Before the Kingdom of the Hittites

Abstract

This chapter is dedicated to the history of Anatolia prior to the formation of the Hittite State in the seventeenth century bc. At this time, the region was divided into several dozen micro-states, each centered on a ruling couple and their residence. These “grand residences” were the locus of extensive court societies led by cadres of landholding officials who oversaw local production and managed a system of international trade. The trade was based on mercantilist principles of geographical monopoly and strong political protectionism guaranteed by treaty. States invested in their physical infrastructure to attract and protect merchants. Trade was both an important source of income and a way to obtain exotica in societies where social power was built on overt displays of wealth and the enactment of status through prestige objects and grand feasts. The period leading up to the Hittite state saw a gradual centralization of political and executive power into a smaller number of states with hierarchies of multiple local urban centers and courts.