The Hittites, one of the most powerful peoples of the ancient Near East, successfully challenged all other nations, including almighty Egypt, from their Anatolian stronghold. Then, their empire collapsed, was consigned to oblivion, and lay forgotten. Three thousand years later, a motley group of scholars, archaeologists, and adventurers rediscovered the Hittites in an enterprise spanning a century and weaving through the worlds of German kaisers, Turkish sultans, and even the Nazis.
This is the history of the rediscovery of the Hittites, a story packed with intrigue and played out against a compelling historical backdrop. It involves colorful characters like an explorer fluent in 29 languages and an archaeologist who slept in royal tombs, along with Victorian historians, cuneiform experts, code-crackers, and grave robbers. These unlikely sleuths uncovered the very roots of the Hittite Empire.

Based in Australia, Fausto Labruto is a medical doctor, associate professor of radiology, independent researcher in history, and web educator in the field of ancient languages.

Fausto Labruto
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 198
Bibliographic Info: 15 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2023
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9239-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5016-6
Imprint: McFarland

Preface 1
Introduction 3
1. The Beginning 7
2. Hittites and Where to Find Them 16
3. Anatolia 28
4. Writing Letters 44
5. Hattusa 54
6. Eat Bread, Drink Wine 73
7. The Hittites Start to Tell Their Story 85
8. Troy 97
9. Between the Two Wars 107
10. From Plague to Family Dramas 120
11. Luwian 137
12. The Late Bronze Age Collapse 151
Epilogue 164
Chapter Notes 167
Bibliography 177
Index 185