Online
Prof. dr. Alice Mouton
Hittite cuneiform texts describe in considerable detail the central role that water played in the rituals and religious ceremonies of ancient Anatolia. Far from being a mere practical resource, water functioned as a potent symbolic and ritual element deeply embedded in both the religious and everyday life of the Hittites. This presentation will examine two closely related practices: washing and purification, which appear frequently in religious texts and are even sometimes difficult to distinguish conceptually. Through a close analysis of selected cuneiform tablets, this study will highlight the interplay between these practices and explore how they reflect broader conceptions of purity, pollution, and the maintenance of divine and social order in Hittite culture.
Alice Mouton is a Director of Research in Hittitology at the CNRS. She teaches Hittite and Luwian and leads seminars on the study of Hittite texts at Sorbonne University and the École Pratique des Hautes Études in a hybrid format. She is currently establishing the association Ukturi, dedicated to promoting French-language Hittite studies; the association will house both an endowment fund and a specialized library in Hittitology. Her primary field of interest is the history and religious anthropology of Hittite Anatolia, though her research has also explored historical geography, scribal practices, and the identification of individual scribal hands.
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