of it. All this is depicted in the small group carvings inFigure 11.3.
Similarly, a king’s seal could instantly be recognised by the
hieroglyphic form of his name in the centre of the seal, even if those
who inspected the seal could not read the cuneiform inscription
around its rim.
The great majority of the public monuments, carved in the last
century of the empire and often decorated with both reliefs and
hieroglyphic texts, have disappeared entirely. But there is little
doubt that their widespread distribution throughout the Hittite
realm was designed to promote the image of a firm, stable
monarchy in this period. This was particularly important in the
empire’s last decades, as tensions increased between factions within
the royal family, and as restiveness among the subject-states grew
ever greater, intensified by the fear that the empire was close to
disintegration. Visual propapaganda may well have been one of the
means used by the last kings in an attempt to restore and maintain
confidence in the ruling house of Hatti. In such a context,
Tudhaliya may have sought to portray himself not merely as the
one favoured by all the gods, but as a god himself.
Ultimately, it all proved to be of no avail. But that is a matter to
which we shall return in ourfinal chapter. For now, let us turn our
attention to the events that followed the death of Suppiluliuma.
106 WARRIORS OF ANATOLIA