Pictures of the archaelogical site of Hattusa, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Turkey. Hattusha or Hattusa was the capital of the Hittite Empire in the late Bronze age. Situated in central Turkey . Around 2000 BC, a settlement of people known as Hatti was established on the site known as as Hattusha. The Hattians built their initial settlement on the high ridge of Büyükkale. In the 19th and 18th centuries BC, merchants from Assur in Assyria established a trading post there, setting...
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Pictures of the archaelogical site of Hattusa, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Turkey. Hattusha or Hattusa was the capital of the Hittite Empire in the late Bronze age. Situated in central Turkey . Around 2000 BC, a settlement of people known as Hatti was established on the site known as as Hattusha. The Hattians built their initial settlement on the high ridge of Büyükkale. In the 19th and 18th centuries BC, merchants from Assur in Assyria established a trading post there, setting up in their own separate quarter of the city.

The Old Kingdom

Around 1650 BC a Hittite-speaking king had chosen the site as his residence and capital and the city was renamed Hattusha, and the king took the name of Hattusili I or Labarna I and the began of a "Hittite" state and of a royal line of 27 Hittite Kings. Hattusili I fortified Hattusha and from this stronghold he started conquering lands to the South in Syria.

Hattusili was succeeded by his son, Murshili I, who continued conquering territory by raiding the important city of Halab (Aleppo) and south in Mesopotamia as well as taking Babylon in 1531 BC. He turned rule of Babylon over his Kassite allies and returned to Hattusha where he was assassinated. The Hittite Kingdom was plunged into chaos and the Hurrians took advantage of this and took Aleppo. A series of weak Hittite kings saw a contraction of the Empire.

The New Kingdom of the Hittite Empire

By the 14th century BC kingship had become hereditary and they took on an aura of being “super human” and were referred to as “My Sun”

Under Tudhaliya (1380–1360 B.C.) and his son Shuppiluliuma I ( 1370–1330 B.C.) the Hittite Empire was consolidated and began to acquire land in Syria again. Aleppo was re-taken and Shuppiluliuma advanced into Syria, establishing Carchemish as a royal center. Egypt seeked an alliance by marriage of one of Shuppiluliuma’s sons with the widow of Tutankhamen but his son died.

During the rule of Muwatalli (1295–1282 B.C) the Hittite capital moved south to Tarhuntasha. Hittite wealth came from controlling major trade routes . Ramesses II attempted to expand into Hittite Territory but was defeated Ramesses at the battle of Kadesh.

Decline of the Empire

Under Tudhaliya IV (r. 1245–1215 B.C.), the fortifications of Hattusha were strengthened and the sanctuary of Yazilikaya was constructed. During his reign things stared to go wrong for the Hittites. Incursions from the east by the Syrians started to shrink his Empire and territory was also lost in the west. Finally around 1200 mysteriously Hattusha was destroyed and the Empire collapsed in a period known as The Greek Dark Ages and The Bonze Age Collapse.

NEO HITTITES

Although the Hittite Empire disappeared, Hittite culture was kept alive in smaller Syrian Neo-Hittite kingdoms at Carchemish and Milid. These were gradually absorbed into the Neo Assyrian Empire.

SEE OUR HITTITE ART PHOTOS: http://bit.ly/nKjZU1
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