Hittites

The Hittites were an ancient people from a place called Anatolia, which is now part of Turkey. They lived during a time called the Bronze Age, a very long time ago. They started near the Black Sea and then moved to central Anatolia around the year 1750 BC. There, they built cities and formed kingdoms, and later, a big empire with a capital called Hattusa.

At their strongest, around the 14th century BC, the Hittites ruled parts of Anatolia and Syria and Mesopotamia. They were powerful and sometimes fought with other empires like Egypt and Assyria. They used chariots in their armies and were known for their skills.

We learn about the Hittites from old writings found in their old territories and from letters they sent to other countries. These writings were in a special language called Hittite, one of the oldest known languages from a group called Indo-European. Today, many people are interested in the Hittites, especially in Turkey, where museums show their artworks and old objects.

Etymology

The Hittites called their kingdom Hattusa. This name came from the Hattians, people who lived in central Anatolia before them. Scientists first thought the Hittites were the people mentioned in the Bible, but they are now looking at this idea more carefully.

The Hittites may have called themselves "Neshites" or "Neshians" after the city of Nesha. This city was important for about two hundred years. Then a king named Labarna changed his name to Hattusili I, meaning "the man of Hattusa," around 1650 BC. He made Hattusa the capital.

Archeological discovery

Biblical background

See also: Biblical Hittites

Before people found the Hittite civilization in a place called Anatolia, the Hebrew Bible was the only source that talked about a group of people with that name. Some scholars thought the Hittites were not very powerful compared to other kingdoms. But as more discoveries were made in the late 1800s, scholars learned that the Hittite kingdom was very large and powerful.

Initial discoveries

In 1834, a French scholar found ruins that turned out to be Hittite, but he did not know it at first. The first clear proof of the Hittites came from tablets found at a place called Kanesh, showing trade between Assyrian merchants and a land called Hatti. Some names in these tablets were from an ancient Indo-European language.

In 1884, a monument was found at Boğazkale with a special writing that matched scripts from places in Syria. In 1887, letters from Egypt mentioned a kingdom called Kheta, which scholars believed was the same as Hatti. This helped connect the biblical Hittites with the civilization being uncovered.

Excavations at Boğazköy beginning in 1906 uncovered a royal archive with thousands of tablets, showing that the city was once the capital of a large empire.

During excavations at Boğazköy (Hattusa) starting in 1906, archaeologists found a royal archive with 10,000 tablets written in cuneiform. These tablets confirmed the identity of the empire mentioned in Egyptian letters. The ruins at Boğazköy were proven to be the remains of an empire that once controlled parts of northern Syria.

Excavations at Hattusa have continued since 1907 under the German Archaeological Institute, with some pauses during the world wars. Another site, Kültepe, was excavated by a professor from 1948 until 2005. Smaller excavations have also taken place around Hattusa, including a rock sanctuary called Yazılıkaya with carvings of Hittite rulers and gods.

Writings

The Hittites used a special form of writing called Hittite cuneiform. Many royal archives with cuneiform tablets have been found at Hattusa, written in Akkadian or various Hittite dialects.

Museums

The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, Turkey, has the largest collection of Hittite and Anatolian artifacts.

Geography

Main article: Hittite sites

The Hittite kingdom was centered around the cities of Hattusa and Neša (Kültepe), in a place called "the land Hatti." After Hattusa became the capital, the area around the Kızılırmak River became very important. The river helped separate different parts of the empire.

To the west and south of this central area were regions known by different names, such as Arzawa and Kizzuwatna. The people there spoke a language called Luwian. To the north lived groups known as the Kaskians, and to the southeast was the Hurrian empire of Mitanni.

At its strongest point, the Hittite empire reached from Arzawa in the west all the way to Mitanni in the east. It also included lands to the north and south, stretching as far as Canaan near Lebanon.

History

The ancestors of the Hittites arrived in a region called Anatolia between 4400 and 4100 BC. They formed small kingdoms there, such as Kussara and later the Kanesh or Nesha Kingdom. Eventually, they created a larger empire with their capital at Hattusa around 1650 BC.

The Hittite Empire grew strong under leaders like Šuppiluliuma I in the mid-14th century BC. At its height, it covered much of Anatolia and parts of northern Syria and Upper Mesopotamia. The empire faced challenges from other powerful neighbors, such as the Hurri-Mitanni and the Assyrians. Over time, the empire ended around 1180 BC due to invasions, droughts, and internal issues. After this, smaller states called Syro-Hittite states appeared in the area.

Government

The Hittites were one of the first groups to have a government led by a king. The king was the main leader. He acted as a commander, judge, and religious figure. Other important people, like the chief of the royal bodyguards or the chief scribe, also had their own jobs.

