Contact and exchanges between Babylon and Ḫattuša : the influence of the āšipū and the asû on the Hittite healing tradition (14th and 13th centuries BCE)

Abstract

The present paper proposes to explore the process of transmission and reception of magical–medical knowledge between the capitals of two powers of ancient Western Asia: Babylon in Mesopotamia, and Ḫattuša in Anatolia during the 14th and 13th centuries BCE. This analysis will focus particularly on the role of two Mesopotamian healing specialists, referred to as the āšipū and the asû, as agents of transmission of the Babylonian healing tradition during their official travels to Ḫattuša. Based on an examination of epistolary documentation and various magical– medical texts, I intend to identify the different spheres of action that these Babylonian experts performed during their stay at the Hittite court, in order to understand the extent of the influence of their movement and presence, directly or indirectly, on the Hittite healing practices.