the beginning of the Hittite era. And while they mingled with the
indigenous and much larger Hattian population, a number of them
had retained their ethnic identity and managed to establish their
supremacy over the land that became the nucleus of the Hittite
kingdom. Of course we’ve already seen that the history of the Hittite
monarchy was sometimes stained with the blood of coups and
attempted coups as rival branches of the royal family sought to install
one of their own on the seat of power by seizing it from its
incumbent or his designated successor. But it all stayed within the
family, and apart from an occasional interloper, the same royal blood
flowed through the veins of all occupants of the Hittite throne, even
though this blood was regularly diluted by marriage links with
distinguished foreign families.
THE GODS’DEPUTY
Strictly speaking, the king’s person was sacrosanct. He held power
by divine right, for he was the gods’chief representative on earth,
the intermediary in all things between them and their mortal
worshippers. His role as chief priest of the Hittite realm is
sometimes depicted in relief sculptures where he wears the skullcap
Figure 11.1 Hittite double-headed eagle, symbol of imperial power, Alaca
Höyük.
INTERMEDIARIES OF THE GODS:THE GREAT KINGS OF HATTI 93