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Abstract
Excavations in Boğazköy, ancient Ḫattuša, in Central Anatolia, brought thousands of clay tablets to light, which tell the story of the Hittites, a people that lived in Anatolia in the second half of the second millennium BC. Almost all of these texts were found in archives of the royal court, many among these being official documents that describe the national cults of the Hittite gods. Via these cults, the king and queen maintained a good relationship between the gods and royal family, and also affirmed the gods’ protection over the land. The present article tries to shed light on another side of Hittite religion, which does not center on the national cult but rather that of the personal gods of Hittite kings as well as the family religion of the Hittite population. Moreover, it strives to approach the issue of individuality among the Hittites and tries to understand and interpret the non-religious official documents of Hittite kings. For these purposes especially those of Telipinu, Muršili II and Ḫattušili III, in their political setting will be considered.