Hattuşa is a ruined city of the Hittites in the south of the region "Turkish Black Sea Coast" in the Turkey.
background
history
The history of Hattuşa is due to the libraries found in Hattuşa and Kültepe fairly well documented. In general, the history of Hattuşa can be divided into four phases:
- Hattier phase up to the 19th century v. Chr.
- Early Hittite phase From the 19th century v. BC to 1355 BC Chr.
- Hittite great power phase From 1355 BC. BC to 1200 BC Chr.
- Late settlements Since 1200 BC Chr.
Hattier phase:
The oldest traces of settlement go back to around 3000 BC. But initially the city was clearly in the shadow of the city, which was only 25 km away Alaca Hüyük. Under the influence of the Hattier, however, the place here was increasingly expanded and fortified at the beginning of the 2nd millennium. As a result, it gained a growing regional importance, so that the Assyrians also set up a trading post here.
Early Hittite phase:
- Anitta (approx. 18th century BC)
- Labarna (approx. 16th century BC)
- Hattusili I.
- Mursili I (around 1530 BC)
- Hantili I.
- Zidanta I.
- Ammuna I.
- Huzzija I.
- Telipinu I.
- Tahurwaili I.
- Alluwamma I.
- Hantili II.
- Zidanta II.
- Ammuna II.
- Huzzija II.
- Mutwatalli I.
- Tuthalija I.
- Arnuwanda I.
- Tuthalija II
Sometime between the 19th century BC BC and the 17th century BC The Hittite prince Anitta moved from the then capital Kanes (today Kültepe ) to defeat the Hattier. In the course of this, he destroyed Hattuşa and placed a curse on it so that no one should settle here again. However, as early as the 16th century, the Hittite King Hattusilis I moved his seat of government from his Kussara residence, which has not yet been located, to Hattuşa. This led Hittite troops for the first time, less to gain land, but more as a booty campaign in all regions of the Middle East and could even do today's Aleppo take in. But the backlash of the attacked cities almost led to the collapse of the young Hittite empire. So Hattusili I put his nephew Mursili I on the throne on his deathbed and told him to learn from his mistakes. He concluded important alliances and defeated the mighty Hurrian Empire or Halab and ended the first dynasty of Babylon (see Cairo) 1531 BC By defeating his troops and sacking the city. But no sooner had he returned home to Hattuşa than Mursili I was murdered. Regencies followed, which were marked by internal disputes, intrigues and regicide. Only Telipinus I ended this by creating an extensive body of law that regulated the succession down to the smallest detail. Telipinus I was also supposed to prove his contractual skill through state treaties with the neighboring states. In the next generations, peace and quiet followed in the royal house of Hattuşa, until the end of the 15th century a certain Muwatalli came to power over the regicide. This reign was short-lived, however, as he was also replaced by Tuthalija I with regicide. This decisively reformed the kingdom of the Hittites. This opened up to new cultures. Regulations for a complex supraregional administration were issued. Through various campaigns in the east he was able to expand the empire to the kingdom of Mittani, which spread to the Taurus. But the Kaskäer in the north on the Black Sea coast hit the empire heavily, so that here in the later years the priority was on defense.
Hittite great power phase
- Suppiluliuma I. (1355 BC)
- Arnuwanda II
- Mursili II (1321 BC)
- Muwatalli II (1290 BC)
- Mursili III. (1272 BC)
- Hattusili III. (1265 BC)
- Tuthalija IV.
- Arnuwanda III.
- Suppiluliuma II. (1200 BC)
Two generations later, when the Hittite King Tuthalija II directed the fortunes of Hattuşa, he relied on the skills of his son Suppiliuma for military warfare, who led the troops from success to success. But Tuthalija II actually saw his other son Tuthalija as king. So Suppiliuma switched it off without further ado in order to clear the way to power for itself. As an experienced warlord, he first pushed back the Kaskäer in the north as a great king. The freedom he gained in this way he used for extensive campaigns towards the west, with areas up to the present day Didim secured on the Mediterranean. In the east he first secured ample support through various treaties with small kingdoms, before he worked against that Egypt allied Mittani proceeded. The internal political difficulties of Egypt under the rule of Akhenaten certainly came to the rescue here. Mittani could not be completely defeated, but Suppiluliuma was able to create a tight network of subordinate small states e.g. in Ugarit, Carchemish or Aleppo to build up around Mittani. During this phase, an Egyptian queen asked him to marry a son of Suppiluliuma. Only after long hesitation did he send one of his sons, but he was executed in Egypt. That was to poison the relationship between the two great powers for a long time. There should be no direct retaliation for two reasons for the time being. Firstly, a new great power had formed in the east with Assyria, and secondly, Egyptian prisoners brought an epidemic to Hattuşa from which Suppiluliuma and his heir to the throne ultimately died.
