Lion Gate of Hattusa, Boğazkale National Park, The Republic of Turkey Most likely created to ward off evil spirits, two stone lions guard an entrance to the ancient Hittite city of…Read more... Most likely created to ward off evil spirits, two stone lions guard an entrance to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa (present-day Boğazkale in the Republic of Turkey). At the peak of the Hittite reign, the double-walled citadel may have held fifty thousand or more people. One of the greatest discoveries at this site was a library (called the Bogazköy Archive) containing thousands of stone tablets inscribed with cuneiform—the script originating in Mesopotamia. Written in the Hittite language (called Nesite), the tablets were discovered by German archaeologist Hugo Winckler in 1906; but they were not deciphered until 1917 by the Czech linguist Bedřich Hrozný. Discoveries of Hittite tablets and artifacts are still being made. In 2001, two massive stone lions (one weighing 10,000 pounds) were found 60 miles to the southeast in a field near the village of Karakiz. They were created during the same period as the Hattusa sentinels, but archaeologists are baffled as to what purpose they served, although one theory is that they marked an important water source. The city of Hattusa and the Hittite culture fell into ruin around the same time as the fall of the Mycenaean culture (circa 1200 BCE). The true extent of the Hittite civilization was not revealed to the world until the last century. The Hittites had been mentioned several times in the Old Testament, but little was known about their civilization prior to archaeologists excavating and studying the site of the Hittite capital: Hattusa (in the present-day Republic of Turkey). Beginning with the decipherment of a hoard of inscribed clay tablets (discovered at Hattusa in 1906), it was shown that the Hittites were, in fact, a dominant and sophisticated Bronze Age superpower; and true rivals of the mighty Egyptians. The secrets of this mysterious civilization are still being unearthed through recent archaeological discoveries.
Ruins of the Hittite capital Hattusa, Boğazkale, The Republic of Turkey The greatest Hittite citadel was at Hattusa (also spelled Hatusha and Hattusas), in the Boğazkale district in north central Turkey, inland from the Black Sea. This city had previously been the capital of the Hattians, and their local kingdom of Hatti was conquered by the Hittites around 1900 BCE. (The name Hittite derives from the name of the Hatti.) The Hittite capital was moved to Hattusa around 1500 BCE: a rugged and windswept area 1,200 meters (nearly 4,000 feet) above sea level. It also served as the Hittite Empire’s religious and administrative center.
A section of the bastions reconstructed at Hattusa
Illustration of Hittite war-chariot For several generations, the Hittites and Egyptians remained diplomatic and military rivals. The great battle of Kadesh (near the present-day Syrian-Lebanese border) was fought between these superpowers around 1274 BCE and was commemorated in Egypt by a pictorial relief, an epic poem, and an official written record. After years of uneasy stalemate, the two powers signed a peace treaty and mutual defense pact, perhaps in response to growing Assyrian power to the east. A copy of the treaty was inscribed in hieroglyphs on the walls of an Egyptian temple at Karnak (where it stands to this day); and on a Hittite clay tablet originating from Hattusa (currently at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum)..
Bas-relief from Hattusa depicting herd animals The Hittite imperial boundaries encompassed a diverse geography, including expansive grassy plains, mountains, seacoast, river valleys, and desert. Their economy was based mainly on grain and shepherding, but they also possessed large deposits of silver, copper, and lead ore. They were adept metalworkers and among the earliest makers of iron.
Hittite Priest-King (c. early 17th century BCE) This statue of a Hittite priest-king in the Cleveland Museum of Art was carved from basalt around the year 1600…Read more... This statue of a Hittite priest-king in the Cleveland Museum of Art was carved from basalt around the year 1600 BCE. The nearly 3-foot-tall sculpture has inlaid bone eyes, a conical hat and wears a ceremonial beard. The figure probably held a staff or sword in one hand. The Hittites were the first ancient people to use iron for tools and weapons, and they spoke an Indo-European language—a branch of language that includes Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Persian, German, and English. The Great Temple at Hattusa was the religious center of the empire. The Hittite king was also the high priest of the kingdom and split his time between government, religious duties, and conquest. The king’s dual role was useful in unifying the culture of the kingdom among its diverse peoples. Each year the king/high priest traveled extensively to preside at festivals. These personal appearances brought in rich donations and helped stabilize the realm.
