group to which many of the world’s spoken lan-
guages belong.
By the 17th century b.c., the Hittites were
emerging as a growing military power under
King Labarnas I. His son, Labarnas II, estab-
lished the capital city at the already established
site of Hattusa, changing his name to Hattusi-
lis in honor of the new royal seat.
While his father had strength-
ened the Hittite state, Hattusi-
lis expanded out to the edge of
the Mitanni empire, a Hurrian-
speaking power to the east.
After Hattusilis’ territorial ex-
pansion came a contraction andThe battle between the Hittites and the Egyp-
tians is regarded by historians as the largest
chariot battle in history. The extraordinary clash
would maintain the Hittites as major regional
players for years to come.Fall and Rise
Many scholars believe the ancestors of the Hit-
tite people originally lived in central Asia before
relocating to Anatolia (modern Turkey) in the
third millennium b.c. The area was already in-
habited by people known as Hattians and Hur-
rians who spoke different languages than the
newcomers. The Hittite language belonged to
the Indo-European family of languages, theWATER AND
HORSES
A driver riding a
two-horse chariot
(below) appears
atop this Assyrian
vessel made in the
19th century b.c.
Archaeological
Museum, Ankara,
TurkeyAdvances in war chariot
design render a swifter model
that features two spoked
wheels. The Hittites rely on it
in their military efforts in the
eastern Mediterranean.
ca 1650 b.c.
Charioteers now make up a
major wing of Hittite forces.
The Hittites are resurgent
under King Suppiluliumas I,
who defies Egypt and occupies
much of northern Syria.ca 1350 b.c.
The forces of Hittite
king Muwatallis II and
Pharaoh Ramses II of Egypt
face off in history’s largest
chariot battle at the Battle
of Kadesh.1275 b.c.
DEA/ALBUM