The Kaåka and the Northern Frontier of Ñatti by Nebahat ‹lgi Gerçek A dissertation submitted in ...

385 Pages·2012·1.87 MB·English

by  Nebahat Ilgi Gercek

The Kaåka and the Northern Frontier of Ñatti
by
Nebahat ‹lgi Gerçek

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
(Near Eastern Studies)
in the University of Michigan
2012

Doctoral Committee:

Professor Gary M. Beckman, Chair
Professor Piotr A. Michalowski
Professor Henry T. Wright
Emeritus Professor Norman Yoffee
Associate Professor Benjamin W. Fortson
© Nebahat Ilgi Gercek
2012
To my parents for their unceasing love and support

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Acknowledgements

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Professor Gary M. Beckman, for
his mentorship, hospitality, and encouragement. Without his guidance and feedback I
could not have completed this project. I also thank Professor Piotr Michalowski, for
being a constant source of inspiration and for his guidance at critical junctures in my
carreer. I thank Professor Yoffee for his scholarship and instruction, especially during the
initial phases of my graduate studies. My thanks also go to the other members of my
committee, Professors Henry Wright and Benjamin Fortson, for their careful reading of
my manuscript and valuable feedback. I could not have asked for a more responsive or
hospitable group with whom to work.
I am deeply thankful to the Department of Near Eastern Studies, Rackham
Graduate School, the International Institute, and Barbour Scholarship for generously
supporting my project.
I am greatly indebted to Professor Gernot Wilhelm. The year I spent in Würzburg
studying with him was crucial for the conception of my dissertation. In this vein, I also
thank Dr. Guido Kryszat and Professor Helmut Novicki with whom I was fortunate
enough to work.
For years of friendship and support I thank Sara Feldman, Christine Efta, Libby
Boulter, Gina Konstantopoulos, Tayfun Bilgin, Nilufer Bilgin, Stephanie Bolz, Helen
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Dixon, Anne Kreps, Özgen Felek, Derek Mancini-Lander, Noah Gardiner, Nancy
Linthicum, Yasmeen Hanoosh, Sofia Rosenberg, and Vika Gardner. I would also like to
thank the Near Eastern Studies staff, Lisa Michelin, Leea Gunder, Wendy Burr, Angela
Beskow, and Margaret Cassazza.
All of this would not have been possible without my family, epsecially my parents
Æen and Haluk Evrim, who have always showed the keenest interest in my studies and
have supported me in every way imaginable. I am indebted also to my mother-in-law
Lale Gerçek, for her support and friendship, especially during the final phases of my
studies.
I would finally like to thank my husband Cinar Gerçek, for his love, patience, and
support. You make everything worthwhile.
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Table of Contents

