Student Reader » Hittite Kingdom

Hittite Empire

Levi Clancy — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 20:25:58 +0000

Hittite Empire		1400-1180
	Shupiluliuma I
Battle of Khadesh		~1274 BC

Seeher, Jürgen. 2006. Hattusha Guide: A Day in the Hittite Capital. Ege Yayinlary: Istanbul.

Hittite King Hattusili I

Levi Clancy — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 06:29:08 +0000

Hattusili inherited the throne of Kussara, then rapidly defeated his competitors in central Anatolia. Among his conquests was Hattush, which he renamed Hattusha and made his capital. He possibly changed his name to coincide with the name of the city. Hattusha remained the Hittites’ political and religious center until the state collapsed. However, it was far north of the Hittite territory center; Hattusili initiated southward expansion into Syria with its enticing fields, which were in contrast to Anatolia’s limited agricultural fields amidst its steep valleys and extensive rivers.

Hattusili invaded Yamkhad in northwest Syria, and sacked several cities including Alakh. Yamkhad’s capital Aleppo remained un-captured despite several nearby campaigns. Hattusili also campaigned in southwestern Anatolia. However, his large state descended into disarray. Hattusili’s sons rebelled against him late in his life, and he was even betrayed by his nephew who was his chosen successor. Thus, on his deathbed, Hattusili appointed his grandson Mursili as his heir. Mursili engaged in a destructive campaign which wiped out major power centers and ushered in a Dark Age.

Period or Event	Time-Frame	Overview
Hattusili Ascends	Early 17^th Cent

Hittite Civilization

Levi Clancy — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 06:39:55 +0000

Old Hittite Kingdom
Middle Hittite Kingdom
Hittite Empire

Hatussha	Bogazkale	Capital
Tabigga	Masat Höyük
Shapinuwa	Ortaköy
Sarissa	Kusakli

Kadesh Treaty

Levi Clancy — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:21:04 +0000

Kadesh Treaty, ~1269 BC. Akkadian on Terracotta from Hattusa. Museum of the Ancient Orient Bo. 10403+6549+6674. Image by L. M. Clancy, 2009/08/28.

The Kadesh Treaty was established ~1269 BC between Hittite king Hattusilis III and Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II, and is the earliest known equitable peace treaty. Ramses II’s reign began with hostility against the Hittite Empire, culminating in the mutually devastating Battle of Kadesh. The overextended Hittites lost the critical Mitanni region; and Egypt’s defeat prompted its Levantine vassals to revolt. Nearly six years after the Battle of Kadesh, Egypt and the Hittites allied for: non-aggression to avoid further ruin; and mutual military aid to thwart the encroachment of the Sea Peoples.

Two Egyptian and three Akkadian versions of the treaty are known to exist. One Egyptian version was carved into the walls of the temple of Amon at Karnak; another was carved into the walls of the Ramesseum, though it embellished Egypt’s peacemaking role. The three Akkadian versions are much closer to the formal agreement; these were excavated at Hattusha by joint Turkish and German teams (led by Hügo Winckler and Teodor Makridy). One of these Hittite tablets are at Staatliche Museen zu Berlin; two are at the Istanbul Archaeological Museums. Below are excerpts from the treaty:

Treaty of Rea-Mashesha-Mai Amana the great king, the king of the land of Egypt, the valiant, with Hattusilis, the great king of the Hatti land for establishing good peace and good brotherhood worthy of great kingship forever.

These are the words of Rea-Mashasha-Mai Amana: Now I have established good brotherhood [and] good peace between us forever. In order to establish good peace [and] good brotherhood in the relationship of the land of Egypt with the Hatti land forever.

Thus: Behold, as for the relationship between the land of Egypt and the Hatti land, since eternity the god does not permit the making of hostility between them because of a treaty [valid] forever.

If an enemy from abroad comes against the land of Egypt and Rea-Mashesha-Mai Amana, the king of the land of Egypt, your brother sends to Hattusilis, the great king of the Hatti land, his brother saying: “come here to help me against him” to Hattusilis, the king of the Hatti land shall send his footsoldiers [and] his charioteers and shall slay my enemies.

Old Hittite Period

Levi Clancy — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:50:34 +0000

Arrival of Hittites		< 2000 BC	Hittites drifted into central Anatolia from the Caucasus during the second half of the 3^rd millenium BC. They retained the name Hatti from their land but called their Indo-European language Neshian/Nesili, meaning language of Nesa. Nesili became the official written language of the Hittite state, even if it was not spoken by most of its subjects. Nesa was the indigenous name for Kanesh. This provides a link between the Old Assyrian colonies and later Hittite history. Another link is the find of a dagger in the citadel at Kanesh, inscribed in Old Assyrian script and language with the name Anitta, who is identified as the ruler; the figure Anitta is central in the early Hittite Anitta Text.Also entering Anatolia were the Luvians (south and west) and Palaians (north and northwest).
Old Hittite Kingdom		1650-1400 BC	Sources for the Old Hittite Kingdom are very different from those in the rest of the Near East; the palace archives of the later Hittite state contained a set of texts relating military campaigns of these early rulers or dealing with succession problems. However, it is unclear if these texts are actual copies of older texts or later compositions set in ancient times for current political purposes.

	Hattushili I	Early 17^th Cent	Hattushili I built an empire via military campaigns in Central Anatolia and to the south in northern Syria. He re-introduced cuneiform writing into the derelect Hattian site of Hattush when he chose it for the Hittite capital Hattusha.
	Mursili		Mursili’s reign is attested by few sources, but what is available shows he continued Hattushili I’s southward campaigns, delving further south in an effort to seize the Mesopotamian trade routes. He committed two extremely important acts: the destruction of Aleppo; and the destruction of Babylon, which ended Hammurabi’s reign. He did not occupy these cities, however, and it is unclear why he even went to Babylon since it was so far away he could only raid it. Upon returning home, Mursili’s brother-in-law Hantili assassinated him and seized the throne. Hantili quickly met the same fate and the succession was contested. Internal instability caused the recension of Hittite hegemony to its heartland in central Anatolia. Mursili’s destructions of Aleppo and Babylon, and the collapse of the Hittite state, led to a power vacuum in Anatolia, Syria and Mesopotamia which plunged the Near East into turmoil and ushered in the ensuing Dark Age of the mid-2^nd millenium.

1
p 173-
Seeher, Jürgen. 2006. Hattusha Guide: A Day in the Hittite Capital. Ege Yayinlary: Istanbul.

2
p 175

Middle Hittite Period

Levi Clancy — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:50:31 +0000

			Lands south of the Taurus and distant territories to the south and east of Anatolia were captured from the Hittites by the Mitanni. Attacks of marauding Kashkan tribes living in the northern mountains of Central Antaolia became a direct threat to Hattusha. Hattusha was destroyed in 1400 BC under the reign of Tudhaliya III; a cuneiform text explains, “Hattusha, the city, was burned to the ground and only [ . . . ] and the Heshti-House of [ . . . ] remained standing” ². Hittite hegemony was limited to the Central Anatolian plateau ¹.

1
p 173-
Seeher, Jürgen. 2006. Hattusha Guide: A Day in the Hittite Capital. Ege Yayinlary: Istanbul.

2
p 175