The early origins of the Hittites are not entirely certain, but it is likely the people we call Hittites arrived in Anatolia about 2000BC and came from Europe as part of a broader migration from the Black Sea region and Pontic steppe. In diplomatic correspondence of the Late Bronze Age the realm is the land of Hatti (Khatta in Egyptian).
Army of the Hittite
Old and Middle Kingdom 1680 BC – 1380 BC
The Hittite kingdom from its foundation by the semi-legendary Labarnas
possibly circa 1680 BC, until the accession of Suppiluliumas circa 1380 BC. In
1595 BC Mursilis I broke the power of the Amorite states of Syria and overthrew
the First Dynasty of Babylon and carried away its gods. However, he was
murdered before he could consolidate his conquests, leaving power vacuums to be
filled by the rising Human powers. The numbers of chariots attested in armies
before 1500 BC never exceed 80. The kingdom declined after 1500 BC until it was
restored to Empire during the reign of Suppiluliumas from 1380 BC.
Army of the Hittite Empire 1380 BC – 1180 BC
The Hittite empire from the accession of Suppiluliumas circa 1380 BC.
Mitanni was acquired as a vassal state circa 1348 BC. Syria was incorporated
into the empire circa 1340 BC. The empire was crippled by the “Sea
Peoples” invasion of the 1170s and then finished off by their old enemies
the Gasgans. We use Syrian here to include all the states allied or feudatory
to Hatti in that general area, such as Canaanites, Phoenicians, Retennu,
Ugaritics and Khaaru. At the battle of Kadesh in 1274 BC, Hittite chariots and
those of their allies from Arzawa, Masa and Pitassa had three-man crews,
comprising shieldless driver, shieldless spearman (who probably also had a bow)
and shield-bearer. Against lighter chariots these would attempt to come to
close quarters where their long spears and larger crew would have the
advantage. Since they apparently came as a surprise to the Egyptians, we assume
they were a recent innovation. A Hittite army would still include 2-man chariot
types, including Syrian chariots with driver and archer, and Anatolian types
with driver and a single spearmen or javelinman. In Syria, tactics were based
on the offensive use of chariotry, with infantry adopting a supporting role,
depicted deployed in the rear in deep rectangular blocks of tight-packed troops
with spear in one hand and sword in the other, described in the Egyptian
account of Kadesh as teheru, a term they also used for their own elite troops.
Only officers and chariot runners are shown with shields. Spears are often
shown as long and used two-handed. In Anatolia, the Hittite infantry were well
suited to counter the troublesome Gasgans in the rugged terrain of the Empire’s
periphery. The duties of Hittite scouts included eliminating enemy scouts. A
Ugaritic fleet landed a Hittite force to attack Cyprus.
The Hittite first arrived in Anatolia around the time of
2000 B.C. Before their arrival, this region was already inhabited by other
groups of people. These groups initially resisted the militaristic advances of
the Hittite people, though were eventually overpowered and succumbed to their
advances. Within several hundred years, the entire region was under the control
of the Hittite king.
This time period is best defined as the later stages of the
Bronze Age. The majority of the world at this time utilized bronze as a major
resource for tools, weapons, and other everyday items. Bronze was a readily
accessible material that was the product of easily workable elements that were
quite common. The advantage to using bronze was that it was extremely malleable
and did not take extreme heat to be manufactured. The downside to bronze was
that it did not keep a sharp edge for long periods of time and was not a very
sturdy metal.
These shortcomings of bronze are magnified one hundred fold
when you consider that some of the key items made from metal at this time
period were related to military needs. Swords, armor, and shields all used
bronze in their construction. If an army’s sword became dull or their armor
suffered damage, it would be a massive priority for these items to be repaired
immediately.
What the Hittite had that other cultures in the region did
not was the knowledge of how to make iron. The Hittite had learned the
secretive process for extracting iron from rocks containing iron ore. That is
not to say that other cultures had not attempted to do the same, but the
Hittite were able to understand the best methods for increasing the heat in
their forges to a massive degree in order to separate the ore from the base
rocks. This concept alone is the main reason that the Hittite was able to unify
their nation and expand it to neighboring borders.
