Undergraduate Course: The Neo-Hittite Kingdoms: A World between Empires (ANHI10117)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course addresses the history, archaeology, society, and culture of the so-called "Neo-Hittite" kingdoms (ca. 1200-700 BC). This civilisation emerged from the ashes of the Hittite empire between Anatolia and Syria and largely fell under the blows of the Assyrian empire. We will give voice to the monuments and writings left by the Neo-Hittite society and study its role in the making of the early Mediterranean world. An introduction to Hieroglyphic Luwian will also be provided as part of the course. |
| Course description |
After the collapse of the Hittite empire in Anatolia and northern Syria around 1200 BC, local communities reorganised themselves into new polities. Scholars call these "Neo-Hittite" to emphasise their continuity with Hittite cultural and political legacy. Yet, Neo-Hittite polities at the same time departed from Hittite models in significant ways especially as concerns ideologies and practices of power. Neo-Hittite kingdoms flourished during the course of the Iron Age (ca. 1200-700 BC) and most of them fell under the blows of the Assyrian empire. Only some seem to have survived the Assyrian conquest, but we know almost nothing of their later life.
A handful of small kingdoms born of the ashes of a large empire and crushed by another, the Neo-Hittite polities often receive little treatment in histories of the ancient Mediterranean world. And yet, there are several reasons why they deserve our attention: (1) Mesopotamia and Egypt excluded, they have yielded the most extensive documentary record of any Iron Age Mediterranean civilisation; (2) their records bear witness to political transformations, ideologies, religious beliefs, economic transactions, and conflicts in a key formative phase for Mediterranean history; (3) they allow a unique glimpse into how small, newly-born polities negotiate their cultural legacy as well as their independence with major ancient empires. By examining textual records and the material remains of the Neo-Hittite kingdoms, this course aims to provide a comprehensive survey of their historical development, society, and culture, and to study how they related to their Hittite ancestors and their Assyrian neighbours.
This course is taught in two weekly sessions of one hour each. The first one is devoted to exploring themes of historical-cultural interest, including continuities and discontinuities after the collapse of the Hittite empire; the political development of the Neo-Hittite kingdoms; the Assyrian threat; religion; economy; and material culture, with a special focus on key sites or regions e.g. Karkamish, P/Walastin(a/i), Gurgum, Hiyawa, Tabal. The other weekly session is devoted to introducing the main language and script of the Neo-Hittite kingdoms, Hieroglyphic Luwian. This is an opportunity to read short, simple texts in the original.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should usually have at least 3 courses in Classics related subject matter (at least 2 of which should be in Ancient History) at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this) for entry to this course. We will only consider University/College level courses. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
172 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework:
Written language exercise (30%)
3,000 word essay (70%) |
| Feedback |
Students are expected to discuss their coursework with the Course Organiser at least once prior to submission, and are encouraged to do so more often. Meetings can take place with the Course Organiser during their published office hours or by appointment. Students will also receive feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the historical and political development of the Neo-Hittite civilisation and the different forms in which it unfolded
- Critically analyse written sources and artifacts from the Neo-Hittite world
- Navigate a range of scholarly opinions on debated issues and form their own view on those issues
- Explore new avenues beyond the Classical civilisations and appreciate the diversity of ancient Mediterranean history and cultures
- Read, understand, translate, and interpret simple texts in Hieroglyphic Luwian
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Reading List
- Bryce, T. (2012). The World of the Neo-Hittite Kingdoms. A Political and Military History. Oxford.
- Giusfredi, F. (2010). Sources for a Socio-Economic History of the Neo-Hittite States. Heidelberg.
- Hawkins, J.D. (2000). Corpus of Hieroglyphic Luwian Inscriptions. Volume I. Inscriptions of the Iron Age. Berlin; New York.
- Hawkins, J.D. (2024). Corpus of Hieroglyphic Luwian Inscriptions. Volume III. Inscriptions of the Hittite Empire and New Inscriptions of the Iron Age. Berlin; New-York.
- Melchert, H.C. (ed.) (2003). The Luwians. Leiden; Boston.
- Mouton, A., Rutherford, I., and Yakubovich, I. (eds.) (2013). Luwian Identities. Culture, Language and Religion between Anatolia and the Aegean. Leiden; Boston.
- Osborne, J.F. (2021). The Syro-Anatolian City-States: An Iron Age Culture. New York.
- Payne, A. (2012). Iron Age Hieroglyphic Luwian Inscriptions. Atlanta.
- Payne, A. (2014). Hieroglyphic Luwian: An Introduction with Original Texts. 3rd revised edition. Wiesbaden.
- Yakubovich, I. (2010). Sociolinguistics of the Luvian Language. Leiden.
- Yakubovich, I. (2015). The Luwian Language (Oxford Handbooks Online). |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
- Ability to analyse written texts and material remains in order to understand the peculiarities of Neo-Hittite civilisation.
- Ability to collect, evaluate and use the best available evidence in order to take a stance on debated issues relating to the reconstruction of Neo-Hittite history.
- Ability to summarise, interpret and critique the work of other scholars in oral and written form.
- Ability effectively to communicate personal views on a given topic in an academic context.
- Ability to overcome the traditional borders of the discipline of Ancient History. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Marco Santini
Tel:
Email: Marco.Santini@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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