Carving of 12 Gods of the Underworld, Yazilikaya Shrine, Hattusa
Tablet from Hattusa depicting the double eagle One enduring symbol from their artwork is the double-headed eagle—a design that was passed down and adopted by many other cultures throughout the ages, from Byzantium to Imperial Russia. The Hittites used cuneiform for writing as well as Luwian Hieroglyphs.
Bas-relief of King Tudhaliya IV (reign c. 1237 - 1209 BCE), Hattusa Some researchers believe that the early Hittite government was the first constitutional monarchy. The Pankus, probably an assembly of noblemen, monitored the king’s activities in relation to their laws and might have had the power to remove and install kings as needed. Because they had no law of succession until circa 1500 BCE, the death of a king prior to then often triggered a struggle for power. The authority of the Pankus waned as the empire began to grow and after a law of succession was adopted. During the imperial years, the Hittite ruler was called the Great King. Each year, the rulers of vassal states brought gifts to Hattusas and pledged their loyalty. In return for military protection and favorable trading status, vassal states contributed precious resources, grain and troops to the empire.
Recreation of a section of wall, Hattusa The bastions of Hattusa (a section of which is recreated on site) completed a double-walled circuit of 6km/nearly 5 miles around the citadel, interspersed by multiple square guard towers. In some places the walls were over 25 feet thick. The Hittites also incorporated massive stones and boulders in their architecture, like the cyclopean building techniques found at the contemporary citadel of Mycenae in Greece.
Yazilikaya Shrine, Hattusa Situated within walking distance from the citadel is the Yazilikaya Open Air Shrine. This sacred spot, located at the end of a processional path wending its way northeast from the Lower City, contains several reliefs carved into the rocks—images of gods and kings.
Luwian hieroglyphs, Hattusa The Hittites used cuneiform script for writing on clay and metal tablets, but for monumental inscriptions they carved pictographs called Luwian hieroglyphs like the ones displayed on this sacred chamber in the citadel.
Illustration of a Hittite warrior Hittite foot troops made extensive use of the powerful recurve bow and bronze tipped arrows. Surviving artwork depicts Hittite soldiers as stocky and bearded, wearing distinctive shoes with curled-up-toes. For close combat they used bronze daggers, lances, spears, sickle-shaped swords, and battle-axes. Soldiers carried bronze rectangular shields and wore bronze conical helmets with earflaps and a long extension down the back that protected the neck.
Ancient bas-relief on stone of Neo-Hittites (c. 1200 BCE) Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara, Turkey The Hittites were apparently very competent at conducting sieges and assaulting cities that resisted. They were possibly the first to adopt the horse for pulling light two-wheeled chariots and made these vehicles a mainstay of their field armies. Egyptian engravings of the Battle of Kadesh show three men in Hittite chariots using spears, but other evidence suggests that the war vehicles carried only a driver and archer. Perhaps the chariot archer replaced the chariot javelin thrower. Whatever the case, Hittite chariot armies were feared by most of their contemporaries.
The Hittites were some of the world’s first documenters of history, making records of real events rather than just writing down tales of heroes and gods. One of the most important “documents” in the history of the world is called The Eternal Treaty—a peace accord signed between the Hittites and their rivals the Egyptians 16 years or so after the Battle of Kadesh (1275 BCE).
Eternal Treaty, Egyptian version, Ashkelon Wall, Karnak, Egypt What is so remarkable about this treaty is that a version of it was discovered in two places: at the Karnak Temple Complex in Egypt in 1828 (written in Egyptian hieroglyphs).
Eternal Treaty, Hittite version, found at Hattusa And at Hattusa in 1906 (written in cuneiform in Akkadian—a common diplomatic language of that period).
United Nations Building, New York, NY In 1970 the Republic of Turkey gifted an exact replica of the Hittite version of the treaty to the United Nations, and it has been on display there ever since: a symbol of diplomacy and the promise of peace between nations. |
When was the Hittite civilization discovered?
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