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Hiitite(From Anatolian Civilzation/Turkia)
Roaring into history from mysterious origins, the Hittites would rule a great empire that stretched from Mesopotamia to Syria and Palestine. The Hittites are shrouded in fog and mystery; we don't where they came from, and for a long time the language they spoke was undecipherable. In the end, it turns out they were Indo-European, that is, they spoke a language from the Indo-European language family, which includes English, German, Greek, Latin, Persian, and the languages of India. Their invasion spelled the end of the Old Babylonian empire in Mesopotamia (1900-1600 BC), and like so many others before them, the invaders adopted the ways of the conquered; after the conquest of Mesopotamia, the Hittites adopted the laws, religion, and the literature of the Old Babylonians thus continuing the long heritage of Sumerian culture.Their empire was at its greatest from 1600-1200 BC, and even after the Assyrians gained control of Mesopotamia after 1300 BC, the Hittite cities and territories thrived independently until 717 BC, when the territories were finally conquered by Assyrians and others. The Hebrew scriptures have little to say about the Hittites, and the Egyptians regarded them as barbarians. In fact, from 1300-1200 BC, the Hittites waged a war against Egypt that drained both empires tragically. The Hittites themselves seem to have left few accounts of their history, so until this century no-one really knew their culture or the greatness of their political ascendacy But the Hittites are perhaps one of the most significant peoples in Mesopotamian history. Because their empire was so large and because their primary activity was commerce, trading with all the civilizations and peoples of the Mediterranean, the Hittites were the people primarily responsible for transmitting Mesopotamian thought, law, political structure, economic structure, and ideas around the Mediterranean, from Egypt to Greece. So the Hittites are the great traders in the culture built by the Sumerians and adopted and modified by later peoples. Because of the Hittites, when the Hebrews migrated to Canaan under Moses they found a people, the Canaanites, who were, culturally speaking, Mesopotamian.
The Hittites greatly modified the system of law they inherited from the Old Babylonians. The most extensive literature that the Hittites have left us is, in fact, decrees and laws. These laws were far more merciful than the laws of the Old Babylonians, perhaps because the Hittites were less concerned about maintaining a rigid, despotic central authority. While you could lose your life for just about everything under the Old Babylonian system of laws, including getting rowdy in a tavern, under the Hittites only a small handful of crimes were capital crimes. Even premeditated murder only resulted in a fine—a large fine, to be sure, but far preferable than losing your head. They modified the role of the monarch in that they gave the king ownership of all the land under his control; previously, under the Sumerians and Amorites, private property was allowed and the monarch only owned his own private property. Individuals were allowed control over land, which belong to the king, only by serving in the king's army. So the bulk of the population became tenant farmers.
The Hittites adopted many of the gods of the Sumerians and Old Babylonians. The odd thing about the Hittites, though, is that they seemed to have recognized that all gods were legitimate gods. Whenever they conquered a people, they adopted that people's gods into their religious system, in much the same way the uji , or clans, in early Japan would adopt the gods of rival uji when they had conquered them. As far as history is concerned, this has tremendous consequences for the history of the Hebrews. The Assyrians seem to have adopted the same tolerance towards other religions, which allowed the Jewish faith to persist after the Jewish state was decimated by the Assyrians. And the Assyrians seem to have adopted the same tendency to adopt the gods of conquered people, so the Assyrian conquerors of Palestine adopted the Hebrew god, Yahweh, into their religion. This eventually led to the only major religious schism in Hebrew history, the schism between Jews and Samaritans (there are still Samaritans alive today).
Tolga BERKAY
Hittite Gods
B = Babylonian
· ALALUS: Father of Anus. Anus removed him from the throne.
· ANUS: Sky God. Removed his father Alalus from the throne, and was, himself, removed by his son Kumarbis. B = Anu.
· ARINNA: Sun Goddess. She sent an Eagle out in search of Telepinus. The effort failed.
· EA: He resides in the Apsu, just as he does in Babylonia. What he does in the Hittite pantheon I don't know. He is the one who decided on how to defeat Ulikummis, by using the copper knife that was "used to seperate heaven and earth". B.
· ENLIL: Enlil also makes a guest appearance in the Ulikummis myth. He saw Ulikummis as a child and told the gods later, after the child had grown to it's great size, that they could not hope to defeat it.
· HEBAT: Wife of Teshub.
· HANNAHANNAS: Queen of Heaven. She urges Teshub to do something about Telepinus' disappearance. Teshub went as far as Telepinus' own door, where he banged on the door until he broke his hammer, and thus abandoned the quest.
· ILLUYANKAS: A dragon slain by Teshub. There are two versions of this myth. In the old version, they two gods fight and Illuyankas wins. Teshub" then goes to Inaras for advice, and she devises a trap for the dragon. She goes to him with large quantities of liqure, and entices him to drink his fill. Once drunk, the dragon is bound, and Teshub appears with the other gods and kills him. In the later version, the two gods fight and Teshub, again, loses. Illuyankas then takes Teshub's eyes and heart. Teshub then has a son, who grows and marries Illuyankas' daughter. Teshub tells his son to ask for his eyes and heart as a wedding gift, and it is given. Restored, Teshub goes to face Illuyankas once more. At the point of vanquishing the dragon, Teshub's son finds out about the battle; realizing that he had been used for this purpose. He demaned that his father take him along with Illuyankas, and so Teshub killed them both.
