Tablet offers new perspective on Bronze Age

HATAY

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Ersoy announced on July 22 that an important tablet has come to light during the work carried out in Aççana Höyük, known as Old Alalah, in the southern province of Hatay's Reyhanlı district.

According to initial readings, the Akkadian cuneiform tablet, dating to the 15th century B.C., has information about large amounts of furniture purchases, Ersoy stated.

“We believe that this tablet, weighing 28 grams, will offer a new perspective to understand the economic structure and state system of the Late Bronze Age,” he said, congratulating the teams of the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s Excavations Department for their devoted work in finding the historical heritage.

“They are working meticulously to carry the rich heritage of Anatolia to future generations,” he added.

The tablet, unearthed during the restoration work carried out after the earthquake in Old Alalah City, sheds light on its era with Akkadian cuneiform writing on it.

According to the first reading of the tablet, it is understood that it dates back to the 15th century B.C. and is an administrative record of a large furniture transaction.

Johns Hopkins University Faculty Member Associate Professor Jacob Lauinger and PhD student Zeynep Türker worked on the tablet, which has a dimension of 4.2 to 3.5 centimeters. It has a 1.6-centimeter thickness and weighs 27.85 grams.

Its first lines provides information about the purchase of large quantities of wooden tables, chairs and stools. Linguists continue their studies on the tablet on issues such as who made the purchase.