This study provides a critical overview of the recently developed theory of Hittite-Luwian bilingualism mostly by H. Cr. Melehert, E. Rieken and Th. Van den Hout. After a short presentation of the linguistic map of Late Bronz Age Anatolia and the problem whether Hittite was a spoken language until the end of the Empire a detailed discussion of linguistic arguments of Luwian influence on Hittite grammar will follow. The third part of the study focuses on the possible historical and demographic reasons hidden behind this bilingualism.
After a critical discussion of the previously suggested dates of the Hieroglyphic Luwian inscription of the silver bowl in Ankara, a detailed analysis of its epigraphy and content will point out that these characteristics can be explained only by a hitherto unknown Hittite Great King Tudhaliya after the desintegration of the Hittite Empire. The second part of the paper analyses whether such a suggestion is possible from a historical point of view, especially with the Great Kings of Tabal in the background.
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