The capital of the Hittite Empire was Hattusa, and at its peak it was extremely impressive. Incredibly, as recently as the turn of the 1900s, the Hittites were considered merely a hearsay since no evidence of the empire’s existence was ever found. This changed with the discovery and excavation of Hattusa, along with the unearthing of tens of thousands of clay tablets documenting many of the Hittites’ diplomatic activities from 2,000 BCE, when it became the capital, to around 1,100 BCE when it was abandoned then destroyed.
Archaeological excavations over the last decades have shown us that Hattusa covered 0.7 square miles (1.8 square kilometers). The inner city, on the higher parts of that hill, had a citadel and administrative buildings, and included a walled royal residence at the top of the rise. To the south lay an outer city of about 0.4 square miles (1 square kms). The outer city had secular buildings, homes, and four temples. The outer city was entered via four elaborate gateways. The whole of Hattusa – outer and inner city – were protected by five miles (8 kms) of high walls. In its heyday, it is estimated that between 40,000 and 50,000 people called the city home. All in all, Hattusa was a very impressive city.
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