Life and Society in the Hittite World

This book is one part of what is essentially a duology. Trevor Bryce wrote two books on the Hittites, one dealing with their history and the other with their culture and society. This book is the latter. If you want a book that will tell you how the Hittites fit into the Near Eastern world then this isn't the book for you. You want Bryce's other book. This one is solely a cultural history, although it does include a king list at the beginning. It is surprising how much information there is available on Hittite culture considering that everything we know is based on tablets unearthed from archives. Not surprisingly there are many gaps, but this book lays out the basic map of what it was like in Hittite times. Instead of dividing it into general sections like Religion and Religion Bryce has focused each chapter on a particular career such as that of a scribe or a priest. This gives it a much clearer focus and lets the reader see clearly how that segment of the population lived. It is strongly recommended to read the  companion piece  as well since a full understanding of this people requires both angles.

I wanted to know more about the common people of the Hittites. There is good coverage of their legal lives, but not enough about things like what they ate, where they lived, and such. The enormous detail about the gods and the kings was not exactly what I was looking for. Nevertheless, I am fascinated by the care they took to ensure fairness in their legal matters and cannot help comparing them to our twentieth-century affairs.

A newly discovered Ancient Civilisation. The land of Hatti in the Middle East was a thriving empire for around 500 years but it fell, was destroyed and forgotten. Trevor Bryce makes a reconstruction based on the few archeological sites identified in the 20th century, describing the finds and offering an expert opinion on how life was lived in Hatti in the 14th century BC.

I read this book after reading The Hittite Kingdom, Trevor Bryce. This book is an essential companion book to the study of Hittite history. The book brings alive the individuals who built one of the greatest kingdoms of their time. The book can stand on it's own, but makes far more sense when read with the political history. The Hittites are amazing people and it's a little scary that so few people ever heard of them. Perhaps that is our lesson for the present. Sue Coon

Excellent sociological insight into an ancient civilization. Often leads to considerations about society today. Extremely detailed summary of ancient laws & codes of conduct. Easy read.

Bryce is a true expert.

Probably the most comprehensive Hittite history book ever written.

This is an extensive consideration of different social aspects of Hittite society. It covers every basic niche--political leadership, merchants, farmers, priests, marriage, slavery, etc. There is also a very interesting essay at the end that looks at the relationship between Greece and the Near East, and consider the Homeric cycle as an orientalized work. Endnote aren't very helpful, and Bryce occasionally used phrases that annoy me. "More or less, by and large, greater or lesser, etc."--pick one and stop waffling about your position. Never mind me; this is a great book.

I am an avid fan of the Hittite history and culture. I have read many books about them.Most books describe the actions and lives of the Kings, wars, treaties etc.However this book gives a deeper understanding of how the people lived and is therefore indispensible for understanding the Hittite World.

I chose this book because of the scarcity of reliable information about the Hittites. This was the perfect solution, written by a very knowledgeable author and in a very clear manner.