Projekt

The understanding of the system of thinking of the Hittite is possible by investigating the metaphorical expressions attested in the Hittite texts. These metaphors are expressions of a system of thinking, i.e. as conceptual metaphors (see Metaphors we live by, by G. Lakoff and M. Johnson, 1980). The research questions are the following: 1. Which metaphors are attested? How are they structured? 2. How do they dependent on context, language, and genre? 3. Which metaphors are of Hittite origin? 4. Which functions do they have? The research goals are: identification, classification and description of the metaphorical expressions; analysis of their functions; description of the changes in their use in relation to the genre and through time. The working method is the Metaphor Identification Procedure that consists in a general reading of the texts; the identification of the lexical units; the meaning of the unit in different contexts. The impact of the project is on the one hand that it will lead to new insights into the Hittite culture and open new research perspectives in the discipline; on the other hand, it can be exploited by other disciplines that deal with ancient cultures.

• Dr. Marta Pallavidini

  Freie Universität Berlin
  Geschichts- und Kulturwissenschaften
  Altorientalistik
  Berlin