The Hittite used this new found metal as a way to create
stronger weapons. Their swords, shields, and armor were all crafted using iron
as opposed to bronze. The iron was more durable and held a sharper edge over a
longer period of time. Considering that many of the military campaigns fought throughout
this time were hand-to-hand combat, this gave the Hittite a massive edge over
their competitors. The Hittite used these stronger, sharper weapons to
continually expand their empire and to overcome rebellions within their own
borders.
The Hittite conquered the then existing city-states of the
region and unified them all under one authority using their iron weapons and
other military technology. At that time, many of these city-states were at war
with one another. With the introduction of iron, the Hittite were able to
improve not just their military capabilities, but also the tools related to
daily functioning.
The Hittites were an agriculturally based society.
They relied heavily on farming and herding as a means to support their empire’s
development and sustainability. With the inclusion of iron, farmers were able
to begin using iron plows that allowed them to till land that had previously
been unusable due to soil conditions. It allowed the Hittite to increase
dramatically their output of crops and to support their ever-growing empire.
Another piece of technology that the Hittite utilized was
the chariot. The Hittites were not the only race in this region to have access
to horses and chariots. What made the Hittite’s use of these weapons unique was
how they constructed their chariots. While one or two soldiers may have used a
standard chariot, the Hittite designed their chariots to be used by three
soldiers. So why would this be advantageous? Consider this notion.
A chariot needs to be driven by at least one person. If the
driver of a chariot must focus all of their efforts on controlling the team of
horses, how many arrows can they fire? How can they best defend themselves
against the swords of an enemy? The Hittite chariots fit three soldiers. This
allowed one man to drive the chariot and allowed two more to work effectively
as soldiers and focus their efforts on warfare.
The Hittite used these chariots extremely effectively. One
of the ancient cultures most connected to chariots is the Egyptian culture. The
size advantage of the Hittite’s chariots is what helped them to overcome
Egyptian advance into their territory.
The combined effects of Hittite designed chariots and iron
made weapons were what gave the Hittite the power to unify their home region of
Anatolia and expand their empire. At the height of their power and control, the
Hittite king held influence over land that would encompass modern-day Turkey,
Syria, and Lebanon. Hittite raids were also successful at striking targets far
from their home range as a means of destabilizing neighboring states and
allowing the Hittite to gain further influence among their neighbors.
While the Hittites understood the process of making iron,
their empire existed fully within the Bronze Age. It wasn’t until the empire’s
final demise that the Hittite let their secrets of iron working escape their
empire to other cultures. This action is what truly ushered in the next age,
commonly referred to as the Iron Age.
One of the key portions of accessing records concerning
these secretive Hittite people is actually through one of the most well-known
books in existence. The Hittites are continually referenced in the Old
Testament of the Bible. In fact, biblical references about the Hittite abound.
One of the Old Testament’s most famous characters is said to have interacted
with the Hittite. Abraham, a foundational individual from ancient times, is
said to have purchased a cave from a Hittite in which his wife, Sarah, was
buried. This was massively significant, as, before this, Abraham had been
engaged in a life that was defined by wandering from region to region. This
notion is very similar to the details relating to the origins of the Hittite.
Remember that prior to settling in the area then known as Anatolia, the Hittite
were wandering people consumed primarily with agricultural development.
So what then happened to the Hittite? To fully answer this
question, you should consider some of the factors the Hittite needed to ensure
continued success as an empire. The Hittite were susceptible to disease same as
any other ancient race. While they did rely on ancient medicines as a means to
ward off certain infections, they were not immune to the diseases that commonly
ravaged entire nations. An outbreak of plague decimated much of the land and
left many dead. Without sufficient manpower to operate the needed positions
within the empire, tasks began to go unfinished. These unfinished tasks
compounded over time and began a snowball effect that eventually led to the
failure of needed systems within the Hittite culture.
