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The Hittites: The Lost Empire of the Ancient World
While every schoolchild is familiar with the wonders of ancient Egypt and most are familiar, at least in passing, with the great civilizations of Assyria and Babylon in Mesopotamia, there is one great power of the ancient Near East that was, until just over a century ago, lost to history. This was the Hittite civilization, the great power that arose in central Anatolia and became as powerful as the kingdom of Egypt itself. This book is dedicated to the history of the Hittites, the great empire that was forgotten by the world for almost 3,000 years.
The Hittites are a fascinating people both because of their unique origins and because of the great empire that they built. Unlike any of the other major powers of the ancient world, the Hittites were a people who spoke an Indo-European language, the first known in history. Migrating into Anatolia sometime before 2,000 BCE, the Hittites rose to dominate the indigenous populations and build an empire that encompassed much of modern day Turkey and Syria.
In this brief and easy to understand, yet thorough, history, you will find a comprehensive history of the Hittite kingship, including an overview of every known ruler of the Hittite empire. You will also learn about the diplomatic relationships, military traditions, and laws that defined the way of life of the Hittites. Descriptions of archaeological sites, Hittite religious practices, and the history surrounding the rediscovery of the Hittite civilization are also included to give the reader a complete look at the world of the Hittites.
"The Hittites: The Lost Empire of the Ancient World" is intended as an approachable work that any lay person with an active interest in the history of the ancient world can read and understand without the need for any specialized background in the subject. If you want to learn about the general history, customs, and life of the Hittites, this book is intended to give you the best overview that is possible in an interesting and engaging manner without requiring an extensive background in Near Eastern studies.
The topics that you will find covered in the various sections of this work are as follows:
The origin of the Hittites
A complete history of the Hittite empire, from the first kings until its collapse in the Late Bronze Age
The archaeological and linguistic discoveries that enabled us to learn what we now known about this amazing civilization
A complete description of Hattusa, the Hittite capital city
An overview of the military of the Hittites, both in terms of military tradition and its form and strategies
An introduction to the religion and mythology practiced in the ancient Hittite empire
A discussion of the legacy of the Hittites and of the Neo-Hittite kings that followed the collapse of the empire.
In the appendices that follow, you will find select words translated from the first known Indo-European language in history into modern day English, a list of several important sites of research and excavation, a list of select Hittite laws with an analysis of their legal code, and a short selected bibliography for further reading.
The Hittites are one of the most fascinating and enigmatic civilizations of the ancient world, and few works are available to the non-specialized general public that offer a comprehensive look at their world. In this book, you will learn the major aspects of Hittite history, life and culture.
The Hittites are a fascinating people both because of their unique origins and because of the great empire that they built. Unlike any of the other major powers of the ancient world, the Hittites were a people who spoke an Indo-European language, the first known in history. Migrating into Anatolia sometime before 2,000 BCE, the Hittites rose to dominate the indigenous populations and build an empire that encompassed much of modern day Turkey and Syria.
In this brief and easy to understand, yet thorough, history, you will find a comprehensive history of the Hittite kingship, including an overview of every known ruler of the Hittite empire. You will also learn about the diplomatic relationships, military traditions, and laws that defined the way of life of the Hittites. Descriptions of archaeological sites, Hittite religious practices, and the history surrounding the rediscovery of the Hittite civilization are also included to give the reader a complete look at the world of the Hittites.
"The Hittites: The Lost Empire of the Ancient World" is intended as an approachable work that any lay person with an active interest in the history of the ancient world can read and understand without the need for any specialized background in the subject. If you want to learn about the general history, customs, and life of the Hittites, this book is intended to give you the best overview that is possible in an interesting and engaging manner without requiring an extensive background in Near Eastern studies.
The topics that you will find covered in the various sections of this work are as follows:
The origin of the Hittites
A complete history of the Hittite empire, from the first kings until its collapse in the Late Bronze Age
The archaeological and linguistic discoveries that enabled us to learn what we now known about this amazing civilization
A complete description of Hattusa, the Hittite capital city
An overview of the military of the Hittites, both in terms of military tradition and its form and strategies
An introduction to the religion and mythology practiced in the ancient Hittite empire
A discussion of the legacy of the Hittites and of the Neo-Hittite kings that followed the collapse of the empire.
In the appendices that follow, you will find select words translated from the first known Indo-European language in history into modern day English, a list of several important sites of research and excavation, a list of select Hittite laws with an analysis of their legal code, and a short selected bibliography for further reading.
