The Formation and Ascendance
of the Hittite Kingdom

p The Hittite Kingdom came into being soon after 2000 B.C. on the banks of the Kizil Irmak river (the classical Halys) in Asia Minor. The indigenous population of the area, commonly known as the proto-Hittites, were invaded early in the 2nd millennium B.C. by Nesite tribes. The Hittite nation was the result of the fusion of these peoples.

p The Hittite Kingdom is traditionally purported to have been founded by the semi-legendary King Labarnash (seventeenth century B.C.), whose name was later used as a royal title. Another famous ruler was King Murshilish I (sixteenth century B.C.) who captured and plundered Babylon, carrying off large numbers of prisoners.

p The Hittite Empire was at its height in the fifteenth century B.C. during the reign of King Shuppiluliumash. Under his leadership the Hittites conquered all the territory of Asia Minor between their kingdom and Syria and subjugated the kingdom of Mitanni (situated in the upper reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates). Shuppiluliumash’s successors took advantage of Egypt’s temporary setbacks to make their way into Syria and even Palestine. At the end of the fourteenth and beginning of the thirteenth century B.C. there were large-scale confrontations between the Hittites and the Egyptians which eventually ended in a treaty with Ramses II, which laid down that the whole of northern Syria should remain in the hands of the Hittites.

This was a period of outstanding military prowess but soon afterwards Hittite power began to wane. Around 1200 B.C. Asia 31 Minor, Syria and Palestine were invaded by the Peoples of the Sea (from islands in the Aegean Sea) who were later to lay waste the Hittite Kingdom. It was broken up into a series of small princedoms, and finally became an Assyrian province.

The Social Structure and Culture of the Hittite Kingdom

p Hittite society during the reign of Shuppiluliumash was a typical example of a slave-holding society. In the Hittite code of laws (fifteenth-thirteenth centuries B.C.) more than 20 articles were concerned with slaves, and the number of slaves brought to the country as prisoners of war was very large. Slave labour was also accepted as a form of debt payment.

p The chief occupation of the Hittite people was stockbreeding, followed by agriculture, fruit and vine growing. The kingdom was ruled over by a king who was regarded as a divinity of equal status with the Sun-god. The court officials, priests, warriors, money-lenders and merchant-traders also played an important role in state affairs. The Hittites carried on brisk trade with Egypt and various other countries.

Excavations in Boghazkeui (150 miles from Ankara) on the site of the former Hittite capital have brought us important information with regard to Hittite culture. A large archive of the Hittite kings was unearthed. The Hittite language was originally written in a hieroglyphic script which was later replaced under the influence of Assyria by a cuneiform script. Hittite inscriptions were first deciphered by the Czech scholar Hrozny. Extant monuments of Hittite art were found in the form of monumental sculptures and reliefs which in their turn also showed strong Assyrian influence.