During the time of early empires in the Fertile Crescent, Mesopotamia, several civilizations rose and fell during intense warfare and failed development. These early territories contributed a vast amount of cultural evolution into their societies as they tried to prosper including, language, myth and, warfare. The Hittite Empire faced many hardships as it continued to grow within Mesopotamia, but continued to prosper and develop until its collapse.

The Hittite Monument of Sultanhani:
This stele was erected in the name of
god Tarhui for a better year of crops.
[Brewbooks CC BY-SA 2.0]

In the North West area of Mesopotamia a new culture and empire grew into the Hittite Kingdom. The stronghold and capital city of the Hittite empire was called Hattusas and laid in central Turkey. With the rise of the Hittite Empire also came the first record of the Indo-European language being spoken and with a bit of luck it became one of the strongest empires of its time. The Hittite language was written in cuneiform and during the end of the empires time frame the use of hieroglyphics became prevalent.

Since the Hittite Empire was so close in time frame and proximity to the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires many deities and myths are similar or even just different interpretations or accounts of the same event. The Hittites worshipped the Goddess Ishtar who held domain over war, fertility, love, and the dead. In the myth The Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld, the Hittites and surrounding cultures used the myth to reason the changing of the seasons through out the years.

The myth accounts that Ishtar went down to the underworld demanding entrance and threatening to raise the dead to kill the living. After her threats the gatekeeper goes to Ereshikigal to ask if Ishtar could enter. After being allowed entrance Ishtar is trapped in the underworld and winter comes over Mesopotamia. In a plea to let Ishtar leave the underworld Ea created a man named Good-looks and offered him to Ereshikigal. Out of outrage to Ea trick Ereshikigal curses Good-looks and reluctantly makes Ishtar leave the underworld restoring spring to the nations of Mesopotamia.

During a time when the Babylonian Empire was frail the King of Hittite was able to attack was able to attack the city of Babylon in the seventeenth century BC. Though the Hittites were unable to make a significant amount of headway in their campaign to conquer other areas of Mesopotamia they did contribute to the growth of Mesopotamia’s culture and diversity. Around 1200 BC the Hittite empire lost most of its power and by 1000 BCE it dissipated completely.

For Further Reading

A World of Art. By Henry M. Sayre. ISBN: 978-0-205-88757-6

Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary.
By Jeremy Black and Anthony Green. Illustrations by Tessa Rickards.

Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilagamesh, and Others. A New translation by Stephanie Dalley ISBN: 978-0-19-953836-2

Contribution by: Margaret Smith, University of New Mexico, Anthropology & Japanese undergraduate

The Hittites were a Bronze Age people from mountainous region of central Anatolia, modern Turkey. As powerful warlike people they battled constantly with the neighboring groups for control over the Mediterranean trade. The Hittites were forced to master a harsh homeland with land barely suitable to farm wheat and barley and domesticate sheep and cattle. Against the odds of the land and the success of their powerful army, the Hittites flourished between about 1600 and 1200BC, reaching its height in the 14^th century.

Map of the Hittite Empire, courtesy of touregypt.net

The Hittite built a massive stronghold at Hattusas, the center of their kingdom. Here they recruited and trained their powerful army. Much of the military success of the Hittite came from their skill as charioteers. They among the first to use horses in warfare and developed the chariot as one of the most feared weapons in battle. Each of their chariots could hold up to three people, one to drive, and two to fight. Being an army centered group, the Hittites were almost constantly at war, either in order to claim and protect their territory from their neighbors. Most of what we know about them today comes from ancient texts that have been recovered from ancient cuneiform letters and clay tablets. The greatest contract, or at least the most extensively documented contact, was between the Hittites and the Egyptians. They made treaties with the Egyptian pharaohs to avoid any conflicts (the Hittites sometimes bought off their rivals with gold) and were documented on clay tablets and found in the massive royal archives at Hattusas.

Cuneiform, image courtesy of historicconections.web.com

Cuneiform, image courtesy of biblearchaelogy.org

One of the well-known remains of the Hittites is their lion gates. They were the fearsome lion decorated stone gateways of Hattusas. Their capital city was well protected from enemies because it was set among cliffs and mountains, and the lions appeared to be life-like as the capitals guardians. 

The Lion Gate, image courtesy of anthroarcheart.org

Although the Hittites had a strong land army, it was difficult for them to defend their coasts. Invaders from the sea, known to them as “sea peoples”, constantly attacked the Hittites. This, together with unreliable harvests and constant pressure from the Egyptians, eventually bought the empire crumbling down in 1200BC.

About the Author

I'm Jose Pierre and I like learning about all aspects of culture, both ancient and modern. I enjoy learning how they communicated, expressed themselves, and their technology.