The Quest for the Hittites
Uncovering a Forgotten Civilization
$39.95
In stock
About the Book
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.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
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
Table of Contents
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
Book Reviews & Awards
“Labruto presents a well-researched and engaging historiography of the discovery, interpretation, and reconstruction of the physical, linguistic, and historical fragments that remain of Hittite culture. …its most valuable and unique aspect is an extremely well-researched and engaging exploration of the 19th- and early 20th-century archaeologists, linguists, and historians whose work undergirds and informs current understandings of the field. …recommended”—Choice