Some Observations on the Exiled Members of the Royal Family during the Old Hittite Period

Abstract

Exile, which means sending a person or a community from one place to another as a punishment or forced migration, has been recorded in almost every historical period. Various policies were applied for exile in the Hittites, who lived in the second millennium BC. There were differences between the exiles brought as prisoners from military campaigns and the exiles from the royal family.This study will focus on the people who were exiled from the royal family during the Old Hittite period by analysing the royal records. The kings, who recorded the people they had exiled, tried to show themselves legitimate and just by mentioning the reasons for the issue. It is understood that certain living standards are provided for the people sent from the capital.