ABSTRACT
The senses of hearing and sight are well represented in the Hurrian corpus from the Late Bronze Age. It is argued here that Hurrian had both broader and more focused verbs for these senses. The root ḫaž- is used for general sense of “to hear,” while šalġ- is more focused and is used for “to listen, heed.” Included is an examination of the various types of patients used with transitive ḫaž-, from general words to those who speak. Among the recognised verbs of sight, fōr- is typically used more broadly as “to see,” while am- is “to gaze.” In this chapter it is proposed for the first time that the root ši-, which has been translated as “to amaze, be amazed,” is actually a verb of sight and means “to witness.” Examples from Hurrian rituals, mythological texts (including the Song of Release), and the Mitanni Letter are examined.
