The Monumental Turn and Hieroglyphic Writing in the Hittite Empire

Abstract

In this contribution, we want to revisit the “innovation of the ‘monumental’ dimension,” aiming to give an overview of the chronological development of inscribing monuments during the Hittite Empire. As a case study, we will examine inscribed and uninscribed monuments from both philological and archaeological perspective. While our focus lies on the rise of the practice of inscribing monuments, and thus on the Bronze Age context, understanding this part of the development of the monumental tradition will also provide much needed background for future considerations of Iron Age innovation and continuation. The aim of this study, meanwhile, is not an in-depth examination of all inscribed monuments but rather to showcase contemporary and consecutive trends with the help of the surviving material evidence. In con- trast to many previous studies, we will not center our discussion on the historical development of the hieroglyphic script or the function of monumental art in Hittite Anatolia but rather consider the emergence of a cultural practice of inscribing monuments.