This is how the younger son Mursili II came to power. He was able to bind the conquered areas firmly to himself by means of ingenious treaties and stabilize the west as a Hittite area by establishing subordinate kingdoms. His son Muwatalli II then moved into the new capital Tarhuntassa, which has not yet been located, but was located in the southeast. For the first time since Hattusili I, Hattuşa was no longer the capital. In order to secure the north against the Kaskäer anyway, he set up the Kingdom of Hakmiş, which was led by his brother, in what is today Amasya a. But Muwatalli II's most famous success is probably the Battle of Kadesh. As in Egypt With Ramses II again a pharaoh with claims to a world empire ruled, he tried to break the rule of the Hittites. This eventually culminated in a gigantic battle that ended in a military stalemate. Although Ramses II presented this as a victory, he did not achieve his goal of changing the Hittite influence in any way. Furthermore, he concluded important treaties in the West, which made him subordinate to Troy secured. After his death, his son Mursili III climbed. the throne, which was not recognized by Hattusili in Hakmiş. Mursili III. moved the seat of government back to Hattuşa and an open war broke out, which resulted in a decisive battle Sivas culminated. This Hattusili won and took over as Hattusili III. the affairs of state. First he banished Mursili III, who then went into exile with Ramses II. Hattusili was able to occupy other areas in the north of the Egyptian empire with kingdoms subordinate to Hattuşa. Which ultimately led to Ramses II and Hattusili III. just the one in the UN headquarters (see also Manhattan / Turtle Bay ) concluded a peace treaty that led to a rule-based friendly relationship between statesmen (Ramses II even married Hatusili's eldest daughter).
But now the processes were already emerging that would ultimately lead to the collapse of the Hittite empire. More and more Hittite kingdoms regarded themselves as only partially subservient to Hattuşa. As Hattusili III. died and handed over his throne to his son Tuthalijas IV, there was a first break, as he only officially represented the great king, while the Hittite Empire was in fact ruled from the city of Tarhuntassa by Kurunta (a son of Mursilis III).
In the following governments of Arnuwanda III. and Suppiliuma II. the tension between the individual Hittite kingdoms increased and open civil war broke out. In addition, the climate changed, bad harvests followed bad harvests and the so-called seafaring peoples invaded from the west while the strong Assyria depressed from the east. 1200 BC BC Hattuşa was able to successfully lead a campaign against Tarhuntassa again, but shortly afterwards it was completely abandoned for reasons not yet known and shortly afterwards it was burned down.
Late settlements
About 300 years later, the so-called Phrygians settled here, who then built a castle (south castle) here in the 7th century BC. But this was given up 200 years later. Despite all the Persians, Greeks, Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans, the region has remained inhabited as a small settlement ever since. The small town of Boğazkale, with around 1000 inhabitants, right next to the complex, still bears witness to this today. And here the culture of the Hittites can still be proven today in the worship of the Rain Father (Yağmurbaba).
landscape
Hattuşa is located on the northern edge of the Cappadocia region. Here one finds a dry continental climate, and the landscape today is steppe-like barren and largely treeless. The winters are long and cold, and the summers are relatively short and hot. In the past, however, there was a more humid climate here, which meant that the heat and cold peaks were less pronounced. In addition to the central steppe areas in the area of Cappadocia (starting south of Yozgat), there were extensive areas with a dense vegetation cover and forests, especially in the north. This prevented erosion and allowed the earth to store more water, which in turn benefited vegetation. The conditions for agriculture and animal husbandry were more favorable than they are today, and the forests provided habitat for numerous wild animals.
getting there
| location | ||
| ||
- There is a dolmus connection with the town Sungurlu. There are bus connections to and from here Ankara, Amasya and Samsun
- Of Sungurlu leads to a small connecting road Yozgat. The village of Boğazkale is located directly on the road at the foot of the ruined city
Fees / permits
Admission is around € 1.50
mobility
It is possible to see the city on foot. But then you should plan a full day for the extensive terrain and be able to walk well.
The site can be accessed via a road and is therefore easy to visit. If you don't have your own car with you, you can do this via a taxi. Local taxi drivers offer tours included Alaca Hüyük for € 60.00.
Tourist Attractions
The city is basically divided into lower and upper town. The lower town is the much older part.
Lower town
- Outer wall of the lower town fortifications (1). A 60 meter long section was completely reconstructed here in 2005.
- Temple 1 (2). The largest building within the urban area with a length of 65 meters and a width of 42 meters. In terms of its area, this building was probably not erected until the great power phase. The foundation walls have been preserved and give an impression of the size of the building. Some stones of the foundation walls weigh up to 20 tons. In the center of the temple there are two cult rooms that were probably dedicated to the weather god of Hatti and the sun goddess of Arinna. On the northwest side you can see huge clay pots, each with a capacity of over 1500 liters.
- House on a slope (3). This two-storey house with a square cross-section and an edge length of around 30 meters served more of an official function. Extensive finds of clay tablets and a large reception hall testify to this.
- Buyukkale (4). This approximately 70 meters wide and 200 meters long facility, located on a rock, is considered the oldest settlement point and was founded in the 16th century. v. Expanded to a castle. In the 13th century v. The facility was again extensively redesigned and from then on it was the royal seat with an independent water supply.
