Family structure of Hittites in the light of Hittite documents and archaeological materials

In this study entitled "Family Structure in Hittites in light of Hittite documents and Archeological Materials" the concept of family among the Hittites, who gathered the different ethnic identities that existed in Anatolia in the second millennium BC under a single authority, dealt with from different aspects. During the preparation of the study, the articles of law, bureaucratic correspondence, inventory texts, ritual and holiday texts, myths and land donation documents that in the Boğazköy State Archive and some cuneiform tablets found in other Hittite settlements, especially in cities such as Hattuša (Boğazköy), Šapinuwa (Ortaköy) and Šarišša (Kuşaklı), were used as the main source. In the relevant parts of our study, examples from various archaeological finds, especially the Inandık Vase, the Bitik Vase, the Huseyindede A Vase and the Alacahöyük Reliefs, unearthed in Hittite settlements are presented. In addition to the aforementioned first-hand sources, existing books and articles related to the subject were also evaluated in the relevant sections. In the first part of our thesis, a short evaluation was made about the Hittite laws, and then the family structure in Anatolia before the Hittites was discussed in order to reveal the changes in the existence of family structure during the Hittites period. In this section finally, the Hittite family structure is briefly discussed. In the second part of our thesis, the formation phases of the Hittite family evaluated under sub-headings such as engagement, bride price, dowry, marriage and possible marriage ceremony descriptions, domestic bridegroom, marriages between different classes, divorce and custody-inheritance within the framework of Hittite laws. Also, references were given from the relevant law articles. In the third part of our thesis, the Hittite family has been tried to be examined socially; in this context, a brief evaluation was made about the main Hittite cities such as Hattuša, Alaca Höyük, Šarišša, Tapigga, Šapinuwa, Alişar Höyük and Hüseyindede Hill and then Hittite houses were evaluated within the framework of walls, roofs, windows, doors, furnaces, ovens and sewer systems. Examples of housing plans that have been uncovered in the aforementioned cities are presented. Also in this section, the clothes used by the Hittite individuals in the context of the social aspect of the society were handled as sub-headings as women and men, and examples from the descriptions on the Inandık Vase, the Bitik Vase, and the Huseyindede A Vase were presented. Hittite culinary culture is another subject discussed in this section. In the light of cuneiform texts and archaeological artifacts, meat and dairy products, fruits and vegetables, wine and beer, honey, spices, cereals and bread types consumed in Hittite cuisine are examined under sub-titles. In the fourth and last part of our thesis, different aspects of the child in the Hittite family are discussed. Subjects such as pregnancy, infertility, birth, name-giving and child education have been evaluated in the presence of some cuneiform documents, various tales and mythological texts and also quotations have been made from these fundamental sources.