Hittite Society, Economy, and Rituals

Abstract

The ecology of Late Bronze Age Hittite Anatolia favored a predominantly wealthfinanced economic model, in which the elite sought to control the procurement of and trade in all precious materials. Besides this, staples were managed through a more decentralized system. The precious materials allowed the elite to display their riches and position of power, especially at cultic celebrations throughout the state. This is evidenced through the so-called festival texts and palace inventories as well as through some of the preserved objects. The relative lack of military propaganda, well-known from other Late Bronze Age states, in the Hittite textual and archaeological record remains intriguing and a task for future research.