Hattusili, the Hittite Prince Who Stole an Empire

This gripping biography documents the life and reign of Hattusili, one of the most famous and well-documented Hittite rulers. Hattusili ruled over the ancient kingdom of Anatolia (modern Turkey) during the 2nd millennium BC and was a political rival and, at the same time, treaty-partner of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses the Great. Trevor Bryce offers a chronological account of Hattusili, charting the rise of the Bronze Age Hittite prince from a sickly childhood to become - by ruthless ambition, an illegal coup and a civil war - the most powerful ruler of the ancient Near East. Incorporating the most up-to-date archaeological material, including the archive of clay tablets and new information about the astonishingly small size of the Hittite capital Hattusa, Bryce provides the reader with a detailed examination of Hattusili's policies and military strategies. Alongside these historical accounts, Bryce weaves in imaginative reconstructions of pivotal moments in the ruler's life, giving you a complete picture of Hattusili's remarkable military skills and impressive political prowess.

Trevor Bryce is Honorary Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Queensland, Australia, and Emeritus Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of New England, Australia. He has published over 130 articles and many books including Life and Society in the Hittite World (2004), The Kingdom of the Hittites (new edition, 2005), The World of the Neo-Hittite Kingdoms: A Political and Military History (2012), Letters of the Great Kings of the Ancient Near East: The Royal Correspondence of the Late Bronze Age (2014), Ancient Syria: A Three Thousand-Year History (2014), Babylonia: A Very Short Introduction (2016) and Warriors of Anatolia: A Concise History of the Hittites (Bloomsbury Academic, 2018).

List of Maps and Figures List of Abbreviations Introduction Chapter 1: 'He Will Not Live Long' Chapter 2: Our Sources Chapter 3: Benefactors of a Young Prince Chapter 4: The Prince Goes to Court Chapter 5: Unseating the Rightful King Chapter 6: 'And She Gave Us the Love of Husband and Wife' Chapter 7: 'Uneasy Lies the Head....' Chapter 8: The Eternal Treaty Chapter 9: The Royal Mail Chapter 10: Managing an Empire Chapter 11: 'Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts' Chapter 12: 'Bleating in Cuneiform Across the Wine-Dark Sea' Chapter 13: A Poisoned Chalice Chapter 14: Hattusili's Reign in Review Appendix 1: Chronicle of Events Appendix 2: The Economy Notes Bibliography Index