Luvice

Luwian (English: Luwian), an Indo-European language spoken in Anatolia during the 2nd millennium BCE and beyond, in the period of the Hittite Empire and after. Closely related to Hittite, it belongs to the group known as the “Anatolian languages.” It was used alongside local languages such as Hittite and Palaic, while Akkadian, of Mesopotamian origin, was preferred as the language of diplomacy.

Luwian is one of the most important Indo-European languages of Anatolia and can be traced back to the 2nd millennium BCE. In the multilingual environment that emerged with the arrival of the Hittites in Anatolia, Luwian coexisted with languages such as Hittite, Palaic and Hurrian, and was widely used in daily life and rituals, apart from Akkadian which was reserved for diplomatic correspondence.

The language was spoken intensively especially in the western and southern Anatolian regions of Arzawa, Mira, Lukka and Kizzuwatna. Texts in Luwian have also been found in the archives of the Hittite capital Hattusa. On Hittite tablets, the term “Luwili” used in religious rites indicates that certain hymns were recited in Luwian.

In terms of writing, Luwian appears in two distinct forms:

• Documents written in cuneiform script
• Monumental inscriptions written in Luwian hieroglyphs.

Cuneiform texts are found in Hittite imperial archives, while hieroglyphic inscriptions were used on monumental structures in western and southern Anatolia. The hieroglyphic inscription from Beyköy (c. 1190–1180 BCE) is the longest and most significant example of this tradition, dating to the reign of the king Kupantakuruntas of Mira.

Luwian continued to be used after the collapse of the Hittite Empire. In the Late Hittite city-states (Karkamish, Karatepe, Melid, etc.), hieroglyphic Luwian was employed, particularly for royal inscriptions, military campaigns and votive texts. This demonstrates that Luwian played an influential role in the cultural and political life of Anatolia until the 8th century BCE.

Luwian appears in two distinct writing systems:

• Luwian in Cuneiform: Recorded using the standard cuneiform script employed in Hittite archives.
• Luwian Hieroglyphs: Used primarily in monumental inscriptions in western and southern Anatolia (e.g. Karatepe, Beyköy, Karkamish). This script persisted in the Late Hittite kingdoms until the 8th century BCE.

^{A Luwian Hieroglyphic Inscription (}Hawkins, Tosun, Akdoğan⁾

^【1】

• Written using an adaptation of Mesopotamian cuneiform script.
• Used in the official archives of the Hittite Empire, especially at Hattusa.
• Most commonly found in ritual texts, incantations and hymns.
• The term “Luwili” appearing at the beginning or within texts indicates that they were written or recited in Luwian.
• Important examples are the tablets from Hattusa.

• A local pictorial-hieroglyphic writing system.
• Used on monumental inscriptions, rock reliefs, stelae and seals in western and southern Anatolia.
• In use from the 14th century BCE until the 8th century BCE in the Late Hittite city-states.
• Found in royal inscriptions, campaign records, votive texts and monumental steles.
• Symbols include local iconographic motifs such as the bull, ship and loom.
• Important examples include the Karatepe (Kizzuwatna) inscriptions, the Beyköy Stele (Mira) and the Karkamish inscriptions.

Luwian exhibits a structure closely related to Hittite but is distinguished by its own vocabulary and morphology. On Hittite tablets, it is noted that during rituals, different peoples recited hymns in their own languages; in this context, the term “Luwili” indicates that the text was written or spoken in Luwian.

• Luwian is one of the primary languages that attest to the dense population and major cultural centers of western Anatolia in the 2nd millennium BCE.
• Alongside the Hittites, it formed part of a “political network” among the small kingdoms of western Anatolia.
• The campaigns associated with the Sea Peoples and the historical geography of western Anatolia are illuminated through Luwian inscriptions (e.g. the Beyköy Stele).
• During the Late Hittite period, inscriptions and iconography related to the cult of Tarhunza/Tarhuntas were predominantly recorded using Luwian hieroglyphs.

Luwian left a lasting imprint as one of the languages spoken and written in Anatolia during the 1st millennium BCE, serving as the language of political and religious life in the Late Hittite city-states. The Bronze Age settlements and inscriptions of western Anatolia are recognized as key evidence of early Anatolian influence on the emerging Hellenic civilization.