Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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History docuemntary on the Rise of the Hittite Empire in the Bronze Age! You can take command of these forces in Total War Pharaoh: play.totalwar.com/Invicta

This documentary covers the story of the rise and fall of the Hittite Empire of the Bronze Age. We begin with their origins in the highlands of Anatolia where feuding powers eventually consolidated into the Old Kingdom of the Hittites. This new power would flex its might with various wars of expansion against its neighbors to the west, east, and south. The Middle Kingdom period would see them regress as they fell to invasion and infighting. Yet, in the New Kingdom, the Hittite Empire would rise to its greatest heights. Eventually, however, they would fall due to invasions from the Assyrian Empire and the Sea People during the wider era of the Bronze Age Collapse.

We cover the military of this formidable Bronze Age faction from its organization to its equipment, training, and tactics. In particular, we look at the Battle of Kadesh and a typical foreign campaign.

Time Stamps:
00:00 Intro
02:15 Origins of the Hittites
04:33 Army of the Hittites
06:24 Recruitment
08:51 Equipment
13:00 Organization
15:32 Training
17:26 Service History
17:55 Old Kingdom
19:01 Middle Kingdom
19:22 New Kingdom
21:23 A Typical Campaign
25:55 Outro

Sources and Suggested Reading:
Hittite Warrior (2007) by Osprey Publishing
Life and Society in the Hittite World (2002) by Oxford University Press
Warriors of Anatolia: A Concise History of the Hittites (2019) by I.B. Tauris
Hittite Military and Warfare by Jürgen Lorenz and Ingo Schrakamp
The Hattian and Hittite Civilizations (2001) by Ekrem Akurgal
Life and Society in the Hittite World (2002) by Trevor R Bryce

Credits:
Research = Joshua Brouwers
Script = Joshua Brouwers
Narration = Guy Micaels
Art = Penta Limited

#history
#documentary
#totalwar