Journals / BELLETEN / 2026 / Cilt: 90 Sayı: 317

A Babylonian Ration Document from the Hatay Archeology Museum

Hatay Arkeoloji Müzesinden Babilce Bir İstihkak Vesikası

Nurgül Yıldırım(HATAY MUSTAFA KEMAL UNIVERSITY)0000-0002-4692-2823
Journal
BELLETEN
Pages
1–18
Publication Date
2026-04-10
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Here, the K/Qadume place name, which is thought to be mentioned in lines 2, 4, and 7 of the relevant text, was also emphasized.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:The tablet with inventory number 11883, which was purchased and brought to the Hatay Archaeology Museum, belongs to an archive discovered at Alalah but now preserved in the British Museum.
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Key Findings & Data:The document numbered 11883, which will be discussed here for the first time, has been dated to Alalah Level IV with both grammatical and paleographic features and personal names recorded in the Middle Babylonian writing tradition of Akkadian, the diplomatic language of the period, as far as it can be deciphered.
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Conclusion & Impact:Here, the K/Qadume place name, which is thought to be mentioned in lines 2, 4, and 7 of the relevant text, was also emphasized.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Eski Doğu Akdeniz · Babil · Mitanniler

Abstract

The tablet with inventory number 11883, which was purchased and brought to the Hatay Archaeology Museum, belongs to an archive discovered at Alalah but now preserved in the British Museum. Access to this archive was provided as a result of the excavations carried out in Alalah (Tell Atchana), thus revealing the Kingdom of Mukiš/Alalah, whose royal center was Alalah (Reyhanlı/Hatay). The tablets obtained from Alalah were accepted as one of the main sources for the Middle and Late Bronze Age of the Eastern Mediterranean geography, along with other archives related to the period, and these tablets were mentioned in the literature as the Alalah Tablets. The content of the cuneiform tablets constituting this archive consisted mostly of commercial documents, royal decree texts, population records, and king lists. To the extent that they were reflected in the tablets, the main goods that shaped commercial life of the time consisted of mines and local productions specific to the Amuq Plain and soldiers, workers, or slaves determined in line with the needs of the palace. The document numbered 11883, which will be discussed here for the first time, has been dated to Alalah Level IV with both grammatical and paleographic features and personal names recorded in the Middle Babylonian writing tradition of Akkadian, the diplomatic language of the period, as far as it can be deciphered. In this study, the transliteration and translation of the text with inventory number 11883 have been made, and the general political and commercial outlook of the level thought to belong to the tablet has been presented. Here, the K/Qadume place name, which is thought to be mentioned in lines 2, 4, and 7 of the relevant text, was also emphasized.

Özet

Hatay Arkeoloji Müzesine satın alınarak kazandırılan 11883 envanter numaralı tablet British Museum’da korunan bir arşive aittir. Bu arşive erişim Alalah’ta (Tell Aççana) gerçekleştirilen kazılar sonucu sağlanmış, böylelikle krali merkezi Alalah (Reyhanlı/ Hatay) olan Mukiš/Alalah Krallığı açığa çıkarılmıştır. Alalah’tan ulaşılan tabletler Doğu Akdeniz coğrafyasının Orta ve Geç Tunç Çağı için, döneme ilişkin diğer arşivlerle birlikte, temel kaynaklardan kabul edilmiş ve bu tabletler literatüre Alalah Tabletleri olarak geçmiştir. Bu arşivi oluşturan çivi yazılı tabletlerin içeriğini çoğunlukla ticari vesikalar, krali karar metinleri, nüfus kayıtları ve kral listeleri oluşturmuştur. Tabletlere yansıdığı ölçüde ticari hayatı şekillendiren ana mallar madenler ve Amik Ovası’na özgü yerel üretimlerle sarayın ihtiyacı doğrultusunda belirlenen asker, işçi ya da kölelerden oluşmuştur. Burada ilk kez işlenecek olan 11883 numaralı belge, okunabildiği ölçüde, dönemin diplomasi dili olan Akadcanın Orta Babil yazım geleneğinde kaydedilmiş hem gramatik ve paleografik özellikleri hem de kişi adlarıyla Alalah IV. tabakaya tarihlenmiştir. Bu çalışmada 11883 envanter numaralı metnin transkripsiyon ve çevirisi yapılmış; tabletin ait olduğu düşünülen tabakaya ait genel siyasi ve ticari görünüm sunulmuştur. Burada, ayrıca, ilgili metnin 2, 4 ve 7. satırlarında geçtiği düşünülen K/ Qadume yer adı üzerinde durulmuştur.

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Cite This Article

Yıldırım, N. (2026). A Babylonian Ration Document from the Hatay Archeology Museum. BELLETEN, Cilt: 90 Sayı: 317, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.37879/belleten.2026.001

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