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Near Eastern Art :
Hittite Art : Syrio-Hittite Terracotta Sculpture of Horse and Rider
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Syrio-Hittite Terracotta Sculpture of Horse and Rider - CK.0043
Origin: Northern Syria
Circa: 2500
BC
to 1800
BC
Dimensions:
3.5" (8.9cm) high
x 2.75" (7.0cm) wide
Collection: Near Eastern
Medium: Terracotta
$3,600.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
The Hittite Empire emerged in central Anatolia
from fairly humble agricultural beginnings in
the 2nd millennium BC, but by 1340 BC had
become the dominant power in Mesopotamia.
The expansion and consolidation of the empire
saw its greatest expression under King
Suppiluliumas I (c. 1380 -c. 1346 BC), who
oversaw the establishment of a firm Hittite
foothold in Syria. This was hotly contested
territory, and while the Egyptian behemoth
had swept aside most competition, they met
extremely fierce opposition from the Hittites.
This struggle for domination over Syria
continued into the reign of Muwatallis (c.
1320- 1294 B.C.), culminating in the famous
battle of Kadesh in 1299 BC. Although Ramses
II claimed a great victory, the result was in
fact probably more ambiguous. The Egyptians
were at a disadvantage in terms or
provisioning, and in terms of the great arms
race of the time over a great new invention:
iron. In any case, the Egyptians took
considerable pains to placate local groups,
setting up socioeconomic and matrimonial
alliances with the Hittites and the lands they
now occupied. Although we know
comparatively little about Hittite civilisation, it
is perhaps significant that these shadowy
populations were such a fierce threat to what
was then the world's greatest civilization that
even Ramses the Great found it more
beneficial to be their ally rather than their foe.
- (CK.0043)
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