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Hattusa is referred to as the city of a thousand gods. The tradition of involving the gods of new cities, as the Hittite empire expanded, played a large role in the development of the government. The king’s primary responsibility was to appease all of the various gods throughout the empire. There are indications that the annual festivals, whether intentionally or not, served to unify the empire and define a national identity revolving around the god’s ceremonially celebrated. My paper will explore the role the Hittite festivals played in unifying the empire by celebrating polytheism.

Bibliography
Archi, Alfonzso; 2006.”Hurrian Gods and the Festivals of the Hattian-Hittite Layer,” The life and Times of Hattusili III and Tuth Aliya IV. van den Hout, Th.P.J. (Ed.) Leiden, Nederland: Nederlands Instituut voor Nabije Oosten. 146-163.

Bryce, Trevor R.; 2002. “Festivals and Rituals,” Life and Society in the Hittite World. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 187-210.

Ceram, C.W.; 1956. The Secret of the Hitties: The Discovery of an Ancient Empire. Trans. Richard Winston and Clara Winston. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Garstang, John; 1930. The Hittite Empire. New York: Richard R. Smith Inc.

Gurney, O.R.; 1952. The Hittites. Baltimore: Pelican Books Ltd. 132-69.

Hawkins, J.D.; 1998. “Hattusa: home to the thousand gods of Hatti,”  Capital cities: urban planning and spiritual dimensions. J. G. Westenholz (ed.), Bible Lands Museum: Jerusalem.

Macqueen, J.C.; 1975. The Hittites and their Contemporaries in Asia Minor. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press.

Neve, Peter J.; 1993. “Hattusha, the city of the gods and temples: results of excavations in the Upper city,” Proceedings of the British Academy 80: 105-132.