achieved by routing the rebel forces there and destroying their
stronghold Sanahuitta. But by moving his centre of power
northwards, he potentially weakened his control over his southern
territories, and greatly increased the distance between his base of
operations and northern Syria, which was to play a major role in
the history of the Hittite world. In addition to all this, we should
note that the Hittite homeland was landlocked. It had no direct
access to any sea, either for trade or military purposes, and on the
rare occasions when it did engage in naval enterprises, these were
carried out largely by proxy–by the ships of subject or allied states
located in coastal regions, perhaps with Hittite marines on board.
Very likely this wasnotwhat Hattusili intended. In fact on one of
his campaigns, he may have led his troops to the shores of the Black
Sea –to what Classical sources call the Pontic region–with the
intention of gaining permanent, direct control over part of the sea’s
southern seaboard. But if that was his ambition, neither he nor any of
his successors ever realised it. In fact, the Pontic region came to be
occupied by fierce mountain tribes called the Kaskans, who
constantly invaded the homeland’s northern territories across its
ill-defined borders, and raided its cities and farmlands. Throughout
Hittite history, the Kaskans remained a painful thorn in the Hittites’
northernflank. Though a number of kings carried out successful
invasions of their territories, they never subdued them completely or
gained more than temporary control over any of them.
Let’s also give some thought to the practical implications of
shifting the capital from Kussar to Hattusa. The newly resettled city
had not only to be built from scratch, but must have required the
prompt erection of at least basic defences to supplement its natural
fortifications (though one of the two later kings called Hantili
claims to have been thefirst to build a city-wall). There were
temples and a palace to be constructed. And of course there was the
matter of putting people in the city and building accommodation
and other facilities for them. Populating Hattusa and its peripheral
territories must in itself have been a major operation, involving a
large transfer of inhabitants, from Kussar and other cities and
regions, with the range of skills and muscle-power necessary to
sustain it. Grain crops and orchards needed to be established as
28 WARRIORS OF ANATOLIA