Introduction
The Hittites were urbane Anatolian people, a bronze age civilization that played a crucial role in establishing a hugely powerful empire in the deep mountains of Anatolia around 1600 BC, and that existed for over 800 years. The power and strength of this empire reached their height during the middle of the fourteenth century BC. It was the time when the Hittites encompassed a vast area that included not only most of Anatolia but also Upper Mesopotamia and parts of the northern Levant. The purpose of this paper is to discuss some interesting information about the Hittites, describe the way they used to live and try to find any parallels to today’s world.
Main body
Hittites’ religion was polytheistic; the languages for official purposes were Hittite and Akkadian, and for commercial, they used the Hurrian one. For rock drawings and inscriptions in stone monuments, the Hittites used the hieroglyphic Hittite language (Bryce 103). As a leader, the empire had the King and the Pinkus – a few authorities who autonomously ruled over various parts of the administration. In other words, the empire was similar to the US: the King was like the president who ruled the whole country, but some areas, just like the American states, had their own power. Hence, they could solve some problems and make new laws without asking for the King’s interference. As for the Hittite queens, they had autonomous positions within the domain. Some of them served as high priestesses, while others dealt with important issues and problems of the state (Bryce 201). This is another parallel with today’s world: the Hittite women were not powerless. Just like modern women, they had the right to participate in the empire’s life and even help with the government’s business.
Conclusion
It is evident that the Hittites were terrific, mighty warriors, capable of directing attacks and striking at other urban communities. They were one of the first to start using horses for traction in lightweight two-wheeled chariots and then made these machines the support of their field armed forces. In close combats, the Hittite warriors used fight tomahawks, sickle-molded swords, bronze lances, knives, and spears. Interestingly, but “surviving Hittite reliefs never portray the King in battle” (Bryce 96). Most likely, the kings were just commanders, not participants in the battlesDescription and history of the people the Hittites.
Work Cited
Bryce, Trevor. Warriors of Anatolia: A Concise History of the Hittites. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018.