In the 14th century BC the Hittites became the supreme political and military power in the Near East. How did they achieve their supremacy? How successful were they in maintaining it? What brought about their collapse and disappearance? This comprehensive history of the Hittite kingdom seeks to answer these questions. It takes account of important recent advances in Hittite scholarship, including some major archaeological discoveries made in the last few years. It also features numerous translations from the original texts, so that on many issues the ancient Hittites are given the opportunity to speak to the modern reader for themselves. The revised edition contains a substantial amount of new material, as well as numerous other revisions to the first edition.
Introduction 1. The Origins of the Hittites 2. Anatolia in the Assyrian Colony Period 3. Territories and Early Rivals of Hatti 4. The Foundations of the Kingdom: The Reigns of Labarna and Hattusili I 5. The Struggles for the Royal Succession: From Mursili I to Muwattalli I 6. A New Era Begins: From Tudhaliya I/II to Tudhaliya III 7. The Supremacy of Hatti: The Reign of Suppiluliuma I 8. A Young King Proves his Worth: The Reign of Mursili II 9. The Showdown with Egypt: The Reign of Muwattalli II 10. The Ill-Fated Reign of the Second-Rank Son: The Reign of Urhi-Teshub 11. Hatti and the World of International Diplomacy: The Reign of Hattusili III 12. New Enterprises, New Threats: The Reign of Tudhaliya IV 13. The Fall of the Kingdom and its Aftermath 14. The Trojan War: Myth or Reality? A Final Comment
Praise for the previous edition:
Bryce's approach is...comparable to that of most historians approaching the political history of a European kingdom or a Chinese dynasty. He examines issues with an historian's eye and often casts events in a light which might not have appeared to an archaelogist or philologist attempting to write a work of history..l“¦