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Act III: Hittites
Map of Hittite Empire
| Over 3500 years ago there was an empire in the
middle of Anatolia called the Hittites. The Hittites capital Hattusha has been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. ( Pictures of Hattusha & Hittite remains on display ). The Hittite language is the oldest known Indo – European language, which is also represented by Sanskrit, Latin and Greek. Therefore the origins of the present day English, French, German do not come from Europe but Anatolia. In 1650 BC the Hittite Empire was established with the Capital Hattusha, The first king was called Hattushili meaning man from Hattusha. In 1595 BC they had conquered the Babylonian state. In 1525 BC the King Telepino came to power and he introduced over 200 laws, which were more humane then Babylonian and Assyrian Legal Codes, based on compensation rather than retribution. The King's decision used to be approved by a royal parliament called “ Panku”. In 1327 BC the Hittite king Shupililuma received a message from Ankisanamun the wife of the boy king Tutankamun saying: “ my husband is dead and I have no sons, you have many sons, send one of your son to me, he will be my husband and in Egypt he will be a King, on no account I will marry an Egyptian “. In 1279 BC the legendary Ramses II came to power in Egypt. In 1267 BC Moses took his people out of Egypt in biblical exodus. In 1274 Ramses II entered the Hittite lands in Syria with 20,000 men against the Hittite king Hattushili III’s 37,000 solders. This was the greatest assembly of forces ever staged on earth to that date at a place called Kadesh in Syria. Both sides suffered heavy loses and withdrew from the war. |
 A Hittite king meeting another king |
After the war on the way to home, Hattushili III entered a church in Lavazantia to
give his thanks to God Ishtar. He met a priestess praying to the same God. Her
name was Puduhepa. He married her.
In 1259 BC after decades of hostility the king of Hatti and Pharoah to Egypt signed
a treaty of peace.
Hittite Chariot
The text says: “Ramses the great king of Egypt has made himself a treaty written on
a silver tablet written to Hattushili. The great king, king of the land of Hatti, he is
my brother, I am his brother. He is in peace with me, I am in peace with him forever
and we will create our brotherhood, our peace and this will be better than the
former brotherhood and peace. Both sides will honor the agreement of Egypt and
Hatti.”
Puduhepa knew the best way to secure relations with Egypt was to make
Ramses II their son in law and promised to give her daughter to Ramses II.
Puduhepa's daughter was very upset and angry to marry Ramses II.
Puduhepa was prepared to sacrifice her daughter's happiness for the sake of
her promises to Ramses II and the peaceful coexistence of the two empires
in the Middle East.
Scene 1:King Hattushili and Queen Puduhepa’s daughter expresses her objection to get married to
Ramses II in the song ‘If I give myself to you’.
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Producer: Dr Sami Kent B.Sc, D.I.C., Ph.D. The Heart of Anatolia Ltd. 10 Barrie House, 93-94 Lancaster Gate, LONDON W2 3QJ Tel: +44 (0) 20 7402 7264 • Mob: +44 (0) 7729 449 899 Web: www.heartofanatolia.com • E-mail: heartofanatolia@btinternet.com Registered in England - Company Registration Number 6214300 |