Ḫattuša. Architetture nello spazio del paesaggio

The archaeological site of Hattuša, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986, was the ancient capital of the Hittite Empire, one of the most influential “territorial states” of the Near East during the second millennium BC. Founded in central Anatolia at the end of the third millennium BC, the city expanded with the establishment of an Assyrian merchant colony in the early centuries of the second millennium BC. Following its destruction around 1720 BC by Anitta, king of Neša, a rival Anatolian city, Hattuša became the Hittite capital around 1650 BC. This marked a profound transformation in the urban layout, which adopted a distinctly monumental character. Not only did the city’s size expand dramatically, but its architecture developed a unique language, creating new conceptions of religious, civic, and military space – manifestations of the rise of the Hittite state and its imperial aspirations. Alongside the development of new architectural forms, a series of social and technological innovations enabled this transition, resulting in a level of social complexity that was unparalleled in pre-Classical central Anatolia. Hattuša remained the capital of the Hittite Empire until around 1180 BC.