Hittites: A Captivating Guide to the Ancient Anatolian People Who Established the Hittite Empire in Ancient Mesopotamia

By Captivating History

Did you know that the Hittite Empire once covered most of modern Turkey and Syria?

Many people might recognize their name from several stories in the Christian Bible, but the Hittites also had an entire culture and history based around their home in Anatolia.

This ancient civilization was once a powerhouse, an influencer of religion, and a true conqueror capable of breaking even Egypt.

The Hittites built a remarkable civilization that deserves a spot in history. Sadly, few historians have been ready to tackle the task of uncovering the true story of these astonishing people. And thus, it can be hard for readers to find an easy-to-read and cohesive resource on this fascinating civilization.

But that is about to change. In this new captivating history book, you will discover the truth about this fascinating ancient civilization.

In Hittites: A Captivating Guide to the Ancient Anatolian People Who Established the Hittite Empire in Ancient Mesopotamia, you will discover:

• The Origin of the Hittites in the Bronze Age
• The Formation of the Old Kingdom, 1700 – 1500 BCE
• The New Kingdom, 1400 – 1200 BCE
• The Downfall of the Hittites
• The Syro-Hittite or Neo-Hittite Kingdoms
• Art, Symbolism, and the Hittites Role in the Bible
• Legal and Daily Life of the Hittites
• Military Structure
• And much, much more!

 

So if you want to learn about one of the most influential cultures and societies to come out of Anatolia, Click "Add to Cart"!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Captivating History
• Release date: Sep 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215273432

Book preview

Introduction

Who were the Hittites? Many people might recognize their name from several stories in the Christian Bible, but they also had an entire culture and history based around their home in Anatolia. Unfortunately, this entire civilization was mostly lost until developments in the last century revealed that it was not a mythological kingdom from the Bible, but a genuine, once-thriving culture which had been buried by time.

Gaps in Knowledge

Because the Hittites are an extremely old civilization, archaeologists and historians face difficulties when trying to find the truth about their history, culture, successes, and failures. Many documents have been lost to the sands of time, assuming they were even written in the first place. Most people were illiterate and could not record the things they saw, thought, or did on a regular basis. Information which was written was not always stored, as many scribes relied on clay slabs or plates which could be easily erased by smoothing out the material. Only when baked could a tablet possibly survive.

Another problem in identifying information is the myriad of languages which dominated Anatolia. The Hittites had a tendency to lend and borrow their words as well as their practices, and historians and linguists have a difficult time picking out how their language developed over time. Even so, it was discovered that the Hittites did have their own Indo-European language written in cuneiform. Many of these records have been discovered, but as mentioned before, many others continue to be gone forever.

How Do We Know About the Hittites?

Despite being over 4,000 years old, most of the knowledge about the Hittite civilization did not reach modern audiences until the last century. Although the first ruins were discovered in 1834, the French scholar who found them did not realize their origin. Other evidence about the possibility of the Hittites being real, and not just figures mentioned in the Bible, appeared when Assyrian tablets began mentioning a group of people from a place called Hatti. Records would also be found in Egypt which referenced a kingdom of Kheta. Scholars connected Kheta with Hatti and eventually with the biblical Hittites. This theory became accepted throughout the late 19th century and would dominate during the 20th century, when the majority of the Hittite knowledge became known.

Archaeologist Hugo Winckler discovered the most important key leading to knowledge about the Hittites—a royal archive with over 10,000 clay tablets inscribed in cuneiform and in an unknown language which matched one uncovered in Assyrian and Egyptian works. Eventually, professionals determined that recently unearthed ruins in Boğazköy, Turkey belonged to a group which controlled the area and the surrounding region, indicating there was a missing power in Syria which was unaccounted for. Winckler also proved that the ruins were part of a capital city, which would later be revealed as the Hittite center of Hattusa.

Beginning in 1907, archaeological excavations led by the German Archaeological Institute have been underway in and around Boğazköy. There were some interruptions during World War I and II, but scholars have been able to uncover more records, burial sites, pieces of art, and stone reliefs belonging to the Hittites ever since the disruption. It is from these findings that contemporary audiences are able to catch a glimpse of the complex and sometimes confusing society which dominated ancient Syria during the Bronze Age.

The Legacy of the Hittites

Despite being militaristic, the lasting legacy of the Hittites is one of diplomacy, trade, and syncretism. Documents indicate that Hittite rulers were some of the first to conduct a form of international diplomacy between the many peoples that occupied Anatolia. They were also unwilling to send trade routes through particularly dangerous areas to avoid the unnecessary loss of human life, no matter how valuable the resources might have been. Although this approach varied based on the monarch in charge, the Hittites created a lasting precedent of diplomatic relations in the Far East and Asia Minor. For these reasons, as well as the Hittites’ cultural and religious syncretism, they continue to be one of the most influential ancient civilizations of the early Bronze Age and deserve a spot in history.

Chapter 1 – The Origin of the Hittites in the Bronze Age

What Was the Bronze Age?

Historians frequently divide ancient history into three periods called the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages. Each period describes the peoples that were around and the events which occurred while ancient humans used tools and weapons made from each of the three materials. The cultures of the Near East and South Asia hit the Bronze Age around 3300 BCE and transitioned to the next stage in 1200 BCE. During this time, civilizations were able to produce bronze through the process of smelting copper and alloying it with arsenic or tin, or they traded for bronze weapons and tools with other cultures.

The Diffusion of Metallurgy throughout the Near East and Europe

As seen in the above map, the region where the Hittites lived was one of the first to enter the Bronze Age. They established their civilization in Anatolia, which was an area in Asia Minor where modern-day Turkey exists. There were numerous sources of copper ore which could be mined to form enough weapons to support an army. The Hittites would have been near several of these areas. Scholars found evidence