + A₂ + A₃ (+) A₄ was elucidated in Steitler Ch. 2017a: 387–400.

Tablet characteristics

No top or bottom edge of the tablet is preserved, but the intercolumnium is visible on the obverse of A₂ and the reverse of A₄. The fragment A₁ partially preserves the left edge of the tablet, inscribed with two unreadable lines, presumably belonging to the colophon. The reverse side of A₄ reaches the right edge of the tablet.

Palaeography and handwriting

Middle Script

Text transmission

These four fragments belong to a two-column tablet, which was stored at Büyükkale, judging by the findspots of A₁, A₂ and A₄.

General information

The three conjurations under discussion represent a model example of texts belonging to the Tauriša tradition. All the three members of the Tauriša divine triad are mentioned there by name. Two of the three conjurations contain a mythological narrative about the divine banquet, which is retold by the Protective god of Tauriša at the prompting of his mother Kamrušepa. The first conjuration is written in Hittite, while the second and third one are in Luwian. The principal difference between the narratives of conjurations one and three concerns the identity of the neglected guests: in the first conjuration this is the Great God, while in the third one these are the head and eye diseases. In both narratives the neglected parties take vengeance against the patient of the respective conjurations, identified as a human child. The conjurations are not accompanied by the description of the patient’s treatment, or the respective parts are lost in the lacunae.

Overview of contents

Section 1ID=1Great god is not invited to a feast
Section 2ID=2Acts of vengeance of the Great god
Section 3ID=3Fire is burning on top of Mount White
Section 4ID=4Body parts of a human child are burning
Section 5ID=5Unclear
Section 6ID=6Inquiry of the Sun-god
Section 7ID=7Protective god of Tauriša retells the story 
Section 8ID=8Unclear
Section 9ID=9Unclear; the Sun-god is mentioned
Section 10ID=10Colophon of the first conjuration; Uninscribed Space
Section 11ID=11Questions about restraining the forces of nature
Section 12ID=12Answers about restraining the forces of nature
Section 13ID=13Unclear
Section 14ID=14Vengeance of the diseases against the human child
Section 15ID=15The fire is burning
Section 16ID=16The gods vomit three times
Section 17ID=17Inquiry of the Sun-god
Section 18ID=18The Protective god of Tauriša retells the story
Section 19ID=19Unclear
Section 20ID=20General colophon; unclear
Editio ultima: 2025-08-01