Wohnsitze und Hauptstädte der hethitischen Könige

Abstract

Generally speaking, the relocation of a capital city results in a break in tradition and in the emergence of new structures. Relocation of the Hittite capital from Hattuša to Tarhuntašša in the early 2nd millennium B.C. must have constituted a rupturing of tradition, too. While we have practically no archaeological evidence of this relocation, it is relatively well attested in written sources. These sources indicate that the move concerned not only the administration but also the cult, since the gods as well as the ancestors were transferred to Tarhuntašša. This form of relocation appears to be unique in Hittite history. In research, however, several cities have been referred to as »Hittite capital«, »royal seat« or the like, and the use of these designations is not unproblematic because the meanings tend not to be clearly differentiated. The aim of this contribution therefore is to define the generally used terms and on the basis of these defi nitions, to prove that the relocation of the Hittite capital to Tarhuntašša was indeed unique.