Dedication ........................................................................................................................... ii!
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii!
List of Appendices ........................................................................................................... viii!
Chapter One: Introduction .................................................................................................. 1!
Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1!
Present state of research .............................................................................................................. 2!
Hittite records pertaining to the Kaåka ........................................................................................ 5!
Chronological distribution of sources ..................................................................................... 5!
Middle Hittite Kaåka Corpus ................................................................................................... 6!
An excursus on the archaeology of the Black Sea Region ........................................................ 11!
Geographical setting and environment .................................................................................. 13!
Kaåka homelands and material culture .................................................................................. 15!
Hittite-Kaåka frontier ............................................................................................................ 21!
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 25!
A note on terminology and chronology ..................................................................................... 25!
Chapter Two: Who were the Kaåka? ................................................................................ 27!
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 27!
Kaåka in previous scholarship ................................................................................................... 30!
The Kaåka name, “Kaåka men,” and “Kaåka Land” ................................................................. 32!
Economic organization and way of life ..................................................................................... 37!
Pastoral nomads in Hittite sources ........................................................................................ 37!
Kaåka pastoralists .................................................................................................................. 38!
“Swineherds and weavers” .................................................................................................... 41!
Mobility ................................................................................................................................. 42!
Agriculture ............................................................................................................................ 45!
Kaåka towns/settlements ....................................................................................................... 46!
Mountain dwellers? ............................................................................................................... 48!
Social structure and political organization ................................................................................ 49!
The Hittite word for tribe? .................................................................................................... 52!
Kinship terminology .............................................................................................................. 54!
Kaåka culture ............................................................................................................................. 55!
Kaåka language ..................................................................................................................... 55!
Religion ................................................................................................................................. 56!
Barbarians? ............................................................................................................................ 57!
Summary and conclusions ..................................................................................................... 60!
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Chapter Three: Hittite-Kaåka Interactions and the Northern Frontier of Ñatti ................. 63!
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 63!
Historical overview ............................................................................................................... 64!
Frontiers in theoretical perspective ....................................................................................... 66!
Frontiers in Hittitology .......................................................................................................... 67!
A note on the historical geography of the Black Sea Region ................................................ 68!
The northern frontier of Ñatti .................................................................................................... 70!
Hittite interests in the north ................................................................................................... 70!
The frontier in official discourse ........................................................................................... 72!
The frontier as a distinct administrative category ................................................................. 73!
The formation and features of the Hittite-Kaåka frontier ...................................................... 75!
Hittite-Kaåka interactions in the Early Empire Period (c. 1400-1350 BCE) ............................ 79!
Early Empire Period frontier policy ...................................................................................... 83!
War and peace ....................................................................................................................... 85!
Hostages ................................................................................................................................ 88!
Economic interactions ........................................................................................................... 89!
Hittite-Kaåka interactions and frontier policy during the Empire Period (1350-1200 BCE) ... 89!
Empire Period frontier policy ................................................................................................ 91!
Ñattuåili III ............................................................................................................................ 93!
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 94!
Chapter Four: The Kaåka Agreements .............................................................................. 97!
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 97!
A brief history of scholarship .................................................................................................... 98!
Texts and their selection criteria .............................................................................................. 103!
CTH 137 .............................................................................................................................. 105!
CTH 138 .............................................................................................................................. 106!
CTH 139 .............................................................................................................................. 107!
CTH 140 .............................................................................................................................. 108!
CTH 234, CTH 236 ............................................................................................................. 110!
Structural and formal characteristics of the Kaåka agreements ............................................... 110!
Characteristic features of the Kaåka agreements ..................................................................... 113!
Preamble .............................................................................................................................. 114!
List of divine witnesses ....................................................................................................... 115!
Curses and blessings ............................................................................................................ 118!
Provisions ............................................................................................................................ 122!
Oath-formula ....................................................................................................................... 125!
Lists of oath takers, men, and troops ................................................................................... 129!
Historical background and praxis ............................................................................................ 135!
Summary and conclusions ....................................................................................................... 137!
CTH 137.1 ............................................................................................................................... 142!
Transliteration ..................................................................................................................... 142!
Translation ........................................................................................................................... 152!
Commentary ........................................................................................................................ 160!
CTH 138.1.A ........................................................................................................................... 166!
Transliteration ..................................................................................................................... 166!
Translation ........................................................................................................................... 188!
Commentary ........................................................................................................................ 203!
CTH 138.3.A ........................................................................................................................... 219!
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Transliteration ..................................................................................................................... 219!
Translation ........................................................................................................................... 224!
Commentary ........................................................................................................................ 229!
CTH 139.1 ............................................................................................................................... 232!
Transliteration ..................................................................................................................... 232!
Translation ........................................................................................................................... 241!
Commentary ........................................................................................................................ 248!
CTH 139.2 ............................................................................................................................... 252!
CTH 140.1.A ........................................................................................................................... 256!
CTH 140.2 ............................................................................................................................... 267!
CTH 140.3.A ........................................................................................................................... 270!
CTH 140.3 ............................................................................................................................... 272!
CTH 140 (further fragments) .................................................................................................. 273!
CTH 236.3 ............................................................................................................................... 275!
CTH 234.2 ............................................................................................................................... 277!
Chapter Five: The Prayer of Arnuwanda and Aåmunikal ............................................... 280!
Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 280!
Middle Hittite copies ........................................................................................................... 281!
New Hittite copies ............................................................................................................... 281!
Hittite prayers ...................................................................................................................... 284!
Structure and principal components of CTH 375 ................................................................ 286!
The argument ....................................................................................................................... 287!
Vows .................................................................................................................................... 288!
“Commanders” .................................................................................................................... 289!
CTH 375 .................................................................................................................................. 291!
Transliteration ..................................................................................................................... 291!
Translation ........................................................................................................................... 315!
Commentary ........................................................................................................................ 332!
CTH 375.5 ............................................................................................................................... 337!
CTH 375 (further fragments) .................................................................................................. 339!
Chapter Six: Summary and Conclusions ........................................................................ 341!
Early Empire Period Kaåka texts ............................................................................................. 341!
The Hittite-Kaåka frontier and Hittite frontier policy ............................................................. 341!
Hittite-Kaåka interactions ........................................................................................................ 343!
Who were the Kaåka? .............................................................................................................. 343!
Appendices ...................................................................................................................... 347!
Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 366!

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List of Appendices
Appendix One: Structural Overview of CTH 137-140, CTH 375 .................................. 347!
Appendix Two: Geographical and Personal Names in CTH 137-140, CTH 375 ........... 354!
Geographical names ................................................................................................................ 354!
Partially preserved geographical names .................................................................................. 358!
Personal names ........................................................................................................................ 360!
Partially preserved personal names ......................................................................................... 365!
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Chapter One
Introduction
Introduction
The Kaåka of the Black Sea region played a role in Hittite History that has been
likened to that of Germans in Roman history, or that of Inner Asian groups in Chinese
history—the well-known scenario of empire vs. barbarian threat.1 Records of the Hittite
state present the Kaåka as an uncontrollable people, who represented a permanent menace
to the Hittite state and created an irresolvable conflict on their northern frontier. The
grievous consequences of the “loss” of the north to the “Kaåka enemy,” the constant
threat of Kaåka incursions into Hittite territory, and the repeated campaigns Hittite kings
had to carry out to stabilize the frontier feature prominently in a variety of textual genres
including royal annals, “treaties,” 2 prayers, rituals, oracle inquiries, and letters.
According to the testimony of these documents, the frontier was dotted with settlements
shifting in and out of Hittite control and the precarious situation that threatened Hittite
settlements there had to be stabilized by regular military campaigns at least until the reign
of Ñattuåili III (c. 1267-1237 BCE).3 Modern histories of the Hittites suggest that the
lack of a centralized political authority among the Kaåka, along with the presumed
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1 Zimansky (2008: 157); Bryce (2002: 114).
2 This dissertation will reconsider the appropriateness of the generic label “treaty” in respect to the texts
CTH 137-140; see also Klinger (2005: 354-59).
3 And possibly later; Klinger (2005: 347).
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