Hattusa, Turkey - Great Cities of the Ancient World (sitios de interés)
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Hattusa, Turkey
Hattusa was the capital of the Hittite empire in the late Bronze Age. It was situated in rich agricultural land near the modern city of Bogazkale, and founded around the sixth millennium BC. It was king Hattusili I who made it the capital of the fledgling Hittite empire in 1586 BC. The city and the empire's peak was in the 14th century BC, when the city covered 1.8 km² with inner and outer sections, either side of a great wall (which still stands in part today) built during the reign of Suppiluliuma I. Modern estimates put the population of the city at between 40,000 and 50,000 during this period. The city and the empire's downfall occurred around 1200 BC during the Bronze Age collapse, and it was abandoned altogether until 800 BC, when a Phrygian settlement was established in its ruins. Excavations of Hattusa's ruins have been ongoing, with a few interruptions, since the late 19th century, under German leadership.