jjares reviewed The Hittites: The History and Legacy of the Bronze Age's Forgotten Empire on + 3278 more book reviews
This book on the Hittites offered an exceptional array of pictures and diagrams (including many in color) that helped explain their story. Of the four dynasties busy in the Near East at that time (Assyrians, Babylonians, and Egyptians are the other 3), the Hittites are least known. It seems that that is changing because the Hittites were such record keepers. It took decades for scientists to decipher the Hittite language(s).
The Hittites expanded in two manners: (1) war and (2) diplomacy. The Hittites were great traders because they had no deep-water port or major rivers to navigate. They created sophisticated trade networks. An interesting thing about the Hittites is that they mixed their history with myths and their theology. That has added to the difficulty of understanding these people. They also didn't bother to provide a list of their rulers (in order) or to date their writings. Thus, scientists are provided with fascinating documents that may or may not be true and having no way to date the writings.
Another interesting fact was learning that the central city of the Hittites, named Hattusa, has been continuously excavated since 1906 by German archaeologists. This book gave a fine overview of both the Old Kingdom and the New Kingdom. An informative story was about the war between the Egyptians and Hittites. Some of the Egyptian prisoners of war were infected with the bubonic plague and infected Hittite soldiers. It took 20 years for the plague to completely leave the Hittites.
Finally, the author offered various current theories about why the Hittites disappeared. This is an engaging explanation of a very obscure civilization; it is amazing that so little is known about such a formidable empire.
The Hittites expanded in two manners: (1) war and (2) diplomacy. The Hittites were great traders because they had no deep-water port or major rivers to navigate. They created sophisticated trade networks. An interesting thing about the Hittites is that they mixed their history with myths and their theology. That has added to the difficulty of understanding these people. They also didn't bother to provide a list of their rulers (in order) or to date their writings. Thus, scientists are provided with fascinating documents that may or may not be true and having no way to date the writings.
Another interesting fact was learning that the central city of the Hittites, named Hattusa, has been continuously excavated since 1906 by German archaeologists. This book gave a fine overview of both the Old Kingdom and the New Kingdom. An informative story was about the war between the Egyptians and Hittites. Some of the Egyptian prisoners of war were infected with the bubonic plague and infected Hittite soldiers. It took 20 years for the plague to completely leave the Hittites.
Finally, the author offered various current theories about why the Hittites disappeared. This is an engaging explanation of a very obscure civilization; it is amazing that so little is known about such a formidable empire.
