A cuneiform tablet fragment unearthed at Hattusa in Çorum has been identified as part of an Akkadian copy of the Kadesh Peace Treaty, Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced on 21 September. Researchers reached the conclusion after about a year of scientific analysis. The piece was found near the E building in the Büyükkale sector of the ancient capital.
The surviving text covers movement between two states
The fragment contains lines from articles 12–20 on how Egypt and Hatti should treat people who fled from one country to the other. The ministry highlights a provision saying the returned person's house should not be destroyed, adding detail to the treaty's diplomatic and legal language.
It helps complete a dispersed textual record
Fragments of Akkadian copies were first found at Hattusa between 1906 and 1912. Related pieces are held in Istanbul Archaeology Museums, the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Berlin's Vorderasiatisches Museum and the Hermitage. The new find helps scholars reconstruct the Hattusa copies.
What visitors should know
The announcement confirms the archaeological identification, but it does not say the fragment has gone on public display or that museum and archaeological-site opening hours, admission or visitor access have changed. Check the official museum and site channels before planning a trip to Boğazkale.
The excavation continues
The team is searching for other missing pieces and studying how the surviving copies fit together. The finding is therefore an active research development, not a claim that the complete treaty has just been discovered.