Warriors of Anatolia : A Concise History of the Hittites

The Hittites in the Late Bronze Age became the mightiest military power in the Ancient Near East. Yet their empire was always vulnerable to destruction by enemy forces; their Anatolian homeland occupied a remote region, with no navigable rivers; and they were cut off from the sea. Perhaps most seriously, they suffered chronic under-population and sometimes devastating plague. How, then, can the rise and triumph of this ancient imperium be explained, against seemingly insuperable odds? In his lively and unconventional treatment of one of antiquity's most mysterious civilizations, whose history disappeared from the records over three thousand years ago, Trevor Bryce sheds fresh light on Hittite warriors as well as on the Hittites' social, religious and political culture and offers new solutions to many unsolved questions. Revealing them to have been masters of chariot warfare, who almost inflicted disastrous defeat on Rameses II at the Battle of Qadesh (1274 BCE), he shows the Hittites also to have been devout worshippers of a pantheon of storm-gods and many other gods, and masters of a new diplomatic system which bolstered their authority for centuries. Drawing authoritatively both on texts and on ongoing archaeological discoveries, while at the same time offering imaginative reconstructions of the Hittite world, the author argues that while the development of a warrior culture was essential, not only for the Empire's expansion but for its very survival, this by itself was not enough. The range of skills demanded of the Hittite ruling class went way beyond mere military prowess, while there was much more to the Hittites themselves than just skill in warfare. This engaging volume reveals the Hittites in their full complexity, including the festivals they celebrated; the temples and palaces they built; their customs and superstitions; the crimes they committed; their social hierarchy, from king to slave; and the marriages and pre-nuptial agreements they contracted. It takes the reader on a journey which combines epic grandeur, spectacle and pageantry with an understanding of the intimacies and idiosyncrasies of Hittite daily life. Cover Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Dedication CONTENTS MAPS AND FIGURES ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INTRODUCTION An important update to p. 256 CHAPTER 1 REDISCOVERING A LOST WORLD A STRANGE WORLD REVEALED SOLVING THE MYSTERY RIGHT FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS THE HITTITE LANGUAGE DECIPHERED CHAPTER 2 HOW DO THE HITTITES TELL US ABOUT THEMSELVES? READING THE ANCIENT SCRIPTS THE SCRIBES AND THEIR TABLETS WHAT DO THE HITTITES TELL US ABOUT THEMSELVES? CHAPTER 3 THE DWAN OF THE HITTITE ERA A KINGDOM EMERGES THE RESURRECTION OF A CITY ACCURSED THE HITTITES ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE CHAPTER 4 THE LEGACY OF AN AILING KING AN AILING KING'S BEQUEST THE TRUTH OF THESE MASTERS? A WORTHY SUCCESSOR CHAPTER 5 `NOW BLOODSHED HAS BECOME COMMON' NEW RULES OF ROYAL SUCCESSION DID THE NEW RULES WORK? ENTER THE KINGDOMS OF MITTANI AND EGYPT CHAPTER 6 THE SETTING FOR AN EMPIRE RECONSTRUCTING A MAP OF THE HITTITE WORLD GREEKS IN HITTITE TEXTS? THE HITTITE WORLD IN REVIEW CHAPTER 7 BUILDING AN EMPIRE DIPLOMACY INSTEAD OF BRUTE FORCE A NEW SYRIAN VENTURE THE KING HEADS WEST WHY DID THE HITTITES GO WEST? CHAPTER 8 LION OR PUSSYCAT? THE CONSTANT FUGITIVE THE FUGITIVE TURNS TREACHEROUS AN EXAMPLE OF DIPLOMATIC SPIN? PROBLEMS ELSEWHERE CHAPTER 9 FROM NEAR EXTINCTION TO THE THRESHOLD OF SUPERMACY URGENT BELLETINS TO REGIONAL OFFICIALS HATTI UNDER EXISTENTIAL THREAT THE TIDE TURNS ANOTHER ROYAL COUP CHAPTER 10 THE GREATEST KINGDOM OF THEM ALL DIPLOMATIC PREPARATIONS FOR BRUTE FORCE OPEN WAR WITH MITTANI APPEAL FROM AN EGYPTIAN ROYAL WIDOW THE END OF MITTANI AND THE RISE OF ASSYRIA SUPPILULIUMA'S LEGACY CHAPTER 11 INTERMEDIARIES OF THE GODS: THE GREAT KINGS OF HATTI THE GOD'S DEPUTY THE KING'S SECULAR RESPONSIBILITIES THE `GREAT FAMILY' BECOMING A GOD THE HIEROGLYPHIC INSCRIPTIONS CHAPTER 12 KING BY DEFAULT A `MERE CHILD' ON THE THRONE THE NEW ARZAWA CAMPAINS RENEWED PRESSURES FROM OTHER DIRECTIONS PLAGUE CHAPTER 13 HEALTH, HYGIENE AND HEALING WARNING OF POLLUTION THE RITUALIST THE HOLISTIC APPROACH DOCTORS ON LOAN FROM ABROAD HITTITE BIRTHS AND MIDWIVES CHAPTER 14 JUSTICE AND THE COMMONER THE HITTITE LAWS THE PRINCIPLE OF COMPENSATION ON HIS MAJETY'S SERVICE? A FASCINATING GLIMPSE INTO THE WORLD OF THE COMMONER CHAPTER 15 NO SEX PLEASE, WE'RE HITTITE THE HORROR OF INCEST ADULTERY BESTIALITY EVEN LICIT SEX COULD POLLUTE WHAT WENT ON IN THE ARZANA-HOUSE? CHAPTER 16 WOMEN, MARRIAGE AND SLAVERY THE WOMEN OF THE EMPIRE TILL DEATH US DO PART? THE UNFREE IN