The Hittites (2004)

The Hittites:
A Civilization that
Changed the World

The Hittites is an outstanding documentary film about an ancient civilization, which was based in Anatolia (i.e. the centre of present-day Turkey) ca. 1800-ca. 1200 BC. It is written, produced and directed by the Turkish filmmaker Tolga Ȍrnek, who is the director of several documentaries, including Mount Nemrud (2001). The director of photography is Ferhen Akgȕn, who had the same role on Mount Nemrud. Here is some additional information:

** Narrated in English by Jeremy Irons
** Music composed and orchestrated by Tamer Çiray
** Music performed by the Prague Symphony Orchestra
** Produced by Ekip Film 2003 and released by Cinema Epoch 2004
** Total running time: 129 minutes (including credits at the end)

The Hittites is divided into six chapters:

(1) 20 minutes = Rise

(2) 20 minutes = Culture
(3) 31 minutes = Hatusa
(4) 17 minutes = Plague
(5) 30 minutes = Kadesh
(6) 05 minutes = Fall

As you can see from this list, the film follows a chronological line from the rise of the empire around 1800 BC to the fall around 1200 BC. On the way several general topics are covered as well, for instance the Hittite language, culture, and religion. Chapter 3 deals with houses, temples, and the royal palace (known as the citadel). This chapter also covers water management, administration, archives, and the writing system: cuneiform script.

When the Hittite empire collapsed around 1200 BC, it was soon forgotten and remained unknown for centuries. The capital Hatusa was re-discovered in 1906 during excavations led by the German archaeologist Hugo Winkler (1863-1913). The modern Turkish name of this place is Boğaskőy. The Hittite language was deciphered by the Czech linguist Bedřich Hrozný (1879-1952) in 1915.

The film is built around three elements:

(A) Many ancient events are re-enacted; sometimes indoors and small-scale; other times outdoors and large-scale (including the battle of Kadesh).

[These reconstructions seem to be accurate, but there is one obvious and perplexing blunder in chapter 2: during a description of a market, a small purse with a handful of coins is seen for a brief moment [38:40]. Coins were invented by the Chinese and by the Greeks around 700 BC. But in 1500 BC nobody in the world had coins!

(B) Some scenes show us an ancient location or an ancient item.

(C) Several modern scholars are interviewed. Here are the names in order of appearance:

** David Hawkins, University of London
** Theo van den Hout, University of Chicago, author of The Element of Hittite 2011
** Gary M. Beckman, University of Michigan, co-author of Hittite Diplomatic Texts 1999

** Ali Dincol, Istanbul University
** Billie Jean Collins, Emory University, author of The Hittites and their World 2007
** Tahsin Ȍzgȕç, Turkish archaeologist

** Harry A. Hoffner, University of Chicago. author of Letters from the Hittite Kingdom 2009
** Jurgen Seeher, director of Hatusa excavations, author of Hatusha-Guide 1999
** Trevor Bryce, Australian scholar, author of Life and Society in the Hittite World 2004

** Grenot Wilhelm, University of Wurzburg
** G. A. Gaballa, Cairo University

All scholars speak English except Tahsin Ȍzgȕç, whose statement is dubbed into English.

The chronology of the Hittite kings is not certain. There are three systems: Low, Middle, and High Chronology. Some dates given in this film may not agree with dates given in another account. This is probably because they do not follow the same system. The problem of chronology is not addressed in the film, which is fair. A discussion of this issue is highly technical and time-consuming. It is more suitable for a written account. For a brief presentation of this issue see appendix 1 of The Kingdom of the Hittites by Trevor Bryce (who prefers the Middle Chronology).

A long chapter is devoted to the battle of Kadesh in 1274 BC, which is fair, because it was an important event. For centuries only the Egyptian version was known to the world: Ramesses II proclaimed a huge victory. Hittite tablets discovered in the beginning of the 20th century gave a different and more accurate version of events: the Egyptian pharaoh almost lost the battle and his life. Perhaps the best word for the outcome is a stalemate.

Ca. fifteen years later, in 1259 BC, the two empires concluded a peace treaty, and the leaders (including the first ladies) exchanged personal and friendly messages. More than one hundred letters related to this issue have been discovered in the Hittite archives.

The film gives us the long view of the Hittite empire, but it also provides some interesting details: King Telepinu issued a proclamation to ensure a peaceful succession; King Suppiluliuma I received an intriguing message from Queen Ankhesenamun, the widow of the boy king Tut Ankh Amun; Returning from Kadesh, the military commander Hattusili met and married Puduhepa, the daughter of a priest, who is the most prominent Hittite woman known in history.

Summing up towards the end of the film, Trevor Bryce says that the Hittites were not particularly innovative, but they were quick to learn from the people that they conquered. Their empire was not only based on military force, but also on diplomacy. They concluded several peace treaties with different neighbours. The famous treaty, which followed the battle of Kadesh, was not unique. In this respect you might say that the Hittites were quite innovative.

Their major problem was the question of succession: how to move from one king to the next in a peaceful and orderly manner. This was a major problem for most ancient civilizations, just think about the pharaohs in ancient Egypt and the emperors in ancient Rome.

The Hittites is an excellent documentary. I am impressed to see how much information this film provides in the span of two hours and how well the material is organised.

It is highly recommended.

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