The Hittite Instruction for the Royal Bodyguard

This monograph gives a long and detailed description of all the members of the king's cortege from the moment he leaves the palace in the morning for a court procedure until his return later in the day. The text dates from the 15th century b.c. Apart from being interesting from a linguistic point of view, this instruction contains many points of interest for archaeologists and historians alike because of its descriptions of buildings, wagons, chariots, and other realia. This edition offers a full transliteration and translation of the Hittite text, a summary of its contents, a commentary as well as a separate discussion of some architectural terms. An exhaustive glossary concludes the book.