New Kadesh Treaty Tablet Fragment Found at Hattusa (2026)
A cuneiform tablet fragment found at the Hattusa archaeological site in Boğazkale, Çorum, was announced on 21 September 2026 as part of one of the Akkadian copies of the Treaty of Kadesh between the Hittite king Hattusili III and the Egyptian king Ramesses II. The details below are drawn from press reports based on the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s statement.
Find and announcement
According to the reports, the fragment came to light during excavations near Building E (“E binası”) on Büyükkale. Only one face of the fragment survives. It was studied scientifically for about a year, after which it was identified as part of a copy of the Kadesh Treaty. Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy shared the discovery on social media on 21 September, World Peace Day.
What the fragment says
According to the Ministry, the fragment contains lines from articles 12-20 of the treaty, which regulate how each side treats people who flee their own country and take refuge in the other. The text is broken and incomplete; in the legible parts, people fleeing the lands of Egypt and Hatti are mentioned, together with wording on not destroying their houses. Ersoy said the wording carries “a strong message from thousands of years ago to the present.” Euronews reports that a full academic transcription and translation of the tablet has not yet been published.
The treaty and its copies
According to Arkeofili, the Battle of Kadesh took place around 1274 BC and the treaty was concluded around 1259 BC. The Egyptian text of the treaty was carved in hieroglyphs on temple walls in Egypt. The Akkadian clay tablet fragments were unearthed at Hattusa during the first excavation period of 1906-1912 and are held in the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations, the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin and the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. According to the reports, the new fragment contributes to efforts to complete the set of clay-tablet copies from Hattusa, and further missing pieces are hoped to be found in the continuing excavations on Büyükkale.
For general background see Hattuşaş; for the tablet archives see the Boğazköy cuneiform tablets, and for excavation periods see the history of the Hattusa excavations.
Sources
- Hürriyet, “Kadeş’in 2 sırrı çözüldü” (Two secrets of Kadesh solved), 22 September 2026 (Ministry statement and Minister Ersoy’s post). https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/kadesin-2-sirri-cozuldu-43314950
- Arkeofili, “Hattuşa’da Kadeş Antlaşması’nın Yeni Bir Nüshası Bulundu” (A new copy of the Kadesh Treaty found at Hattusa), 21 September 2026. https://arkeofili.com/hattusada-kades-antlasmasinin-yeni-bir-nushasi-bulundu/
- Euronews, “Tarihin ilk barış antlaşmasının parçaları Çorum’da bulundu” (Fragments of history’s first peace treaty found in Çorum), 21 September 2026. https://tr.euronews.com/2026/09/21/tarihin-ilk-baris-antlasmasinin-parcalari-corumda-bulundu
- Arkeolojik Haber, “Çorum’da Kadeş Barış Antlaşması kopyalarından birine ait yeni parçası bulundu” (New fragment of one of the copies of the Kadesh Peace Treaty found in Çorum), 21 September 2026. https://www.arkeolojikhaber.com/haber-corumda-kades-baris-antlasmasi-kopyalarindan-birine-ait-yeni-parcasi-bulundu-44390/
Frequently asked questions
Where was the new fragment of the Kadesh Treaty found?
According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, it was found at the Boğazköy-Hattusa archaeological site, near Building E on Büyükkale.
When was the fragment announced?
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy shared the discovery on 21 September 2026, World Peace Day.
Which articles of the treaty does the fragment contain?
According to the Ministry, the fragment contains lines from articles 12-20 of the treaty, which regulate the treatment of people who flee one country and take refuge in the other.