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The king was the supreme ruler of the land, in charge of being a military commander, judicial authority, as well as a high priest.[

Egyptian inscriptions dating back before the days of exodus, Egyptian monarchs were engaged with two chief seats, located at Kadesh (a Hittite city located on the Orontes River) and Carchemish (loacted on the Eurphrates river in Southern Anatolia)

Religion in Early Hittite Government to Establish Control

In the Central Anatolian settlement of Ankuwa, home of the pre-Hittite goddess Kattaha and the Worship of other Hattic deities illustrates the Ethnic differences in the areas the Hittites tried to control. Kattaha was originally given the name Hannikkun. The usage of the term Kattaha over Hannikkun, according to Ronald Gorny, (head of the Alisar regional project in Turkey) it was a device to downgrade the Pre-Hittite identity of this female deity, and to bring her more in touch with the Hittite tradition. Their reconfiguration of Gods throughout their early history such as with Kattaha was a way of legitimizing their authority and to avoid conflicting ideologies in newly included regions and settlements. With the Hittites, transforming local deities to fit their own customs they hoped that the traditional beliefs of the local communities would understand and accept the changes in order for the Hittites to get these local communities better suited for their political and economic goals.

Old Kingdom

Hattusili I did eventually capture Hattusa and was credited for the foundation of the Hittite Empire. According to The Edict of Telepinu which dates back to the 16th century BC "Hattusili was king, and his sons, brothers, in-laws, family members, and troops were all united. Wherever he went on campaign he controlled the enemy land with force. He destroyed the lands one after the other, took away their power, and made them the borders of the sea. When he came back from campaign, however, each of his sons went somewhere to a country, and in his hand the great cities prospered. But, when later the princes’ servants became corrupt, they began to devour the properties, conspired constantly against their masters, and began to shed their blood.” This excerpt from the edict is supposed to illustrate the unification, growth, and prosperity of the Hittites under his rule. It also illustrates the corruption of "the princes" who are believed to be his sons. The corruption is dealt with, however, the lack of sources leads to uncertainty with how the corruption was dealt with. On Hattusili I's deathbed his chooses his grandson, Mursuli I, as his heir.[

Political Dissent in the Old Kingdom

In 1595 BC, King Marsilis I (r.1556 1526 BC) marched into the city of Babylon and sacked the city, however due to fear of revolts at home he did not remain there long, and quickly returned to the capital of Hattusa. On his journy back to Hattusa he was assassinated by his brother-in-law Hantili I (r 1526-1496 BC) who then took the throne. Hantili was able to escape multiple murder attempts on himself, however, his family was not. His wife, Harapsili and her son were murdered. In addition, other members of the royal family were killed by Zindata I (r. 1496-1486 BC) who was then murdered by his own son, Ammunna (r.1486-1466 BC). All of the internal unrest among the Hittite royal family led to a small time in a decline of power. This led to surrounding kingdoms, such as the Hurrians, to have success against Hittite forces and be the center of power in the Anatolian region.

The Pankus

King Telipinus (reigned c. 1525–c. 1500 bc). Considered to be the last king of the Old Kingdom of the Hittites, seized power during a dynastic power struggle. During his reign he wanted to take care of lawlessness and regulate royal succession. He then issued the Edict of Telipinus. Within this edict, he designated the pankus, which was a "general assembly", that acted as a high court. Crimes such as murder were observed and judged by the Pankus. Kings were also subject to jurisdiction under the Pankus. The rules and regulations set out by the Edict and the establishment of the Pankus proved to be very successful and lasted all the way through to the new KIngdom in the 14th century BC.

The Pankus established a legal code were violence was not a punishment for a crime. Crimes such as a murder and theft, which were punishable by death in other southwest Asian Kingdoms at this time, were not under the Hittite law code. Most penalties for crimes involved restitution. For example, in cases of thievery, the punishment of that crime would to be to repay what was stolen in equal value.