Hittite Empire at your fingertips: TLHdig enhances digital access to ancient cuneiform texts
From cuneiform to code: section of a Hittite cuneiform text found in Bogazkoy-Hattusa in 2024 (photo and XML text). (Photo via Daniel Schwemer/University of Wuerzburg)
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bogazkoy-Hattusa, located in the north of Türkiye, was once the capital of the powerful Hittite Empire. This civilization, a dominant force in the Late Bronze Age between 1,650 and 1,200 B.C., left behind a treasure trove of cuneiform tablets.
These ancient texts, written in Hittite—one of the oldest known Indo-European languages—alongside Sumerian, Akkadian, Hurrian, and other Anatolian dialects, provide invaluable insight into the ancient Near East.
Revolutionizing Hittitology: A digital breakthrough
Since 2023, scholars and students from the University of Wurzburg, have gained unprecedented access to these historical sources through the Thesaurus Linguarum Hethaeorum Digitalis (TLHdig).
Launched on the Hethitologie-Portal Mainz (HPM), this innovative digital tool has quickly become a vital resource for Hittitologists, attracting over 100,000 visits per month.
Expanding the digital archive: TLHdig 0.2 goes further
The latest update, TLHdig 0.2, marks a significant leap forward. Now covering more than 98% of all published sources, the database includes approximately 22,000 XML text documents—many reconstructed from multiple fragments.
The current corpus boasts nearly 400,000 transliterated lines, offering an extensive resource for researchers. Looking ahead, the launch of TLHdig 1.0 in late 2025 promises complete coverage of all published Hittite texts.
Advanced search, seamless integration
TLHdig allows researchers to browse and analyze texts in transliteration or original cuneiform script. Advanced filters enable complex queries, making the tool indispensable for linguistic and historical studies.
Embedded within the Hethitologie-Portal Mainz, TLHdig integrates seamlessly with digital catalog tools, media databases, and text editions, ensuring a comprehensive research experience.
A collaborative future: Online submissions and AI innovations
TLHdig is more than just a database—it is a collaborative research platform. Drawing from decades of work by Hittitologists, the tool incorporates digital and analog resources, including individual scholar contributions and large-scale digital text editions.
A key feature of TLHdig is its online submission pipeline, allowing scholars to upload and finalize new Hittite cuneiform texts with ease.
The creator interface guides users through the process, supported by a step-by-step manual for seamless integration.
