Writing and Literacy among the Anatolians in the Old Assyrian Period

Abstract

The first question that concerns us in a history of writing and reading in Hittite Anatolia, is when script made its first appearance. But then, once arrived, how successful was it? Did it take the country by storm? Was it imported by and for the Anatolians who immediately started using it? Or was it more accidental with the Anatolians looking on and only gradually grasping its advantages? As we will see, the evidence suggests that the local population was not particularly interested at first and by the time writing had won the hearts of some, the political situation changed, and the whole process had to start over again. For Anatolia or modern-day Turkey history starts some 4000 years ago. Around the start of the twentieth century bc merchants from Assur in northern Mesopotamia set up a network of close to forty trading posts covering all of Central Anatolia and started recording their daily activities. The center of this commercial network was the city of Kanesh (also known as Nesa, modern-day Kültepe) near the upper reaches of the Kızıl Irmak River. The later Hittite capital Hattusa, some 150 km to its northwest, was among the smaller stations. Anatolia with its rich mineral deposits but not much tin was an attractive market. The Assyrians imported just that, tin, much in demand for the local production of bronze, as well as textiles, mostly in exchange for metals such as silver and copper. These metals, in turn, formed the perfect export product to mineral-poor Mesopotamia. The Assyrian traders negotiated conditions for their commerce with the local Anatolian authorities and settled in the towns and villages. Perhaps their most important business tool was the writing system they used. To date over 23,000 documents have come to light, almost all from Kanesh with occasionally texts from other trading posts as well. Currently, just