The Hittites had special rules and laws created by King Telipinu. He formed a group called the Pankus. This group made sure laws were followed and handled serious matters, even for the king himself. The Hittites did not always use harsh punishments. Instead, they often made people pay back what they had taken or done wrong.

The Hittite kingdom also worked with other countries through treaties and alliances. They sometimes married into other royal families to build strong relationships. However, they also faced challenges and battles with neighbors like Egypt and Assyria.

Economy

See also: Palace economy

The Hittite economy was based on farming and raising animals. They grew mainly barley and different types of wheat. They also raised cattle, sheep, goats, horses, mules, and donkeys.

The land was thought to belong to the gods, but the king controlled the best parts. People could get land from the king if they served in the army. Workers were very important because they helped grow food.

They used weights like shekels, minas, and talents made from metals such as copper, bronze, silver, or gold as their form of money. For example, 40 shekels equaled 1 mina. A silver shekel could buy a lot of wheat or a piece of land.

Population

Researchers try to guess how many people lived in the Hittite city of Hattuša. Older ideas said maybe 9,000 to 15,000 people, but newer ideas say it was closer to 2,300 to 4,600, sometimes reaching 5,000 during big events. For the whole Hittite kingdom, some think there were about 140,000 to 150,000 people, while others guess it could have been over 200,000.

The Hittites could gather around 47,500 soldiers for big battles, and maybe up to 100,000 for other military duties. Big wars made it hard to grow enough food and keep the economy strong. The people they took from other lands during battles may have helped fill in the gaps left by these losses. These guesses about population sizes mostly relate to the time when Hattusili III ruled.

Language

Main articles: Hittite language and Anatolian hieroglyphs

The Hittite language was used from around the 19th century BC to about 1100 BC. It is one of the oldest known languages from the Indo-European family. We know about it from writings found in places like Kültepe.

A Czech linguist named Bedřich Hrozný understood the language in 1915. His work helped us learn more about how Indo-European languages developed. By the end of the Hittite Empire, most people spoke Luwian, another language from the same family. But Hittite was still used for important documents and letters between leaders. The Hittite language included words borrowed from other nearby languages.

Art

Main article: Hittite art

The Hittite Empire was big, but there are not many pieces of Hittite art left today. We do have some large stone carvings and impressive rock reliefs. There are also beautiful things made from metal, like the Alaca Höyük bronze standards, and carved ivory. Special ceramics include the Hüseyindede vases. Some of the largest sculptures are the Sphinx Gates in Alaca Höyük and Hattusa, and a big monument at the spring of Eflatun Pınar. There are also huge stone lions, like the Lion of Babylon in Babylon, though we do not know for sure if the Hittites made it. Many of these artworks are worn down over time. Other rock reliefs include the Hanyeri relief and Hemite relief. The Niğde Stele is a stone monument from a later time, found in Niğde in modern Turkey.

Religion and mythology

Main article: Hittite mythology

The Hittites had special ways to honor and tell stories about gods. Their stories were shaped by nearby cultures such as the Hattic, Mesopotamian, Canaanite, and Hurrian peoples.

One important god for the Hittites was the Storm god. They called him Tarhunt. He was seen as the great leader of the gods. The Hittites held many festivals for their gods, like the Puruli festival in spring.

Law

Main article: Hittite laws

The Hittites wrote their laws on special tablets made from baked clay, using a writing style called cuneiform. These tablets have many rules about how the Hittite people lived. The laws talk about punishments, marriage, and property.

The laws changed over time. Later laws were often gentler, using fines instead of harsh punishments. The laws show that men, women, and slaves had different rights. For example, men usually got more money for harm done to them than women did. The laws helped people solve problems and keep order in the Hittite kingdom.

The tablets also have rules about injuries to animals, damage to property, and marriages, even those involving slaves. These rules guided people in their daily lives.

Biblical Hittites

Main article: Biblical Hittites

The Bible talks about people called "Hittites." It is not sure if these are the same as the real Hittite Empire. Sometimes, the Biblical Hittites have their own lands and can beat armies from Syria. These might be groups from later times called the Syro-Hittite states.

In most tales, the Biblical Hittites live close to the Israelites. For instance, Abraham buys a burial place from a man named Ephron the Hittite, and some Hittites work as important soldiers in King David's army. Scholars do not know exactly who these Hittites were, but they might be a local group with influences from cultures far north. Some scholars believe the ancient Hittites are mentioned in the Bible as "Kittim," named after a son of Javan.

In ancient Greek mythology

In old stories from Greece, a writer named Homer talked about a group of people called the Keteians. Some people think the Keteians might have been related to the Hittites. The Hittites were a large and important group who lived long ago.