Religious cleaning and purification in Hittites

The Hittites, who established the first political union in the Central Anatolian geography in the second Millenium BC, established a powerful empire in Anatolia. In addition, they have been involved in many important cultural, religious, social and political activities. Religion had a very important place in the Hittite state, which was ruled by a theocracy. The Hittites revealed a life intertwined with religion, from the state administration to their social life, from their legal structures to the functioning of the land. Religion and god cults were very important in the Hittite society, where religion was effective in all areas. The Hittites, who perceived gods as human beings, thought that their gods had a soul and a body. Therefore, they believed that the things that people care about are also important to the gods. The Hittites avoided situations of pollution because they thought that pollution would cause the anger of the gods. In the directive texts prepared regarding the importance given to cleanliness by the Hittites, the rules of cleanliness and the rules that the temple staff should follow are specifically stated. In the Hittites, cleaning was mostly used in a religious sense. The subject of cleanliness, which is considered religiously, has been a matter of attention both physically, spatially and spiritually. This study has tried to deal with the Hittite's understanding of cleanliness as a result of the respect and importance they show to their gods as a result of their religious beliefs by making use of Hittite cuneiform documents. Keywords: Hittite, Religious Cleansing, Ritual, Purification, Anatolia.