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Hittite Civilization - Turkey.
Where the Hittites came from no-one knows. It seems a number of small city states came together and through warfare grew into the rich and powerful Hittite Civilization. Their capital city was called Hattushash.
The Hittites were the first to work with iron. They controlled the supply of this metal. This made them rich. They used chariots in battle.
They spoke 6 languages, one being Hitti. They were not short on gods believing in about 1,000. The chief of which was a storm God.
Hattushash, the Hittite capital city is still impressive, despite it now being a ruin. Here are pictures of it.
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The Hittite Civilization.
Hattushash the Hittite Capital City
You can see a paved area. There is a drain
running through it. In the distance you can
see two large storage jars. The inhabitants would have had
a splended view of the surrounding countryside.
The Hittites learnt to write from other civilizations.
They brought horses from China and introduced them
into the Middle East. Many examples of their writing can
be seen on rocks and stones throughout the city.
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Sharruma- The Hittite Protector God.
The Hittite way of creating art was to carve it in part of the rock and leave the rest in its natural state.
This stone relief shows Sharruma, the Hittite God who protects.
Unfortunately, his power failed when the war-like Phrygians swept into Anatolia from the Balkans. The empire fell and the Hittites disappeared.
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Attack Tunnel
There was a secret tunnel at Hattushash. It was used when the city was under attack. The Hittite army would come pouring out of the tunnel. This often surprised the enemy attackers who were storming the gates. It was a successful method of defending the city. |
Hittite Technology.
The Hittites knew alot about building structures. They had a tool which let them drill round holes into the stone. They also worked iron but I saw nothing indicating this skill. The ruins still preserve their excellent ability to build in stone. They were also artistic because they carved very beautiful pictures onto rocks. The Hittites carved rock pictures about their culture. They only used a part of the rock to do this art.
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Doorways
This is the typical structure the Hittities used when they made doorways. Sometimes the three stones doorway frame had fallen down. It was not immediately clear what they had once been. After a while it was easier to spot the doorway stones even though they were lying flat on the ground. |
The City Gates
There were several city gates. They opened on to the main highways that linked the city to the Empire. This is Kings Gate.
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Lions Gate
Lion Gate was an impressive structure in its ruined state. Imagine then, what it must have looked like at the time of the Hittities. |
The Temple
This seems to be the site of the Temple. The Hittites were made up of several tribes. They had 1000 gods which they worshiped. <br><br>Wall carvings show some of these gods. <br><br> Their most important God was a storm deity. Sharruma is a protector goddess.
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Writing
The Hittites were taught by other civilizations writing skills. This image shows their writing system. There are many other stone carvings which show scribes writing on clay tablets. The city walls contain other examples of their writing system. |
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The End of The Hittite Civilization
This picture shows the stone foundations. There were holes in the stones. Poles were fixed in them. These were the supports for the wooden walls. Also in the picture are parts of the stone doorways which are lying on the ground. In our time, the city ruins remain impressive. The city must have be wonderous place to see when the city flurished at the peak the Hittite civilization. Invaders from the Balkans called the Phrygians eventually brought about the downfall of the Hittite Kingdom. The Hittites were never heard of again.
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