Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered a 3,300-year-old tablet bearing a chilling curse: 'Whoever breaks this will die.' The artefact was found at the Büklükale ruins near the Kizilirmak River, approximately 60 miles from Ankara.
The tablet, a terracotta seal inscribed with cuneiform, was likely used by a Hittite king or queen to authenticate contracts. The warning is unusually stark for the Hittite Empire, which typically imposed fines rather than death for breaches of agreement.
Lead archaeologist Kimiyoshi Matsumura from the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology stated that the seal reads 'Great King Tabarna or Tavananna (Sovereign Queen) writes 'Whoever breaks this will die.'' He added that the seal demonstrates intensive relations between Büklükale and the royal capital Hattusa.
In addition to the seal, Matsumura's team unearthed a tablet referencing a civil war from the same period, written in the same script. Hurrian tablets were also found, indicating that religious ceremonies were performed there by the Hittite royal family.
The discoveries suggest Büklükale was a significant city of the Hittite Empire, possibly a royal residence during the Bronze Age. The site is a single-period settlement spanning roughly 500 metres in diameter.
