Hittite Fortifications c.1650-700 BC

by Nossov, Konstantin S; Nossov, Konstantin; Delf, Brian

• ISBN13: 9781846032073
• ISBN10: 1846032075
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-02-26
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Summary

In the second half of the third millennium BC the Indo-European tribe known as the Hittites migrated and settled in Central Anatolia, at that time a land of small city-states whose rulers lived in fortresses. These fortifications enabled the Hittites to transform themselves into a Bronze Age super-power defeating the Egyptians at Kadesh in c.1274 BC. Konstantin Nossov examines the fortifications constructed by the Hittites in their efforts to sustain and then halt the decline of their once flourishing empire. Providing an in-depth anatomy of the fortresses, focusing on the major sites of the principal city Hattusha as well as sites at Alacah¿y¿k and Karatepe, with full-color reconstructions, this is an intriguing glimpse into the history of an empire which at its height rivalled the Egyptians and Assyrians. It concludes with an examination of these sites as they survive today, information that will appeal to both enthusiasts and tourists visiting the area.

Author Biography

Konstantin Nossov was born in 1972 and is a graduate of Moscow State University and a researcher in ancient and medieval military history as well as author of a number of books published in Russian. He has also written a number of English-language magazine articles. The author lives in Moscow, Russia.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 4
Chronology	p. 7
Methods of Construction	p. 10
Anatomy of Hittite Fortresses	p. 16
Walls
Towers
Gates
Posterns
Ramparts
Tour of the Sites: Hattusha, Alacahoyuk and Karatepe	p. 22
Hattusha
Alacahoyuk
Karatepe
Sanctuaries and the Living Sites	p. 44
The living sites
Aftermath	p. 53
The Sites Today	p. 57
Alacahoyuk
Alisar
Carchemish
Gavurkalesi or Gavurkale ('the castle of infidels') Hattusha (Hattusa, Hattusas or Hatush)
Icel (Mersin)
Kanes/Nesa (modern Kultepe) Karatepe
Sam'al (Zincirli)
Bibliography and Further Reading	p. 62
Index	p. 64
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