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How did Hittite records document religious rituals and festivals?

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Neo-Assyrian clay tablet from the 7th century BC inscribed with dense cuneiform writing, known as the Flood Tablet from the Epic of Gilgamesh, displayed in the British Museum. — epigraphy The Flood Tablet, 11th cuneiform tablet in a series relating the Gilgamesh epic, from Nineveh, 7th century bce; in the British Museum, London.

Hittite records, primarily discovered in the royal archives at Boğazköy, provide extensive documentation of state religious practices and festivals. These records, inscribed on clay tablets, constitute a significant portion of the total Hittite epigraphic corpus.12

Documentation of Rituals and Festivals

Hittite texts describe a wide array of rituals covering diverse topics, including temple procedures, divination, royal welfare, and even personal concerns like insomnia or family quarrels. These rituals were recorded in multiple languages, including Hittite, Hattian, Hurrian, Luwian, and Palaic.2

Regarding festivals, the records detail ceremonies where the king or queen served as the chief officiant. While many festival names remain unintelligible, the texts describe common preliminary actions, such as the robing of the monarch and their entry into the temple accompanied by musicians and dignitaries. These seasonal celebrations often spanned multiple days, involved travel between different cities, and invariably culminated in libations and cultic meals. Furthermore, specific instructions were maintained to ensure temple personnel followed proper conduct, with divine vengeance threatened against those who failed to celebrate festivals at the appointed times.1