Fall of Hattusa (collapse of the Hittite Empire)
1200 BCE · Hattusa (Hittite capital, modern Bogazkale, Turkey) · World · Ancient
Under successive blows from famine, civil strife and foreign raids, the capital Hattusa was burned and abandoned, and Hittite central royal power collapsed.
Belligerents
Hittites
- Commanders
- Suppiluliuma II
- Strength
- Remnant Hittite forces
Invaders and rebel forces
- Commanders
- Unknown
- Strength
- The Kaska, the Sea Peoples and other foreign groups, along with internal rebels
Background
At the end of the Bronze Age, drought, food shortages and the migrations of the Sea Peoples shook the entire eastern Mediterranean; although there are records of resistance by the last Hittite king, he could not stem the decline.
Course of the battle
- Famine and internal strifeThe empire was thrown into turmoil by famine and rebellion
- Foreign incursionsThe Kaska and other foreign peoples repeatedly invaded the Hittite heartland
- Capital burnedHattusa is finally burned and abandoned
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 1200 BCE |
|---|---|
| Place | Hattusa (Hittite capital, present-day Boğazkale, Turkey) |
| Result | Under successive blows from famine, civil strife and foreign raids, the capital Hattusa was burned and abandoned, and Hittite central royal power collapsed. |
| Winner | No decision |
| Casualties | No precise records exist. |
| Territorial change | The Hittite Empire disintegrated, and Anatolia entered a fragmented era of Neo-Hittite city-states. |
Impact
It marked the climax of the Bronze Age collapse, when many ancient states of the Near East fell or declined in the same period.
See the world in 1200 BCE on the map →