To the Discovery of Hittite Civilization - Chapter 1

At the end of the 19th century, explorers and archaeologists set off in search of past civilizations. In 1834, Charles Texier and later Archibald Henry Sayce explore Anatolia and unearth traces of an unknown civilization. They discovered enigmatic scenes engraved on rocks at the site of Yazılıkaya and numerous remains in the city of Hattusa. Thanks to Bedrich Hrozný's deciphering of the cuneiform tablets found at these sites, a vanished civilization was brought to light, that of the Hittites. But who were these Hittites? What was remarkable about their civilization, what were their religions? And what relationship did they have with the other kingdoms of antiquity? These are just some of the topics that the MOOC "To the Discovery of Hittite Civilization" will introduce you to. An international team of researchers - historians, philologists, linguists and art historians - will bring their expertise to host these sessions. The five episodes of this free online course will cover, among other topics, the languages, history and iconography of this ancient kingdom. The lessons will be combined with exercises that will enable participants to assess the knowledge they have gradually acquired on the subject. This MOOC is part of the Ancient Languages program at Sorbonne University (ELASU). It will enable you to expand your knowledge and discover a part of history that has long been ignored. The MOOC comprises 15 films, each 10 to 18 minutes long, spread over 5 sessions. The series was created by Alice Mouton and Isabelle Prieto, with the participation of Vincent Blanchard, Francesco Giannone, Amir Gilan, and Sylvie Vanséveren. 52 exercises spread over the 5 sessions will enable learners to test their knowledge and prepare them for the final exam (for those wishing to obtain certification). With the support of the Laboratoire Orient et Méditerranée UMR 8167 of the CNRS and the Service Informatique pour la Pédagogie et la Recherche of Sorbonne University. 3b:T48f

• In the 19th century, the Hittites were virtually unknown to the learned world. In the first session, we will look at how great scholars discovered the Hittite civilization and how texts from this civilization were deciphered. Indeed, Hittite Anatolia has yielded thousands of written testimonies. In the second session, you will be able to explore all the richness of the languages and scripts of these testimonies. It is also thanks to the discovery of Hittite tablets that the history of this powerful kingdom will gradually take shape before our eyes. The third session will be devoted to the highlights of this history. Through the study of Hittite texts, we will also discover that messengers often played the role of spies when visiting the court of a foreign king. This will be the focus of the fourth session, which will also be an opportunity to enrich our exploration of Hittite history. Finally, in the fifth session, the various archaeological testimonies will be examined for their iconography. Iconography is very often religious in nature, and will provide us with information on the deities worshipped by the Hittites.