HITTITE SOCIETY MATRILOCAL AND MIXED MARRIAGES ROYAL BRIDES WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE CHAPTER 17 WAR WITH EGYPT THE AMURRITE TERRORIST CLAN THE LOOMING SHOWDOWN WITH EGYPT A NEW ROYAL CAPITAL NEW PROBLEMS IN THE WEST THE BATTLES OF QADESH CHAPTER 18 ALL THE KING'S HORSES AND ALL THE KING'S MEN: THE HITTITE MILITARY MACHINE1 THE SIZE OF THE ARMY THE COMPOSITION OF THE ARMY WEAPONS AND BATTLE DRESS CHARIOTS AND HORSES ARMY DISCIPLINE HOW DID THEY DO IT? THE ROLE OF THE TREATY CHAPTER 19 THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING THE PATHWAY OF GREAT KINGSHIP THE ILL-FATED REIGN OF MUWATTALLI'S SON THE USURPER SEEKS ENDORSEMENT BOTH AT HOME AND ABROAD PEACE AT LAST! THE DEFIANT RENEGADE CHAPTER 20 PARTNERS IN POWER: THE GREAT QUEENS OF HATTI A RULER IN HER OWN RIGHT? THE WICKED STEPMOTHER THE FORMIDABLE PUDUHEPA CHAPTER 21 CITY OF TEMPLES AND BUREAUCRATS: THE ROYAL CAPITAL1 THE GREAT RAMPART, POSTERN GATE AND CITY-WALLS THE SPHINX GATE THE UPPER AND LOWER CITIES THE CITY'S TEMPLES ROCKS AND PONDS THE PALACE WHO ELSE LIVED IN HATTUSA? GRAIN STORAGE DEPOTS THE WARRIOR-GOD'S GATE RECONSTRUCTING HATTUSA'S WALLS3 CHAPTER 22 AN ELITE FRATERNITY: THE CLUB OF ROYAL BROTHERS A ROYAL DIPLOMATIC MISSION THE ROYAL CLUB THE AMARNA LETTERS CHAPTER 23 THE EMPIRE'S STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL A LOYAL SUBJECT OR AN AMBITIOUS PRETENDER? RISING UNREST THROUGHOUT THE KINGDOM THE ASSYRIAN MENACE TUDHALIYA'S CYPRUS CAMPAIGN CHAPTER 24 HATTI'S DIVINE OVERLORDS THE THOUSAND GODS YAZILIKAYA1 THE FESTIVAL YEAR THE HUMAN FACE OF THE GODS HITTITE MYTH `VENGEANCE IS MINE' CHAPTER 25 DEATH OF AN EMPIRE1 ON THE VERGE OF DISINTEGRATION OR DID HE ENTER TARHUNTASSA? KEEPING ALIVE THE LAND OF HATTI ATTACKS BY LAND AND SEA A ROYAL CITY ABANDONED APPENDIX 1 RULERS OF HATTI APPENDIX 2 OUTLINE OF MAIN EVENTS IN HITTITE HISTORY THE OLD KINGDOM THE NEW KINGDOM NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX The Hittites In The Late Bronze Age Became The Mightiest Military Power In The Ancient Near East. Yet Their Empire Was Always Vulnerable To Destruction By Enemy Forces; Their Anatolian Homeland Occupied A Remote Region, With No Navigable Rivers; And They Were Cut Off From The Sea. Perhaps Most Seriously, They Suffered Chronic Under-population And Sometimes Devastating Plague. How, Then, Can The Rise And Triumph Of This Ancient Imperium Be Explained, Against Seemingly Insuperable Odds? In His Lively And Unconventional Treatment Of One Of Antiquity's Most Mysterious Civilizations, Whose History Disappeared From The Records Over Three Thousand Years Ago, Trevor Bryce Sheds Fresh Light On Hittite Warriors As Well As On The Hittites' Social, Religious And Political Culture And Offers New Solutions To Many Unsolved Questions. Revealing Them To Have Been Masters Of Chariot Warfare, Who Almost Inflicted Disastrous Defeat On Rameses Ii At The Battle Of Qadesh (1274 Bce), He Shows The Hittites Also To Have Been Devout Worshippers Of A Pantheon Of Storm-gods And Many Other Gods, And Masters Of A New Diplomatic System Which Bolstered Their Authority For Centuries-- Rediscovering A Lost World -- How Do The Hittites Tell Us About Themselves? The Dawn Of The Hittite Era -- The Legacy Of An Ailing King -- Now Bloodshed Has Become Common -- The Setting For An Empire -- Building An Empire -- Lion Or Pussycat? -- From Near Extinction To The Threshold Of International Supremacy -- The Greatest Kingdom Of Them All -- Intermediaries Of The Gods: The Great Kings Of Hatti -- King By Default -- Health, Hygiene And Healing -- Justice And The Commoner. Trevor Bryce. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The Hittites in the Late Bronze Age became the mightiest military power in the Ancient Near East. Yet their empire was always vulnerable to destruction by enemy forces; their Anatolian homeland occupied a remote region, with no navigable rivers; and they were cut off from the sea. Perhaps most seriously, they suffered chronic underpopulation and sometimes devastating plague. How, then, can the rise and triumph of this ancient imperium be explained, against seemingly insuperable odds? In his lively treatment of one of antiquity's most mysterious civilizations, whose history disappeared from the records more than 3,000 years ago, Trevor Bryce sheds fresh light on Hittite warrior as well as religious and political culture and offers new solutions to many unsolved questions. Revealing them to have been masters of chariot warfare, who almost inflicted disastrous defeat on Rameses II at the Battle of Kadesh (1274 BCE), he shows the Hittites also to have been devout worshippers of a pantheon of storm-gods and masters of a new diplomatic system which bolstered their authority for centuries.