Who were the Hittites?

Video Description

The Bronze age is known for its great empires and powers, which flourished in the near east up until the infamous late bronze age collapse. Many of these are well known - the Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Mycenaean Greeks with their great palaces, and the ever-mighty Egyptians. However, there was another, far less well-known civilisation which rose to prominence in the mid-2nd millennium BC, even becoming the pre-eminent power in the near east under their most powerful kings - the Hittites. The picture that emerged from excavations and inquiries into the Hittites has revealed a complex and advanced civilisation. Well versed in the art of war, the Hittites and their mighty charioteers established an empire which stretched across Anatolia and southwards into Syria. Their artisans and metalworkers produced beautiful and intricate works. They had established legal codes, were adept at statecraft, and worshipped a dizzying array of gods and goddesses. In order to better understand this unknown and fascinating people, we will explore their society and culture, and attempt to answer the question - who were the Hittites? With thanks to my Patreon patrons, Bryce Carlyle, Shauna K, Macgonzo, David Mainayar, Mister Five by Five, Clement Yang, Bryant Davis, Eric Westerberg, Salvatore Martialis and Winn Ing! You can join the Patreon to support the channel, watch all the videos ad-free, and access more content. Support the Channel: https://www.patreon.com/TheHistories Sources: Stone, Damien. The Hittites: Lost Civilizations. Reaktion Books, 2023. Bryce, Trevor. Warriors of Anatolia: A Concise History of the Hittites. Bloomsbury Academic, 2022. Cline, Eric H. 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed. Princeton University Press, 2014. Music: - Blank Light - Adi Goldstein - Europa - Tecnosine - Who Listens to Trees Anyway - Ben McElroy - Incantation - Scott Buckley - Ambient Jam - Tecnosine - Rising - Danijel Zambo All materials are used under fair use for education and commentary. Picture and source credits: https://sites.google.com/view/the-histories/home 0:00 - Intro 1:58 - Early History 4:33 - The Old Kingdom 8:27 - The Middle Kingdom 10:33 - Society 14:46 - Economy 17:27 - Warfare 21:03 - Art 26:11 - Religion 33:31 - Language 34:46 - The New Kingdom 41:42 - Decline and Fall