Anatomy of a Speech: Rhetorical Strategies in the Hittite Instructions for Priests and Temple Personnel (CTH 264)
Silvia Alaura
CTH 264 – Instructions for Priests and Temple Personnel – has been frequently discussed because of the information its content provides on various aspects of the Hittite religious beliefs and practices. The article focuses on a much less investigated topic, that is, the use of rhetorical strategies displayed by this text. In particular, instances of interrogative phrases and rhetorical questions, of repetitions and reiterations generating a climax, and of anecdotes and proverbs as storytelling devices are analyzed. The trial-like structure and the sapiential flavour informing the § 7 of the text are put in evidence.