The Hittites

In Short

This foundational work of popular archaeology traces the rediscovery of the Hittites, an ancient power once dismissed as a minor biblical tribe. By synthesizing Egyptian reliefs, Assyrian royal annals, and mysterious stone monuments across Asia Minor, the text pieces together an empire that once rivaled Egypt and shaped the prehistoric culture of the Aegean. Through architectural details, religious customs, and commercial networks, it recovers a forgotten civilization, demonstrating how scattered stones and undeciphered hieroglyphics can resurrect a lost chapter of human history.

The Story

The narrative begins with a gap in historical knowledge: a powerful nation frequently named in the Old Testament seemed to have vanished without a trace outside of scripture. A. H. Sayce sets out to demonstrate how modern scholarship bridged this gap, starting with the careful separation of the Hittites from the earlier, fair-skinned Amorites who occupied Palestine. The true strength of the Hittites lay far to the north, cradled around the Taurus range in Asia Minor, where they established a distinct culture before expanding southward.

The middle portion of the narrative reconstructs the height of Hittite military and political power through the records of their greatest rivals. In Egyptian annals, the reader encounters the dramatic Battle of Kadesh, where Ramses II found himself ambushed by a massive Hittite confederacy and only narrowly escaped. This bloody clash led to a formal peace treaty engraved on a silver tablet, establishing an alliance between the two superpowers and codifying the extradition of political refugees. Meanwhile, Assyrian inscriptions reveal centuries of relentless conflict along the Euphrates. Although northern Hittite strongholds gradually fell to Assyrian conquerors, the mighty fortress of Carchemish held out for centuries, barring Nineveh’s expansion westward until its eventual fall under Sargon.

In its final movement, the book shifts from military history to cultural and archaeological analysis. Sayce details the discovery of Hittite monuments scattered across Asia Minor—from the sphinxes and dados of Eyuk and Boghaz Keui to the rock reliefs of Karabel and Ibreez. He shows how these physical remains reveal a mountain-dwelling people who wore snowshoes and fingerless gloves, mined silver in the Bulgar Dagh, and invented a unique style of relief-carved hieroglyphics. Their influence extended westward to Greece, shaping Mykenaean art and religious symbols. Though their empire ultimately collapsed under Semitic, Lydian, and Persian pressure, their descendants lingered in the highlands of Cappadocia, leaving their indelible mark on the region's physical landscape and cultural history.

How It Unfolds

The Amorites and the Hittites Research establishes that the long-headed, fair-skinned Amorites occupied Canaan long before the Hittites arrived. The Hittites remained primarily a northern mountain people, establishing only a minor colony in the southern hills of Judah while building their core strength near the Taurus range.

Battles and Treaties with Egypt Egyptian monuments record the dramatic clash between Ramses II and the vast Hittite alliance at Kadesh on the Orontes. The resulting war ended in a solemn, silver-plated treaty that established peace, detailed mutual extradition terms, and invoked a extensive catalogue of Hittite deities.

The Long Struggle with Assyria Assyrian annals detail centuries of campaigning against Hittite strongholds along the Euphrates. Although Assyrian kings overran mountain fastnesses, the key stronghold of Carchemish successfully barred their western expansion until its ultimate capture by Sargon.

Deciphering the Stones of Asia Minor Travelers and scholars uncover matching monuments and boustrophedon inscriptions across Asia Minor and Syria. The bilingual silver boss of King Tarqu-dimme finally provides the crucial key needed to unlock the mysterious Hittite hieroglyphic script.

Art, Religion, and Legacy An examination of Hittite cities reveals a rich culture defined by silver trade, lion-guarded gates, and the worship of a supreme Mother-goddess. This artistic and commercial influence traveled across the Aegean, directly inspiring early Greek architecture and Mykenaean design.

The People

• The Hittites: A rugged, mountain-dwelling people originating in the Taurus range of Cappadocia, characterized by their distinct costume of pointed caps, boots with upturned toes, and fingerless gloves. They seek territorial expansion and commercial dominance, using their mastery of silver working and heavy chariotry to build a formidable empire that rivals Egypt and Assyria before being absorbed into neighboring populations.
• The Amorites: An earlier, long-headed white race closely linked to the ancient Libyans, who preferred high mountain dwellings and built stone cromlechs across Palestine. They represent the original occupants of the lands into which the Hittites later migrated and intermarried.
• Ramses II: The ambitious Pharaoh of Egypt who marches north to challenge Hittite dominance in Syria. After surviving a surprise ambush at Kadesh through sheer bravery and direct appeals to his god Amun, he chooses diplomacy, concluding a famous silver-tablet treaty with the Hittite king.
• Sargon of Assyria: The relentless Assyrian monarch who finally breaks the centuries-old barrier of Hittite power. By capturing the great merchant fortress of Carchemish, he secures Nineveh's control over the Mediterranean trade routes and brings an end to Hittite political supremacy.

In Its Own Voice

"It is marvellous to think that only ten years ago 'the romance' could not have been written, and that the part played by the Hittite nations in the history of the world was still unsuspected."

This opening reflection highlights how rapidly modern decipherment transformed an obscure biblical reference into a major empire of the ancient world.

"The long struggle that had been carried on between the Hittites and the Semites was at an end; the Semite had triumphed, and the Hittite was driven back into the mountains from whence he had come."

This passage marks the crucial historical turning point when Carchemish fell to Nineveh, ending centuries of Hittite dominance along the Euphrates trade routes.

What It's Really About

The book is an argument for the transformative power of modern archaeology and philology. Beyond simply chronicling ancient battles, it demonstrates how forgotten civilizations leave persistent footprints in physical art, geographical names, and obscure inscriptions. Sayce argues that the Hittites were not an isolated or minor tribe, but a major imperial engine that acted as a critical bridge between the ancient Near East and early European culture. By tracing artistic motifs like the double-headed eagle and heraldic lions from Cappadocian cliffs to the gates of Mykenae, the text reveals the interconnectedness of ancient civilizations and how cultural influence outlasts political empires.

Why Read It Today

This volume appeals directly to readers fascinated by early archaeological discoveries, ancient Near Eastern history, and historical linguistics. It captures the intellectual thrill of an era when lost empires were being actively excavated from obscurity and deciphered for the first time. Sayce writes with clear authority and accessible prose, avoiding dry technical jargon while providing precise details on inscriptions, relief carvings, and military movements.

Readers should be prepared for late-nineteenth-century analytical frameworks, particularly an emphasis on racial categorization, cranial typology, and Victorian Biblical apologetics. The text occasionally moves through dense geographical listings and detailed descriptions of carved dados or coin hoards. Yet, the book retains a vivid sense of wonder. It offers a fascinating glance into how nineteenth-century scholars reconstructed history out of broken stone, lost silver, and forgotten words, leaving the reader with a deep appreciation for the fragility of human memory and the enduring nature of physical artifacts.