The Hittites are one of the most fascinating and enigmatic civilizations of the ancient world, and few works are available to the non-specialized general public that offer a comprehensive look at their world. In this book, you will learn the major aspects of Hittite history, life and culture.
91 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 31, 2015
84 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 15, 2019
I was expecting an informative history of the Hittites, preferably with something of a narrative approach. This read more like a tedious academic paper describing the timeline of Hittite rulers. I can't fault the author as unfortunately we know very little about these people and their daily lives.
June 23, 2017
I've read a few of these short histories by this author and have found them surprisingly informative despite their length. I can not rate this one as highly though, despite my interest in the subject matter, because of the obscene amount of time that the author used the word 'enigmatic'. Sometimes even on the same page/within the same percentage on my Kindle. There is no way that word should've been used so many times and an editor should have caught it, given the multiple opportunities he or she would have had.
March 12, 2018
Very short, introductory text that never really gave me a sense of who these people were and why they mattered. By the end of the opening section, which was little more than a list of kings and who killed whom to succeed to the throne, I was bored. And the later sections, talking about their lives, were only a couple of pages long.
August 25, 2017
Good survey, but very short
I choose the book recommended to me by Amazon for its good reviews and fair price. It did for the major part fulfill the expectation. However, it is very brief and lacks illustrations, like maps. Thus I did not gain much more information than what I would have got from free sources easily available like Wikipedia.
I choose the book recommended to me by Amazon for its good reviews and fair price. It did for the major part fulfill the expectation. However, it is very brief and lacks illustrations, like maps. Thus I did not gain much more information than what I would have got from free sources easily available like Wikipedia.
June 4, 2017
Interesting but too brief. Adding maps would have made a big difference as well as illustrator
Interesting but too brief. Adding maps and illustrations would have helped greatly.
Family trees, same thing. Too little of everything to make it really interesting.
Interesting but too brief. Adding maps and illustrations would have helped greatly.
Family trees, same thing. Too little of everything to make it really interesting.
October 16, 2017
Very informative.
I gave this book a five star rating because I found it very informative and interesting. I recommend that anyone interested in history, especially ancient civilizations, read this book.
I gave this book a five star rating because I found it very informative and interesting. I recommend that anyone interested in history, especially ancient civilizations, read this book.
September 19, 2017
Short, concise and easy to read, it's a great introductory reading into the history into one of the greatest and most mysterious empires of the ancient Near East.
Read
July 22, 2019brief introduction. basic outline of discovery, history, structure. does further the desire to learn more. quick read.
September 1, 2016
Very Interesting
I give the author of this masterpiece a lot of respect. It's not easy to make a nonfiction, history book read like a novel, but he pulled it off quite well. It was rather short, but the author cleared that up in the beginning section of the book. He stated that his book, was what modern archeologists know about the Hittites, at the time of writing. My interest is definitely peaked, and I look for more history to be unearthed about the Hittite Empire. I highly recommend this work, especially if you're a history buff, like me.
I give the author of this masterpiece a lot of respect. It's not easy to make a nonfiction, history book read like a novel, but he pulled it off quite well. It was rather short, but the author cleared that up in the beginning section of the book. He stated that his book, was what modern archeologists know about the Hittites, at the time of writing. My interest is definitely peaked, and I look for more history to be unearthed about the Hittite Empire. I highly recommend this work, especially if you're a history buff, like me.
March 20, 2016
Easy and in depth
I liked this book because it was well organized, easy to read and understand, especially for non archeologist. It even explains how new and changing the evidence is, which is honest and true to real scientific inquiry. I haver always wondered about these briefly mentioned cultures.
I liked this book because it was well organized, easy to read and understand, especially for non archeologist. It even explains how new and changing the evidence is, which is honest and true to real scientific inquiry. I haver always wondered about these briefly mentioned cultures.
February 24, 2016
Great summary
This is a short and concise history of this ancient civilization. It's kings cities and significant events . For a very detailed and academic source see The Kingdom of the Hittites
This is a short and concise history of this ancient civilization. It's kings cities and significant events . For a very detailed and academic source see The Kingdom of the Hittites
Read
March 26, 2016not really a book, but a couple essays. not sure how accurate the author is but glad I read it.
May 7, 2016
Good Read
Good read, excellent initial source of data on Hittites. Read this book to gain a good base knowledge of Hittite empire, not disappointed.
Good read, excellent initial source of data on Hittites. Read this book to gain a good base knowledge of Hittite empire, not disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews