Synopses & Reviews
In the 14th century BC the Hittites became the supreme political and military power in the Near East. How did they achieve their supremacy? How successful were they in maintaining it? What brought about their collapse and disappearance? This comprehensive history of the Hittite kingdom seeks to answer these questions. It takes account of important recent advances in Hittite scholarship, including some major archaeological discoveries made in the last few years. It also features numerous translations from the original texts, so that on many issues the ancient Hittites are given the opportunity to speak to the modern reader for themselves. The revised edition contains a substantial amount of new material, as well as numerous other revisions to the first edition.
Review
"For years there has been a crying need for a reliable summary of what is known of the history of the Hittite kingdom Trevor Bryce is well-known to Hittitologists as the author of many perceptive essays on aspects of Hittite history. He is well qualified to write an overview such as the present one."-- Journal of Near Eastern Studies
"Bryce's approach is...comparable to that of most historians approaching the political history of a European kingdom or a Chinese dynasty. He examines issues with an historian's eye and often casts events in a light which might not have appeared to an archaeologist or philologist attempting to write a work of history...eminently readable, well researched, and impeccably assembled."--American Historical Review
"Bryce's volume represents an authoritative, comprehensive, up-to-date treatment of the political and military history of the Hittite kingdom..... Imperative reading for any serious inquiry on the Hittites by scholars of the ancient Near East."--Religious Studies Review
"Beyond its full coverage of the course of events in second-millennium Anatolia, the real strength of The Kingdom of the Hittites is that Bryce looks at the world of the Hittites with the eye of a true historian.... He puts forward interpretations of events and rationales for the decisions of Hittite monarchs.... This book will be of great value to the Hittite specialist and to his/her students, as well as to the scholar of other regions and periods of the ancient world who wishes to become acquainted with the story of the first masters of Anatolia."--Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Review
"One of those rare books that successfully fills a gap in scholarship....This will be the standard resource on Anatolia in the second millennium BCE for decades to come. An outstanding work that belongs in all university libraries."--
Choice"Bryce's volume represents an authoritative, comprehensive, up-to-date treatment of the political and military history of the Hittite kingdom....it is...imperative reading for any serious inquiry on the Hittites by scholars of the ancient Near East."--Religious Studies Review
"Beyond its full coverage of the course of events in second-millennium Anatolia, the real strength of The Kingdom of the Hittites is that Bryce looks at the world of the Hittites with the eye of a true historian....he puts forward interpretations of events and rationales for the decisions of Hittite monarchs....This book will be of great value to the Hittite specialist and to his/her students, as well as to the scholar of other regions and periods of the ancient world who wishes to become acquainted with the story of the first masters of Anatolia."--Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Synopsis
In the fourteenth century BC the Hittites became the supreme political and military power in the Near East. How did they achieve their supremacy? How successful were they in maintaining it? What brought about their collapse and disappearance? This comprehensive history of the Hittite kingdom examines recent archaeological discoveries and original texts, giving the ancient Hittites the opportunity to speak to the modern reader for themselves.
Synopsis
In the 14th century BC the Hittites became the supreme political and military power in the Near East. How did they achieve their supremacy? How successful were they in maintaining it? What brought about their collapse and disappearance? This comprehensive history of the Hittite kingdom seeks to answer these questions. It takes account of important recent advances in Hittite scholarship, including some major archaeological discoveries made in the last few years. It also features numerous translations from the original texts, so that on many issues the ancient Hittites are given the opportunity to speak to the modern reader for themselves. The revised edition contains a substantial amount of new material, as well as numerous other revisions to the first edition.
About the Author
Trevor Bryce is Honorary Research Consultant, University of Queensland, and Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. The Origins of the Hittites
2. Anatolia in the Assyrian Colony Period
3. Territories and Early Rivals of Hatti
4. The Foundations of the Kingdom: The Reigns of Labarna and Hattusili I
5. The Struggles for the Royal Succession: From Mursili I to Muwattalli I
6. A New Era Begins: From Tudhaliya I/II to Tudhaliya III
7. The Supremacy of Hatti: The Reign of Suppiluliuma I
8. A Young King Proves his Worth: The Reign of Mursili II
9. The Showdown with Egypt: The Reign of Muwattalli II
10. The Ill-Fated Reign of the Second-Rank Son: The Reign of Urhi-Teshub
11. Hatti and the World of International Diplomacy: The Reign of Hattusili III
12. New Enterprises, New Threats: The Reign of Tudhaliya IV
13. The Fall of the Kingdom and its Aftermath
14. The Trojan War: Myth or Reality?
A Final Comment