Hittites facts for kids
The Hittites were an ancient people who lived in a region called Anatolia. This area is now modern Turkey. They spoke a language that was part of the Indo-European family. Their kingdom started around the 18th century BC. Its main city was Hattusha, located in north-central Anatolia.
At its most powerful, the Hittite Empire covered much of what is now Turkey and Syria. This happened during the rule of kings like Suppiluliuma I (around 1350–1322 BC) and Mursili II (around 1321–1295 BC). The Hittites had changing relationships with their neighbors. These included Ancient Egypt to the south and the Assyrian Empire in Mesopotamia. They even signed the first known peace treaty in history. This treaty was made with Ramesses II of Egypt by King Hattusili III in 1258 BC.
After 1180 BC, the large Hittite Empire broke apart. It split into many smaller, independent "Neo-Hittite" city-states. Some of these smaller states continued to exist until the 8th century BC.
Contents
The Rise of the Hittite Empire
The Hittite Kingdom became very strong during the reign of King Suppiluliuma I. He ruled from about 1350 to 1322 BC. During this time, the kingdom of Mitanni was facing its own problems. It was weakened by a civil war. This made it easier for the Hittites to attack.
Suppiluliuma quickly moved into the Mitanni heartland. He captured and took valuable items from Washshuganni, their capital city. After this victory, he turned his attention west. He crossed the Euphrates River and took control of all the Syrian kingdoms. These kingdoms had been under Mitanni's control. They included important cities like Aleppo, Mukish, Niya, Qatna, Upi, and Kadesh. Other kingdoms, such as Ugarit and Amurru, chose to join the Hittites peacefully. Amurru had been a vassal state of Egypt.
Later, fighting started again with Mitanni. Tulipinu, Suppiluliuma's son and a leader in Aleppo, tried to invade Carchemish. But he could not capture the city. Suppiluliuma then joined his son and led his own army into Syria. He began a siege of Carchemish. Suppiluliuma ended the siege in just eight days. He then made his son Piyassili the new leader of the kingdom. With his sons leading Aleppo and Carchemish, Suppiluliuma had firm control over Syria. This also meant the end of the Mitanni Empire. The Mitanni King was killed soon after these events.
A Prince's Tragic End
A surprising event happened when Tutankhamun, the Egyptian Pharaoh, died. His widow, the queen, asked to marry one of Suppiluliuma's sons. Suppiluliuma agreed and sent his son Zannanza to Egypt. However, Zannanza was killed on his way to Egypt.
Suppiluliuma was very angry about his son's death. He blamed the new Egyptian Pharaoh, Ay. A Hittite army, led by Crown Prince Arnuwanda, then invaded Egyptian land from Syria. They took many valuable things and prisoners. Sadly, these prisoners brought a terrible plague with them. This disease spread through the Hittite Kingdom. It continued to cause problems well into Mursili's reign. It might even have been the cause of King Suppiluliuma's own death.
The Reign of Mursili II
Mursili II became king when he was young and didn't have much experience. But he quickly showed that he was a strong and capable ruler. In the first years of his reign, he led military campaigns. These were to punish several kingdoms that had caused trouble.
In Syria, the Nuhashshi king Tette rebelled. Egyptian troops joined him. Problems in Syria continued when Mursili's brothers, Tulipinu and Piyassili, both died. Losing his leaders in Syria led to more rebellions. Even Assyria invaded Carchemish. Mursili left his generals to handle Syria and Haysa. He then invaded Carchemish himself and drove out the Assyrians. Later in his rule, Mursili II fought against the Kaska people again. He took back Niniveh, which was a holy city for the Hittites. He also defeated the King of Tummanna in a major battle.
Images for kids
-
The Great Temple in the inner city of Hattusa
-
An Alaca Höyük bronze standard from a third millennium BC pre-Hittite tomb (Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara)
-
Ivory Hittite Sphinx, 18th century BC
-
Hattusa ramp
-
Drinking cup in the shape of a fist; 1400–1380 BC, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
-
Bull-leaping scene in Hüseyindede vases belongs to Early Hittite, approximately 1650 BC
-
Scheme of Indo-European language dispersals from c. 4000 to 1000 BC according to the widely held Kurgan hypothesis. – Center: Steppe cultures 1 (black): Anatolian languages (archaic PIE) 2 (black): Afanasievo culture (early PIE) 3 (black) Yamnaya culture expansion (Pontic-Caspian steppe, Danube Valley) (late PIE) 4A (black): Western Corded Ware 4B-C (blue & dark blue): Bell Beaker; adopted by Indo-European speakers 5A-B (red): Eastern Corded ware 5C (red): Sintashta (proto-Indo-Iranian) 6 (magenta): Andronovo 7A (purple): Indo-Aryans (Mittani) 7B (purple): Indo-Aryans (India) [NN] (dark yellow): proto-Balto-Slavic 8 (grey): Greek 9 (yellow):Iranians – [not drawn]: Armenian, expanding from western steppe
-
Reliefs and hieroglyphs from Chamber 2 at Hattusa built and decorated by Šuppiluliuma II, the last king of the Hittites
-
Hittite chariot, from an Egyptian relief
-
Hattusa ramp
-
The İnandık vase also known as Hüseyindede vases, a Hittite four-handled large terracota vase with scenes in relief depicting a sacred wedding ceremony, mid 17th century BC, İnandıktepe, Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara
-
Twelve Hittite gods of the Underworld in the nearby Yazılıkaya, a sanctuary of Hattusa
-
Tudhaliya IV (relief in Hattusa)
-
Exact replica of a Hittite monument from Fasıllar, c. 1300 BC (Museum of Anatolian Civilizations)
-
Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II storming the Hittite fortress of Dapur
-
Egypto-Hittite Peace Treaty (c. 1258 BC) between Hattusili III and Ramesses II, the earliest known surviving peace treaty, sometimes called the Treaty of Kadesh after the Battle of Kadesh (Istanbul Archaeology Museum).
-
Luwian storm god Tarḫunz in the National Museum of Aleppo
-
Bronze tablet from Çorum-Boğazköy dating from 1235 BC, photographed at Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara
-
Monument over a spring at Eflatun Pınar
-
Stag statuette, symbol of a Hittite male god. This figure is used for the Hacettepe University emblem.
-
Early Hittite artifact found by T. E. Lawrence and Leonard Woolley (right) in Carchemish
-
Post-Hittite period statue of king Šuppiluliuma of the Luwian state of Pattin (Hatay Archaeology Museum)
-
Sphinx Gate entrance of the city of Hattusa
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Hatti para niños
