Hatti - Old Kingdom

  General Description   The early period of the Hittite Kingdom lasted from about 1650 to 1500 BCE and is known as the Old Kingdom. The polity emerged after a group of Indo-European speakers migrated c. 2000 BCE from either the Causasus or the Bosphorus and Dardanelles and settled on a high plateau in western Anatolia known as Hatti. ^{[1] [2]} The immigrants mingled with the indigenous people of Hatti and adopted many of their beliefs and customs. ^[1]
Population and political organization
Before the mid-1st millennium BCE, the central Anatolian region was divided into many city-states. ^[3] Gradually, however, the Hittites began to conquer the neighbouring cities, founding a strong state around 1650 BCE. ^{[1] [4]} Labarna I (17th century BCE) was the first known Hittite king. ^[5]
The king was the supreme ruler and military commander, a chief judge and a priest in Hittite society. ^[6] He entrusted the management of major cities and provinces to officials who were often directly answerable to him, ^[7] and could bestow important military positions on members of his own family. ^[8] Vassal rulers were obliged to pay tribute to the king and take an oath of allegiance. ^[9]

[1]: (Bryce 2002, 8) Bryce, Trevor R. 2002. Life and Society in the Hittite World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/8JSUC58W.

[2]: (Stephens, Jr. 1979, 46) Stephens, Jr., W. Richard. 1979. “The Rise of the Hittite Empire: A Comparison of Theories on the Origin of the State.” Mid-American Review of Sociology 4 (1): 39-55. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/2MD3WV2T.

[3]: (Stephens, Jr. 1979, 41-42) Stephens, Jr., W. Richard. 1979. “The Rise of the Hittite Empire: A Comparison of Theories on the Origin of the State.” Mid-American Review of Sociology 4 (1): 39-55. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/2MD3WV2T.

[4]: (Stephens, Jr. 1979, 41049) Stephens, Jr., W. Richard. 1979. “The Rise of the Hittite Empire: A Comparison of Theories on the Origin of the State.” Mid-American Review of Sociology 4 (1): 39-55. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/2MD3WV2T.

[5]: (Bryce 2002, 34) Bryce, Trevor R. 2002. Life and Society in the Hittite World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/8JSUC58W.

[6]: (Bryce 2007, 11) Bryce, Trevor A. 2007. Hittite Warrior. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/38EMV897.

[7]: (Bryce 2002, 16) Bryce, Trevor R. 2002. Life and Society in the Hittite World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/8JSUC58W.

[8]: (Bryce 2007, 8-9) Bryce, Trevor A. 2007. Hittite Warrior. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/38EMV897.

[9]: (Bryce 2002, 43) Bryce, Trevor R. 2002. Life and Society in the Hittite World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/8JSUC58W.