Confronted with an illness and other disconcerting signs shortly before his royal inauguration, the Hittite Great King Tuth̬aliya IV (ca. 1240-1210 B.C.) looks for past affairs of rebellion within the royal family. Members of the ruling dynasty up to three generations back have taken recourse to black magic in their search for power. Their curses are felt to be still effective and have contaminated the institution of Kingship. The King conducts an extensive series of oracle inquiries in order to find ways to reconcile the (for the most part deceased) family members and to render...