over 1,000 tonnes of water) to transport the materials to the places
where the bricks were made, and then to the site where they were
laid. The bricks for the modern reconstruction were made on the
spot. In Hittite times, they had to be made some 10 or more
kilometres distant from the city. Can you suggest why?
Once the bricks were in place they had to be coated in plaster,
probably a loam containing a certain quantity of lime. This was
essential, for the biggest threat to a mudbrick structure is erosion
through wind and rain. Once protected by a plaster coating,
mudbrick structures can last a long time–provided the plaster
itself is constantly renewed. Ongoing maintenance of the
fortifications of Hittite cities, and indeed of all the kingdom’s
mudbrick buildings, both sacred and secular, must have imposed
a heavy drain on the available human resources, especially at a
time of the year when lots of able-bodied men were required for
military service on distant campaigns as well as for producing the
kingdom’s food supplies.
The reconstruction project is proving an extremely valuable one
in many respects. Of course, one incentive for it was to attract
visitors to a site which is pretty bare of the ancient remains that
many other ancient sites have in abundance. But more importantly,
the project has provided valuable insights into how the Hittites
went about protecting their cities, and the actual techniques they
used in constructing their fortifications and other buildings. Above
all, it has given us a far greater appreciation than ever before of the
substantial challenges the Hittite people faced in elevating their
capital into one of the great showplaces of the Near Eastern world.
CITY OF TEMPLES AND BUREAUCRATS:THE ROYAL CAPITAL 223