Summary: | In the Anatolian plateau of the middle of the 2nd millennium BC, a second writing system started to be used along with the cuneiform script of Mesopotamian origin: the Anatolian hieroglyphic script. This script is originally documented by stamp seals, where the hieroglyphs transcribe anthroponyms and titles. The use of this writing system gradually spread to the plateau and the hieroglyphs become the medium employed to write monumental inscriptions. The diffusion of these inscriptions during the 13th century BC constitutes the main subject of this contribution. It is based on a number of groundbreaking studies that, although outside of the field of the study of writings, address questions directly relevant to the semiotics of writing. More specifically, the paper examines the relationship between the monuments, the hieroglyphs, the materialization of the ideology of the ruling elite and public performance in the context of the Hittite State.
|