· illuyankas's daughter: See Illuyankas.
· IMBALURIS: A messenger of Kumarbis.
· INARAS: Goddess who set a trap for Illuyankas in the old version of the myth.
· IRSIRRA DEITIES, THE: Either the "Maidens of Heaven" or else they are underworld deities.
· ISHTAR: Only appears in Hittite myth in an attempt to lull Ulikummis by undressing and singing to him. Her attempt failed as the creature didn't see or hear her. B.
· KAMRUSEPAS: Goddess of healing and magick. She calms and purified Telepinus upon his return.
· KUMARBIS: The Hittlte High God (like El of the Canaanites), Father of the Gods. Removed his father, Anus, from the throne. In order to keep his son Teshub from removing him from the throne, he made Ulikummis to oppose him.
· MUKISANUS: Vizier of Kumarbis.
· sea goddess: Kumarbis went to this goddess for advice on how to stop Teshub from taking the throne. Her advice seems to have lead to the creation of Ulikummis.
· SHAUSHKA: a Love Goddess.
· teshub's son: See Illuyankas.
· TELEPINUS: He is like Tammuz, a fertility god. He becomes enraged for reasons unknown and storms off into the stepp lands where he falls asleep. Draught and famine ensue. He was brought back by a Bee, after extensive searching by the gods had failed. Son of Teshub.
· TESHUB: Ruler God (like Baal of the Canaanites), son of Kumarbis. He is also a sun God, and a fertility God. He carries a hammer as a weapon. He defeated Ulikummis with the help of Ea. When Kumarbis first attempted to remove his father, Anus, from the throne, he bit off the Anus' loins in the struggle. Thus, Anus' seed was implanted within Kumarbis and Teshub was born.
· UBELLURIS: This deity is much like the Greek Atlas, who supports the world on his shoulders. Ulikummis was placed on his right shoulder by the Irsirra deities to grow tall and strong. Ubelluris didn't even notice the presence until Ea pointed it out to him.
· ULIKUMMIS: Son of Kumarbis. He was made to oppose Teshub. There is also mention that he destoys some of mankind. However, he is actually described as being blind, deaf, and dumb; as well as immobile. He was made of stone and placed on Ubelluris' shoulder to grow. He grew until he reached heaven itself. When the gods found him, Ishtar removed her clothing and attempted to lull him with music, but he didn't see or hear her (as he was a blind and deaf creature). The gods attempted to destroy him, but had no affect (he didn't even notice). Finally, Ea called for the Copper Knife that had been used in the seperation of heaven and earth. He then used the blade to sever Ulikummis from Ubelluris' shoulder; lopping the creature off at the feet. Teshub was then able to destroy the creature totally. It is interesting to note that this god's name is the same as a pair of twin volcanic mountains in Asia Minor. This may explain why he is said to be destroying mankind, even in his seemingly catatonic state.
İvriz:
Rock relief from Ivriz, northern side of the Taurus range. A local ruler pays homage to the god of fertility. Late 8th c. Neo-Hittite. Seen here are Hittite, Assyrian, and Aramaen stylistic influences.
Ancien Royaume (1650-1530 environ av. J.-C.)Le premier roi fut Labarna. Sous son règne, il semble que Kussara (vile non encore identifiée) devint la capitale du royaume. Son fils, Labarna II, réoccupa le site d'Hattusha et à cette occasion pris le nom Hattusili Ier. Il choisit lui-même son successeur, Mursili Ier. De 1590 à 1450, dix rois au moins vont se succéder. le royaume hittite est fragilisé par des intrigues permanentes et peut-être par sa croissance trop rapide. C'est vraisemblablement à la présence d'Etats-tampons au sud et à l'est de ses frontières, l'Ouratou et le Mitanni, que le jeune royaume hittite doit alors sa survie face aux conquêtes des Mésopotamiens
Epoque néo-hittite (1100-700 environ av. J.-C.)
Après deux siècles dits "âge obscur", s'ouvre la dernière période hittite. La destruction d'Hattusha entraîna la disparition de la civilisation hittite dans l'ancien pays du Hatti.
Néanmoins, la civilisation hittite perdura dans le sud-est anatolien et les provinces de Syrie du nord. De petites villes se constituèrent en cités-Etats : Kizzuwatna, Alalakh (Tell Açana), Karkémish, Milid (Malatya), Alep et Hama. Ces petits royaumes perpétuèrent l'architecture des Hittites. Ces états abandonnèrent le hittite cunéiforme au profit de l'écriture hiéroglyphique. Curieusement, la langue utilisée sera alors le louvite. La filiation avec l'ancien empire hittite était si forte que pour leurs voisins et ennemis, notamment les Assyriens, ces petits royaumes continueront à être dénommés sous le vocable de Hatti.
