Hattusa

Hit Kingdom.

Yenicekale, between the outer city and the lion's door.

Hattusa or Hattusas (Hittite 𒌷𒄩𒀜𒌅𒊭, ^URUḪa-at-tu-ša, transcription: "Ḫattuša") was the former capital of the Hittite empire since the reign of Hattusili I, located in central Anatolia, along the Kizil-Irmak river, in what corresponds today in location with the village of Boğazkale or Bogazköy, in the Turkish province of Çorum. The city had extensive forests and an adjacent fertile field, although its location had two drawbacks: the rivers in the area were not navigable, which prevented river transport, and the proximity to the barbarian tribe of the Kaskas (or gasgas) that were a permanent and constant threat to Hattusa. The Hattusa enclave was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1986, covering a protected area of 268 ha.

Hattusa Archeology

The first excavations carried out in the area date from 1906, when the German Archaeological Institute began to work on the ruins of the city, work that has continued uninterruptedly to the present day in the summer archaeological campaigns. Numerous clay tablets have been found at the site, written in a multitude of languages, such as Luwian or Akkadian, which are the main source for the study of Hittite culture.

The remains excavated up to now correspond mainly to the reign of the last Hittite monarchs who modified many ancient temples to enlarge them, taking advantage of the prosperity of the empire at that time and its maximum military power.

Hattusa History

Hattusa was initially founded by a non-Indo-European-speaking people, Hatti, but during the reign of Anitta (18th century BC) hosted aristocrats rebelling against Anitta and was therefore destroyed.

Hattusili I (1650 - 1620 BC), Hittite king rebuilt the city and made it his capital, to the detriment of Nesa, to the point that his own name, Hattusili, is related to the name of the city. All Hattusili's successors kept the capital in Hattusa, except Muwatalli II who moved it to Tarhuntassa to better defend himself against the Egyptians, but the transfer did not last long, as his son Urhi-Tesub moved the capital back to Hattusa.

One of the constants in Hittite history is the threat of the kaskas, who, appearing for the first time in the time of Hantili II, managed to capture the capital in the time of Arnuwanda I, the Hittites having to wait until Tudhaliya III to reconquer the city.

After the fall of the Hittite Empire (1200 BC, approx.) the trail of Hattusa is lost, although it is suspected that it was destroyed by the Kaskas or by some Phrygian tribe.

Description of the city

During the New Kingdom, the capital reached its maximum surface area and was divided into two approximately equal parts: the inner city and the outer city, both surrounded by a wall built in the time of Suppiluliuma I. The inner city contained mainly administrative buildings and temples, while the outer stood out for its elaborate wall gates (including warriors, lions, and sphinxes)., all rudimentary) and contained, in addition to some temples, houses and buildings for commercial use. On the outskirts were the cemeteries and necropolises.

At its peak, the city had a population of 40,000 to 50,000 people.