Another issue for which the Hittite empire was at fault was
the continued cost of unending military campaigns. The Hittite were continually
attempting to gain full control over the lands of Syria and beyond. These city
centers were far from their home where the Hittite people had the strongest
support base. As the Hittite attempted to wrest the control and gain continued
support over these lands, they inadvertently overtaxed their own networks of
supply and support. Too much was taken for too long and eventually the Hittite
found themselves at odds with continuing this unsustainable war effort.
The final cause of the downfall of the Hittite empire can be
found in the exact same issue by which they came to the lands of Anatolia.
Outsiders whom they called the ‘sea people’ began arriving in untold numbers to
their homelands. These people were eventually successful in ousting the
Hittite, from their native lands and forcing them to flee to lands to the south
where they were forced to settle in new lands and cultures. Their assimilation
did not maintain the same success as their initial foray into the lands of
Anatolia as they were unable to unify any sort of centralized government in
these new lands and had to instead, accept the ways of these new lands.
The modern day historians and scholars divided their kingdom
into three periods initially.
1) The Old Kingdom – 1700-1500 BCE
2) The Middle Kingdom – 1500 – 1400 BCE
3) The New Kingdom or the Hittite Empire – 1400-1200
BCE
1) Old Kingdom:
Historians claim that the Old Hittite Kingdom began in 1700
BCE when Hittite King Anitta of Kussara sacked Hattusa. Even though King Anitta
conquered the city it was referred as ‘land of Hatti’ because it was a powerful
land since 2500 BCE. The king had burned the city and cursed everyone living in
it. He even cursed anyone who attempts to build it again. But soon, another
king Hattusili I from Kussara, re-built the city. It was his symbolic
expression to establish the prominence of Hattusa. Scholars have found an
ancient document – ‘The Edict of Telepinu’ which belonged to the 16th century
BCE. It states that King Hattusili was a brave warrior and ruled over a vast
empire. There is a passage which claims that Hattusili aimed to unify his
kingdom and he was largely successful at it. However, his sons rebelled and
used their power and resources entrusted to them for the rebellion. Towards the
end when Hattusili was on his deathbed, he chose his grandson as heir to his
kingdom. However, the grandson turned out to be an ineffective leader. He
invaded other regions merely for loot and not establishing political control
over the region.
2) The Middle Kingdom:
Telepinu was the last ruler of the ‘Old Kingdom’. A very
long phase of bad rule between the ‘Old’ and the ‘New’ kingdom is known as the
‘Middle Kingdom’. No clear records are available about which ruler held the
throne for how long. Historians assume that there is an obscurity of data as
the Hittites must have been attacked constantly. It is only from the rule of
Suppiluliuma, the proper records about the ‘New Kingdom’ are available for
study.
3) New Kingdom:
The New Kingdom is also is known as the Hittite Empire
begins with King Suppiluliuma I who was crowned in 1344. He dominated the
region of the Middle East around the 14th century BC. He is said to have ruled
for about four decades and was known for his improved defenses. There were
extended city walls and enclosed area that spread over 120 hectares. Under his
rule, the kingdom expanded to the farthest northern Syrian cities. Suppiluliuma
I died of the plague and was succeeded by Arnuwanda II, who too died from the
plague. Automatically, the reign fell into the lap of his younger brother
Mursilli II. While no one took this new king seriously and considered him to be
a child, they were taken aback when he displayed his exemplary skills as a
statesman.
He conquered several tribes which threatened his kingdom and
was the first one to secure the Hittite borders. The last ruler of the
Hittites’ empire was Tudhaliya IV. Around this time, the Assyrians were
strengthening their army and gaining political control. They challenged the
Hittites and defeated Tudhaliya IV, which resulted in the decline of the
Hittite Empire.
Hittites can be credited for setting up peace treaties and
alliances. This civilization established pacts with their neighboring regions
to maintain cordial relations and diplomacy. So, if you look at this
civilization carefully, it has set up an example in international politics.
