THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST by Liverani Mario

Author:Liverani, Mario
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-134-75098-6
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2013-12-03T16:00:00+00:00

4 The economy of the Hittite empire

The agricultural and demographic levels of growth in the Hittite empire were similar to the ones attested for the Old Hittite kingdom, but encountered more difficulties. In this phase, there was a marked tendency towards the concentration of settlements in more favourable areas and their considerable reduction in size. Apart from the more general causes for these changes, some areas also had specific reasons, such as the constant conflicts in the northern territories. These issues were damaging the economy and the population alike. This was true both from the Hittites’ perspective, which saw in the turbulence, mobility and aggression of the Kaska the motive for the war, and the Kaska’s perspective, which did not accept the imperialistic ambitions of the Hittites, determined to control and include the mountain tribes within their political sphere of influence.

The growing ambitions of the Hittites worsened the increasing difficulties of the time. The empire’s expansionistic efforts brought about the enlargement of the capital. This generated a centripetal movement of labour and resources, both in terms of food and other materials. In the Old Assyrian period, Hattusa barely extended over a dozen of hectares (plus five hectares of its kārum). By the Old Hittite period, the city had grown, reaching around forty hectares. However, in the Imperial period (thirteenth century BC), a further extension of the capital added around a hundred hectares, making Hattusa not just the largest city in Anatolia, but one of the largest in the Near East. Temples, fortifications, storehouses and other non-residential buildings took up a considerable amount of land (Figure 18.4). Therefore, the capital’s population must have reached around 20,000 people. This demographic concentration was nothing compared to the concentration of resources and labour needed for the construction of public buildings and the defensive system. Moreover, there was the maintenance of the royal palace and the entire state and cult administration. To make matters worse, Hattusa was located in a mountainous area. The city was therefore difficult to access and had few agricultural fields in its surroundings.

The empire’s efforts in the centre were paralleled by an effort alongside the Hittite borders. The Hittite kings’ annals recount a long sequence of wars. These wars were mainly defensive in the sixteenth and fifteenth centuries BC, but more expansionistic in the fourteenth and thirteenth centuries BC. The expansionistic campaigns required larger armies and greater movements, and brought logistics problems, as well as considerable losses. This military effort, of which the king and the elite were proud, had a negative impact on the Hittite economy and its population. The internal wars of Anatolia were also meant to deport the Anatolian population, in an attempt to make up for previous losses. Rather than describing the conquests and booties gathered, the sources always emphasise the number of war prisoners (NAM.RA) taken by the king. They stereotypically add that the ones taken by the soldiers were innumerable (namely, uncounted by the administration and numerous in appearance). Tens of thousands of prisoners were taken from the conquered lands to Hatti.

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