Hattusa, capital of the Hittite Empire
Saturday, 21 February 2015 - 01:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union General , Museums, Exhibitions , Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks , UNESCO World Heritage , Union for the Mediterranean
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One of the first peace treaties of the world, between Hattushili III of Hatti and Ramesses II of Egypt © deror avi
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Hattusa was the capital of the
Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age. Its ruins lie near modern
Boğazkale , Turkey, within the great loop of the
Kızılırmak River . Hattusa was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1986.
The landscape surrounding the city included rich agricultural fields and hill lands for pasture as well as woods. Smaller woods are still found outside the city, but in ancient times, they were far more widespread. This meant the inhabitants had an excellent supply of timber when building their houses and other structures. The fields provided the people with a subsistence crop of wheat, barley and lentils. Flax was also harvested, but their primary source for clothing was sheep wool. They also hunted deer in the forest, but this was probably only a luxury reserved for the nobility. Domestic animals provided meat. There were several other settlements in the vicinity, such as the rock shrine at Yazılıkaya and the town at Alacahöyük . Since the rivers in the area are unsuitable for major ships, all transport to and from Hattusa had to go by land.
One of the first peace treaties of the world, between Hattushili III of Hatti and Ramesses II of Egypt © deror avi
Ernest Chantre opened some trial trenches at the village then called Boğazköy, in 1893-94. Since 1906, the
German Oriental Society has been excavating at Hattusa (with breaks during the two World Wars and the Depression, 1913–31 and 1940–51). Archaeological work is still carried out by the
German Archaeological Institute (
Deutsches Archäologisches Institut ).
Hugo Winckler and
Theodore Makridi Bey conducted the first excavations in 1906, 1907, and 1911–13, which were resumed in 1931 under
Kurt Bittel , followed by Peter Neve (site director 1963, general director 1978–94).
A pair of sphinxes found at the southern gate in Hattusa was taken for restoration to Germany in 1917. The better-preserved sphinx was returned to Istanbul in 1924 and was placed on display in the
Istanbul Archaeology Museum , whereas the other remained in Germany and had been on display at the
Pergamon Museum since 1934. Previously, Turkey had made numerous requests for its return. In 2011, threats by Turkish Ministry of Culture to impose restrictions on German archaeologists working in Turkey finally persuaded Germany to return the sphinx. The Istanbul sphinx was also brought back to its place of origin, and the pair was reunited in Boğazköy Museum outside the Hattusa ruins.
Read more on
unesco.org – Hattusa and
Wikipedia Hattusa (
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