Did the Hittites use iron weapons?

While there are some iron objects from Bronze Age Anatolia, the number is comparable to iron objects found in Egypt and other places during the period; and only a small number of these objects are weapons. Hittites did not use smelted iron, but rather meteorites.

What did the Hittites make with iron?

The Hittites’ super-hard iron swords could chop through the soft-as-butter bronze swords of the Egyptians and Assyrians. They were effectively ‘Bronze Age lightsabers’, making the Hittites nigh-on invincible on the battlefield.

Why did the Hittites want to keep their knowledge of extracting iron from ore secret?

They were skilled in extracting iron from ore. They were able to arm more people with iron, for less expense. They tried to keep their knowledge secret and sacred, but when their empire collapsed in 1200 BCE, the Hittites ironsmiths migrated to serve other costumers, leading the knowledge to expand and spread.

What tools did the Hittites use?

1 Bladed Weaponry. Hittite soldiers were each equipped with a dagger, a short stabbing sword with a ribbed blade and curved hilt.

Do Hittites still exist?

Fortunately, Hittite tablets were baked for contemporary use or little would have survived. By 1912 the count had reached some 10,000 pieces and virtually all of them had been sent to the Staatliche Museen in Berlin, where they still remain.

What does the Bible say about the Hittites?

In the Book of Joshua 1:4, when the Lord tells Joshua “From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your border”, this “land of the Hittites” on Canaan’s border is seen to stretch …

Did the Hittites invent iron?

The Hittites were the first group of people to develop and use iron.

What religion were Hittites?

Storm gods were prominent in the Hittite pantheon—the set of all the gods in a polytheistic religion.

What god did the Hittites worship?

worship of Hittite sun goddess, the principal deity and patron of the Hittite empire and monarchy. Her consort, the weather god Taru, was second to Arinnitti in importance, indicating that she probably originated in matriarchal times.

Why did the Hittites fall?

Correspondence with rulers from other empires reveal a foreign demand for iron goods. After 1180 BCE, amid general turmoil in the Levant associated with the sudden arrival of the Sea Peoples, the kingdom disintegrated into several independent “Neo-Hittite” city-states.

Who did Hittites worship?

Arinniti – sun goddess, possibly another name for the sun goddess of Arinna. In the late 14th century BC, King Mursili II was particularly devoted to Arinniti. Ellel – god of the sky, derived from the god Ellil. He is invoked in state treaties as a protector of oaths.

What did the Hittites do for a living?

Hittites were famous for their iron processing and the beautiful adornment of their iron-made objects. In fact, they are the FIRST people known to process iron, and during the Neo-Hittite kingdom, during the 12th century BC, iron metallurgy spread from them to the whole Middle East.

What kind of metal did the Hittites use?

Metallurgy is the use of metals and the science of separating metals from their ores. The Hittites developed new techniques for using iron around 1500 BC. Up until this time, weapons were generally made from bronze. Bronze is harder and heavier than iron.

Why did the Hittites smelt iron before the Iron Age?

Their process was the result of years of metal-working experience, not simply an accidental byproduct of an iron rock falling into a fire. Discovering that rocks can melt…

Why did the Hittites use hand to hand warfare?

Considering that many of the military campaigns fought throughout this time were hand-to-hand combat, this gave the Hittite a massive edge over their competitors. The Hittite used these stronger, sharper weapons to continually expand their empire and to overcome rebellions within their own borders.