Hittite Empire Flashcards
Where was the Hittite Empire formed?
[1600 BCE]
Hattusa in Anatolia/Asian Minor (modern day Turkey)
What is the significance of Hittite’s in the Bible?
people living among Israelites
ancestors of the Canaanites
[~11c BCE to 8c BCE]
Who did the Hittite’s trade their iron products with?
Assyrian and Egyptians
How did the Hittite’s learn to smelt iron?
experimentation
possibly learned from Western Iran (Zagros mountains)
Describe Hittite script
Hittite language in cuneiform
What does Hittite script indicate about their connection with Mesopotamia
suggests direct communication with Mesopotamian empires
or
through conquest of Hatti (central Anatolian group) who had connections to the Sumerians
Where did the Hittites empire expand to?
Northern Levant
Upper Mesopotamia
Asia Minor
What initiated the decline of the Hittite empire?
Arrival of the Sea People (unknown nationality) and subsequent raids
Caused the splitting of the empire into Neo-Hittite city-states
What was the governance system of the Hittite empire?
King with hereditary heir
Officials carried independent authority over branches of govt, so the king didn’t have all control
Religion of the Hittite empire?
Polytheistic with prominent Storm gods
Who was Battle of Kadesh between?
Hittites vs Egypt under Ramses II
How did the Battle of Kadesh end?
Ended in first known peace treaty (1258 BCE)
When did the Battle of Kadesh take place?
1274 BCE
