「焼成窯文書」 KTU 4.412の人物誌的研究

Abstract

Prosopographical investigations are essential to the comprehension of the administrative-economical texts from Ugarit, because of the utter lack of dating in the tablets and the frequent lack of headings or colophons, either because they were not there originally or because they were damaged.In this study, the present writer tries to restore the so-called ‘kiln tablet, ’ KTU 4.412, and to date this tablet based on the prosopography.First, the present writer confirms that the three fragments, KTU 4.545, KTU 4.518 and KTU 4.512 were originally part of KTU 4.412. Second, he concludes that the first group of names in the second column of KTU 4.412 consists of members of the tnn-profession, because people of those names are listed as being of that profession in PRU 6.82, the second column of KTU 4.35 and KTU 4.66. He also concludes that the third column of KTU 4.412 lists members of the nqd-profession, for its names are listed as such in KTU 4.624 and KTU 4.681.On the basis of these restorations, the present writer assumes that all the abovementioned tablets should be dated to around the time of the last regnal years of King Ammittamru II. Now, KTU 4.624 is a list of the issue of various weapons to menbers of the nqd-profession. Taking this into consideration, this tablet must have been made against the background of a state of emergency. If so, the occasion may have been the battle of Nihriya between the Hittite king and the Assyrian king in the first regnal years of King Ibiranu mentioned in the epistle RSO 7.46, or the dispatch of the messenger by the Hittite king for an inspection which is mentioned in the epistle PRU 4.192. Thus, The latter seems more likely. the present writer hypothesizes that the at least 85 people of various professions listed on KTU 4.412 may have been mobilized hastily at Ugarit for this inspection.