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Archaeology

The Hittites and Hattusha

A Walking Tour of the Hittite Capital City

By , About.com Guide

The Hittites were an ancient near eastern civilization located in what is now the modern day country of Turkey, between 1640 and 1200 BC. The ancient history of the Hittites is from cuneiform writings on fired clay tablets recovered from the capital city of the Hittite empire, Hattusha, near the present-day village of Boğazköy. Hattusha was an ancient city when the Hittite king Anitta conquered it and made it his capital in the mid-18th century BC; the emperor Hattusili III expanded the city between 1265 and 1235 BC, before it was destroyed at the end of the Hittite era about 1200 BC. Following the collapse of the Hittite Empire, Hattusha was occupied by Phrygians, but in the provinces of northwestern Syria and southeastern Anatolia, the Neo-Hittite city states emerged. It is these Iron Age kingdoms that are mentioned in the Hebrew bible.

Thanks are due to Nazli Evrim Serifoglu (photos) and Tevfik Emre Serifoglu; main text source is Across the Anatolian Plateau.
Images 1-12 of 15
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  1. The Upper City of HattushaHattusha General View. The view of the city of Hattusha from the Upper city.
  2. The Lower City of HattushaTemple I and the Lower City of Hattusha with the modern village of Bogazkoy at the background.
  3. Hattusha Lion GateHattusha Lion Gate. The Lion Gate is one of several gates of the Hittite city of Hattusha.
  4. The Great Temple at HattushaHattusha Temple 1. A look towards the reconstructed city gates and the store-rooms of Temple I.
  5. Lion Water BasinHattusha Temple 1. A water basin carved in the shape of a lion in front of temple I
  6. Cultic Pool at HattushaHattusha Sacred Pool, probably once filled with rainwater.
  7. Chamber and Sacred PoolHattusha Chamber and Sacred Pool. The side wall of the sacred pool.
  8. Hieroglyph ChamberHattusha Chamber. This chamber was built near and partially under the sacred pool at the city.
  9. Underground PassageHattusha Underground Passage. This underground passage way runs below the Sphinx Gate of Hattusha.
  10. Underground Chamber at HattushaHattusha Underground Chamber. An underground chamber of unknown function.
  11. The Palace of BuyukkaleThe Hittite Palace of Buyukkale.
  12. Yazilikaya: Rock Shrine of the Ancient Hittite CivilizationHattusha Yazilikaya. The entrance of one of the rock cut chambers of Yazilikaya.

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