New parallels in Hittite and Sumerian praise of the Sun

Abstract

The following article demonstrates that two central passages in a group of Hittite hymns and prayers to the Sun-god (CTH 372-374) are ultimately derived from an Old Babylonian Sumerian model. The extent ofMesopotamian influence on this group of Hittite hymns and prayers is therefore greater than had previously been supposed.Certain phlological problems in the Hittite version can now be solved in the light of the Sumerian text. Comparison of the two versions produces some insights into the process of translation and adaptation of Mesopotamian religious literature in Anatolia.