Upper Town
- Kesikkaya (5). This means cut rock and this is the bronze age quarry.
- Saricals (6). "Yellow Castle". An impressive rock cone on which the foundations of a building complex with a forecourt, courtyard and building wings can be found. In the Hittite culture, such elevations were often used for the cult of the dead.
- Lion Gate (7). The Lion Gate is in the southwest. As the name suggests, this is flanked by two 2 m high lions.
- Wall of Yerkapi (8). This artificially raised wall at the southernmost point of the city is 250 meters long, 80 meters wide and 35 meters long. Steep stairs lead to the side of the wall. The name Yerkapi, which means hole in the ground, was given to this wall because of the tunnel that was found in the wall.
- Sphinx Gate (9). On the wall is the sphinx gate which was previously flanked by four sphinxes. The two inner sphinxes have been put up again as copies, the originals are in the Museum of Boğazkale.
- Upper Temple District (10). In the depression in the south, surrounded by the old city wall, is the temple district. Up to now about 30 temples have been made out here during excavations. The larger ones have a floor space of up to 1500 square meters. At some temples you can see a forecourt surrounded by a wall.
- King's Gate (11). The Königstor is located in the southeast. This gate bears the name of a larger than life image that does not represent the king, as originally assumed, but a god.
- Hieroglyphic Chambers (12). Several chambers with hieroglyphic inscriptions have been found below the southern castle. The texts are all from Suppiluliuma II. (1200 BC) who tells of his campaigns and lists the succession of kings in Hattuşa.
- South Castle (13). This building is one of the few that cannot be assigned to the Hittites but to the Phrygians. The facility has a floor plan of 50 x 100 meters.
Yazılıkaya The facility, about 2 km from the city center, was built in the 15th century. v. BC as a Hittite cult site. Under Tudhaliya IV, the square was decorated with rich relief decorations. Under his son Suppiluliuma II, this place was expanded again to include a second chamber. In the past, the chambers were also preceded by temples.
- Great Chamber
According to their own account, the Hittites saw 1,000 gods in the land of Hatti. This number has not yet been proven, and it was certainly not 1000, but 150 have been identified so far. In the Great Chamber, which is 30 meters long, two processions of gods moving towards each other are carved into the rock. At the head of the left procession can be found the weather god Tessub (King of Heaven), who carries his attribute the club. He leads a procession of male deities, most of which are explained with hieroglyphic texts. All of them have not yet been deciphered; the same can be found on the right. In direct contact with Tessub one finds the sun goddess Hepat (mother of the land), who in turn leads a procession of female deities, which are also explained with hieroglyphic texts.
- Small chamber
This 18 meter long chamber is reached via a narrow passage guarded by two lion-like mythical creatures. This chamber was consecrated as the cult of the dead Tuthalija IV. Four different representations can be found in this chamber:
- The ruler's name cartouche with the insignia of his power (sun disk, conical volute and flower dagger) is depicted on the east wall
- There is also a sword depiction of Nergal, god of the underworld. The pommel is a human head and the handle consists of four lions
- Opposite is a procession of gods similar to the main chamber with twelve underworld gods
- The most important representation can also be found on the east wall. Here is the so-called hug scene between Tuthalija IV and an oversized god Sharumma. In the accompanying texts, Tuthalija IV is praised as a hero and from now on is counted among the gods.
Two meters in front of the north wall there was probably a three-meter-high statue of Tuthalija IV, but only the base of this was found.
activities
- Discover. Although only the foundations of most of the buildings can still be seen, these testify to the size of the city. The hieroglyphs, statues, remains of a gate or wall and the reconstructions add to this impression.
- hike. The steppe landscape of the Central Anatolian highlands also invites you to go hiking.
shop
In the local small museum in Boğazkale you can buy an extremely informative travel guide written in German by Jürgen Seeher (German Archaeological Institute).
There are numerous souvenir sellers on the complex who have a handful of souvenirs for sale and will ask you about them. It is better to visit Yazilikaya or Alaca Hüyük It is very pleasant in Yazilikaya that the souvenir sellers get a sign from the local security officer when the tourists can be approached. In this way, access and viewing remain undisturbed.
kitchen
The two hotels Hotel Asikoglu and Hotel Baykal each offer a restaurant.
accommodation
- Hotel Asikoglu. Tel.: 90 364 452 20 04, 90 364 452 29 99, Fax: 90 364 452 21 71, Email: [email protected], [email protected]. Price: Double € 40.00..
- Hotel Baykal, Boğazkale. Tel.: 90 364 4522013, Email: [email protected], [email protected]. Price: Double € 30.00.
trips
literature
- "Die Hittiter" by Jörg Klinger published by C.H.Beck Verlag / ISBN 978-3-406-53625-0
- "Hattuscha. Capital of the Hittites. History and culture of an ancient oriental great power" by Kurt Bittel published by DuMont Reiseverlag / ISBN 978-3770114566
- "Hattuscha Führer - A day in the Hittitischen Hauptstandt" by Jürgen Seeher published by Graphis Matbaa Verlag / ISBN 975-807-144-0
