1
Proposal for a new course, session 2008-9
The Hittites: The Archaeology of an Ancient Near Eastern Civilisation
20 credits (one semester) option
School of History, Classics, and Archaeology
Course Organiser: Dr. Ulf-Dietrich Schoop
A. Rationale
The Hittites were the last of the large political formations of the Ancient Near East to emerge
during the 2nd millennium BC. While the core area of the Hittite empire was situated on the
Anatolian Plateau (in modern Turkey), their influence extended far into modern Syria and the
Levant in the east, and to the Aegean littoral in the West. They were the main opponents of Egypt,
the prominent power of the time. In Western Anatolia their interests clashed with those of the
Mycenaeans; and the city of Troy was among the contested polities in this area.
Following the development of one of the major Near Eastern powers in the Late Bronze Age, the
course fits into the program of teaching Ancient Near Eastern topics in Archaeology, extending it
geographically and thematically.
B1. Course Aims and Objectives
The course seeks to explore the factors that led to the formation of the Hittite state in Central
Anatolia, and to follow the history of the empire up to its fall towards 1200 BC. It discusses the
economy of the Hittite state, its religion, social organisation, and ideology, as well as the nature of
its interaction with neighbours in the east and in the west. The course ends by considering the
legacy of the Hittites for later civilisations.
B2. Intended Learning Outcomes
Students who complete the course successfully will be able to demonstrate:
– an understanding of the place of ancient Anatolia within the political configuration of the Eastern
Mediterranean in the Late Bronze Age.
– an understanding of the internal structure of a Near Eastern Late Bronze Age state polity, and the
ability to distinguish between typical features and those special to the Hittite case only.
– an understanding of how our evidence consists of very different kinds of information, derived
from archaeology, historical sources, linguistics, art and other sources.
2
– an understanding where our present knowledge is based on good empirical data and where there
are still gaps and weaknesses in the record.
– an ability to use the mentioned sources to trace single developments within this general
framework, and to evaluate their historical significance.
C. Student Intake
The course is designed to interest students from archaeology and classics in their third and fourth
years of study. It should also be attractive for students with archaeology as the main degree and for
students with a combined degree.
D. Content of the Course
Students will attend one lecture per week during semester one. Each lecture will last for 1hr 50mins.
1. Emerging Complexity: The End of the Early Bronze Age in Central Anatolia
2. The Formative Period: Assyrian Trade Colonies and Local Communities in Anatolia at the
Beginning of the 2nd Millennium BC
3. The Rise of the Hittite State (Old and Middle Hittite Periods until c. 1400 BC)
4. The Empire Period (1400 – 1200 BC)
5. Languages and Writing Systems in LBA Anatolia. The Question of Indo-European Origins
6. The Structure of Hittite Society – Settlement and Architecture in Hittite Anatolia: The City and
the Country
7. Between Traditional Piety and Imperial Ideology: Hittite Religion
8. Feeding Cities: Hittite Economy and Technology – The Hittites at War: Strategies, Weapons,
Bounty, Treatment of Captives
9. Exchange Networks in the Late Bronze Age: Traders, Trade Goods, and Transport
10. Precarious Frontiers: Troy and the Problem of Hittite West Contacts; the Kaška Tribes in the
Black Sea Mountains
11. The End: The Collapse of the Hittite Empire and the Onset of the Dark Ages – After the
Hittites: New Beginnings in the Early Iron Age
E. Organisation of Teaching
The course will consist of taught lectures delivered by the coordinator.
3
F. Student Assessment and Guidance
The course will demand one 2000 word essay and one two-hour examination. The essay will make
up 40% of the assessment; the exam will be worth 60% of the final assessment. Students can expect
written feedback and individual consultation on their work.
G. Feedback and Evaluation
Formal student questionnaires will be distributed and collected at the end of the semester. Course
monitoring will take place in accordance with School practice. Informal feedback will be invited
during individual consultations.
H. Course Requirements
The course will make use of the resources of the University library, including on-line journals
accessible from university terminals. There will be no additional costs for the student.
I. Indicative Bibliography
Trevor Bryce, The kingdom of the Hittites (1999).
Trevor Bryce, Life and society in the Hittite world (2002).
Harry A. Hoffner, Alimenta Hethaeorum. Food production in Hittite Asia Minor (1974).
Amélie Kuhrt, The ancient Near East c.3000-300 BC (1995).
H. Craig Melchert, The Luwians (2003).
Dirk Paul Mielke, Ulf-Dietrich Schoop & Jürgen Seeher (ed.), Structuring and Dating in Hittite
Archaeology. Requirements – Problems – New Approaches (2006).
Jack M. Sasson (ed.), Civilizations of the Ancient Near East (1995).
Jürgen Seeher, Hattusha Guide. A Day in the Hittite Capital (2007)
Gernot Wilhelm, The Hurrians (1989).
Marc Van de Mieroop, The Ancient Mesopotamian City (1997).
Marc Van de Mieroop, A history of the ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323 BC (2004).
K.A. Yener & H.A. Hoffner (ed.), Recent developments in Hittite archaeology and history (2002).