Limits

This work is a collection and a revision of data concerning epigraphic findings dated to the Hittite Kingdom that started to the 16th century up to the first half of the 11th B.C.
However in this collection is not inserted data concerning rock inscriptions or rock reliefs, already listed on the web-sites: Monuments of the Hittites.

The findings present on the map are those items coming from a certain place or, at least, from a certain province. It has been chosen not to insert data about texts, seals or inscribed objects that come from the antiquity market or the black market, because their origin is usually unknown or doubtful and it would be in conflict with the geographical nature of the project.

As listed below, the area examinated is the Syro-Anatolian region. It is extended  from the Western Anatolian coast to the Tigris valley and from the Northern Anatolian coast up to the Syro-Lebanese border.
All archaelogical sites is placed in this region, but there are two external sites, added for their importance in the Hittitological studies: these are Tell el-Amarna and 'Aqar-Quf. Indeed in this two sites has been found important texts, significant also for the completeness of this geographical scenario.

Please note, however that the geographical nature of this project is intended to be general and explicative, not professional, as would can be the case with a GIS mapping: the location of each archaeological site, and its corresponding geographical coordinates, has only an indicative value.
For the same reason, a new map has been created, modified, and adapted for this website with the goal of facilitating web-navigation.

Finally, a note about the seals' bibliography: because of the great quantity of publications of these findings, it has been prefered to refer to the recent catalogue, HPPM 7 (see Bibliography for further information) for findings precedent to 2009. On the other hand, the bibliography of seal findings after 2009 has been regularly recorded.