Hattusa, also known as Hattusha, is an ancient city located near the modern village of Bogazkale in Turkey. It was once the capital of the Hittite kingdom, one of the centers of the ancient world. In the Amarna letters dating from the XIV century BC. e., the Egyptians referred to the Hittites as equals, and their power was considered no less significant than Assyria and Babylon.
The city of Hattusu was founded by the Hutts, a people who inhabited this area before the appearance of the Hittites. Where they came from, historians still do not know. Most likely, this is an alien people who settled in this territory.
Hattusa became a city-state, one of the few in its region. Another city-state was Kanesh, located near Hattusa. Trading colonies were established around these centers. The name "Hattusa" was first mentioned by the Assyrians around 2000 BC.
The first period of Hattusa's history came to an end around 1700 BC. The city was conquered and then destroyed to the ground by Anitta, king of Kussara (a city-state, the location of which has not yet been determined). It is said that the king left an inscription proclaiming his victory and placed a curse on the place where the city stood, as well as on all those who would wish to revive and rule it. Historians believe that Anitta was the ruler of the Hittites.
Despite the curse, the city was reborn. It happened in the 17th century BC. Experts suggest that another Hittite ruler of Hattusili may have been involved in this, thanks to which the city received the name that we know today. However, it is not known for certain how Anitta behaved after he conquered and cursed the city. Did he restore it himself after the destruction or was it done after him. It is not known whether the Hattusili had to re-conquer the area or if it belonged to him by right. There is no historical evidence.
It can be said with greater certainty that when the Hittites conquered the city, they made it their capital. It was during this period that architecture developed, monumental buildings were built, monuments that have survived to our time. The city was framed by a stone wall that was more than 8 kilometers long. The central part, the so-called upper city, was protected by another wall, on which there were more than one hundred towers.
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There were five gates in the wall. The most famous are the Lion's Gate and the Sphinx's Gate. The city was famous for its temples. Some of them have survived to our time. For example, the Great Temple from the lower city, created in the 13th century BC.
In 2016, archaeologists also discovered a 2300-year-old secret tunnel. The researchers noted that a cuneiform tablet was found here earlier, depicting a king explaining to the priests what to do during the ceremonies. This secret tunnel may have had a sacred function.
Another interesting feature of Hattusa is the mysterious large green stone, which the locals call “the stone of desires.” It is believed to be made of serpentine or jade. The stone is unique to the area, no one knows exactly how it ended up in Hattusa and what it was used for.
The decline of the Hittite Empire began in the middle of the 13th century BC and is rather associated with the growing role of the eastern neighbors, the Assyrians, in the historical arena. In addition, the raids of the peoples of the sea further weakened the Hittites, which led to the final fall of the empire in the first half of the 12th century BC. In 1190 BC. Hattusa was captured and burned. Over the next 400 years, the city was abandoned, and then passed into the possession of the Phrygians. In the Roman and Byzantine periods, settlements continued to exist on the site of the city, but the former greatness was no longer observed.
Meanwhile, the Hittites disappeared, some mentions of them remained in the Bible and ancient Greek sources. Only in the 19th century, when excavations began in Bogazkale, the Hittites and their capital, Hattusa, were rediscovered by the modern world.
Pavel Romanutenko
