Hittites : The Warrior Peoples

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Hittites

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n ancient population, dominant in Asia Minor between the nineteenth and twelfth centuries BCE, that rivaled the Egyptians.

Probably originating northeast of the Caucasus, the Hittites migrated into Asia Minor around 1900 BCE and began establishing a kingdom. They occupied the Anatolian plateau in modern-day Turkey and ultimately extended their influence toward Syria. It is possible that their migration pushed other populations southward, spur-ring the Hyksos' invasion of Egypt. The Hittites probably took their name from the Plain of Hatti that they occupied and upon which they imposed their culture and Indo-European language. Their first con-quest was the town of Nesa (near modern Kayseri, Turkey), followed by the capture of Hattusha (near modern Bogazkoy).

Little is known of the Hittites until the seventeenth century BCE when Labarna (circa 1680-1650 BCE) established the Old Hittite Kingdom and set up his capital at Hattusha. He was the first major conquer-or for the Hittites, spreading their control throughout Anatolia to the coast. Labarna's successors pushed their borders south-ward to Syria. Mursili (or Mushilish) raided deep into the Old Babylonian Empire, captured Aleppo, and set the kingdom's southern boundary in Syria. This proved to be the extent of the Hittite conquest under Mursili, as they spent the next two centuries quelling internal disturbances and fighting the Mitanni of upper Mesopotamia.

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The kingdom returned CO some stability around 1500 BCE under the leadership of Telipinu, who laid down strict succession guidelines and possibly established a code of law. Some 50 years later, the New Hittite Kingdom was established. The Hittites had just suffered a defeat at the hands of the Egyptian pharaoh, Thutmosis and had begun paying the Egyptians trib-ute. One of the key figures in the New Kingdom was Suppiluliuma (Shubbiluliu), who seized power around 1380 BCE, re-established Hittite authority in Anatolia, and defeated the Mitanni. He was unable to defeat the Egyptians, however, and the two powers remained rivals ...

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