The Plague During the Šuppiluliuma I’s Reign, and the Preventive Procedures of Muršili II in the Hittite Kingdom.

Résumé

The Hittite Kingdom was plagued in the reign of Šuppiluliuma I. Plague led to killing the king himself, his son Arnuwanda II, and many people in the Hittite Kingdom. The reasons of plague in Hittite were different, but prayers of Muršili II determine some reasons, such as his father’s sins. For example; transgressing the treaty with the Egyptians and occupation of some territories, and captured plagued captives, led to spread plague in the capital of Hittite and Anatolia. Another Šuppiluliuma I crime is killing his brother Tudhaliya III. According to prayers of Muršili II, the plague was a divine punishment resulted from Šuppiluliuma sins. The Plague continued 20 year approximately. Muršili II made to some of preventive procedures, such as prayers to gods to raise the plague, personal cleanness, non-reusing food tools, and hiring some physicians from neighboring countries such as Egypt and Mesopotamia and their prescriptions.