Le Roi
L'empire hittite était un Etat de forme essentiellement féodale, tout au moins au départ. Au dessous du roi, "grand roi de Hatti", on trouve des rois vassaux issus de sa propre famille. Durant l'Empire, les rois inférieurs sont remplacés par des gouverneurs. Le grand roi n'est pas un roi absolu. Son pouvoir se trouve limité par l'assemblée de la noblesse, le Pankous, qui doit être consultée dans les cas particulièrement graves. L'organisation féodale repose essentiellement sur la force et l'autorité personnelle du souverain. La royauté est élective au temps de l'Ancien Royaume, mais le roi peut désigner son successeur. Dans la pratique, le pouvoir sera héréditaire.
Après sa mort, le roi est divinisé et on rend un culte à ses statues. Le roi est aussi chef religieux et grand prêtre, il doit s'assurer, pour son pays et pour lui-même, la bienveillance et la protection divine. Chef militaire, il commande l'armée et la mène au combat. Les grands rois hittites sont essentiellement des conquérants. Le roi est aussi un législateur. Il fait les lois, les proclame et veille à leur application. Juge suprême, il rend la justice dans les cas particulièrement importants. A côté du roi, la reine joue un rôle officiel dans l'Etat. Elle préside aux principales cérémonies religieuses ; le roi absent ou en cas minorité, elle peut recevoir la régence. Outre la reine, il existe une épouse de second rang, dont le fils peut, à défaut d'héritier du premier rang, hériter du trône. Le roi dispose aussi d'un harem dont les enfants ne possèdent aucun prétendre au trône.
L'Armée hittite
L'Etat hittite possède une forte armée. Elle comprend un élément national permanent dispersé dans les camps et les forteresses, des mercenaires et, pour la guerre, le roi proclame le ban : les seigneurs, chacun avec sa troupe, se rendent au lieu de rassemblement suprême. Au point de vue technique, l'armée hittite comporte deux éléments essentiels : les chars et l'infanterie.
Les chars sont montés chacun par trois hommes : le cocher, un combattant, généralement un noble, armé de la lance et d'un arc, et le porte-bouclier chargé de protéger les deux autres. Les chars, arme de choc par excellence, jouent dans le combat le rôle principal, comme à la bataille de Qadesh, où les chars hittites. L'armée hittite, à la bataille de Qadesh, alignera 17.000 fantassins et 3.500 chars.
Les écritures hittitesLa langue hittite est la plus ancienne des langues indo-européennes. Pour noter leur langue, les Hittites empruntèrent l'écriture akkadienne. Cette langue était connue des Hittites sous le nom de depabilii, c'est à dire "en babylonien". Bien entendu, ces cunéiformes étaient prononcés en hittite. Les Hittites nommaient leur propre langue nesili (nésite, de Nesa). D'autres textes, moins nombreux, à caractère religieux, mythique ou rituel sont écrits en luwilli, que l'on appelle luwite, et dans une troisième langue le palaumnili, que l'on appelle palaïte). On retrouve aussi des traces de l'ancienne langue des premiers occupants du Hatti et des apports de la langue hurrite.
L'autre système d'écriture pratiqué par les Hittites, qui est hiéroglyphique, était utilisée dans des circonstances plus solennelles, notamment pour les inscriptions monumentales et les sceaux. Durant la période néo-hittite, l'écriture cunéiforme tombe en désuétude au profit du hiéroglyphique.
Religion hittite
Les Hittites pratiquaient un large syncrétisme qui s'étendit aux dieux des pays soumis et même à ceux des régions voisines. Parmi les mille dieux de Hatti , ils vénèrent : le " Dieu Soleil du Ciel " dont le nom original était peut-être Istanou, la reine Soleil d'Arinna, dont le roi était le grand prêtre et dont elle est la protectrice, le Dieu de l'orage, son époux, les taureaux Seri et Hourri, les montagnes Nanni et Hazzi. A côté de ces dieux hittites primitifs, d'autres d'origine étrangère viendront compléter le panthéon national. Les Hittites ne faisaient preuve d'aucun sectarisme : ils annexaient les dieux des pays conquis et, pour se les concilier, les adoraient, même dans leur langue originelle.
Le culte relève d'un clergé dont le grand roi de Hatti est le souverain pontife, assisté de la reine et parfois aussi du prince héritier. Au-dessous, il existe des prêtres, divisés en grands prêtres et en petits prêtres. Le culte était rendu dans les temples où les dieux avaient leurs statues. On y procédait aux offrandes à la divinité. Il existait des fêtes dont la plupart se rapportait au cycle des saisons et aux divers travaux des champs. Les dieux se manifestent aux hommes essentiellement sous forme de songes mais ces manifestations spontanées de la divinité restent toutefois exceptionnelles. Les Hittites cherchent donc à les provoquer par le recours aux oracles examen de la chair des victimes, vols de corbeaux sacrés et sorts.
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