THE SIXTH SETTLEMENT OF TROY
During the Hittite period there were also other states in Anatolia. Of
special importance were the sixth settlement of Troy and the Kingdom of
Mitanni.
The Middle Bronze Age foundation of Troy VI, which followed the Early
Bronze Age settlement of Troy II, occurred at about the same time as the foundation of the
first city states by the immigrant Indo-European tribes. It is perhaps no mere accident
that the Early Bronze Age ends and the Middle Bronze Age begins in Hellas at exactly the
same time. The rise of these new and contemporaneous civilizations in three neighboring
areas of the ancient world must be connected with the great Indo-European immigrations
which began towards the end of the 3rd millennium and probably continued until the
beginning of the 2nd millennium. Blegen has demonstrated the original relationship between
the people of Troy VI and the Middle Helladic states of the Greek mainland. A similar but
much less obvious affinity originating from the same source can be discerned between the
Hittites and Troy VI. Although the Hittites had always been under strong Oriental
influence, their civilization had certain basic features in common with Mycenae and Troy
VI, especially in architecture and town planning. However, there seems to have been very
little direct contact between Troy and Hattuşa. Not
even the minutest fragment of Hittite pottery has been found at Troy. The similar traits
which can be observed in the architecture and pottery of the two cultures do not imply any
direct contact: they are more probably due to local Anatolian influences which reached
Troy by various circuitous routes. Overland communications were unsafe, and Troy was
linked to the West by tradition and by her geopolitical position. Matt-painted pottery, of
Helladic and Cycladic origin, and Mycenaean ware are predominant among the imported
pottery. Moreover, Cretan works of art and sherds of Cypriot pottery have been found,
which are further indications that Troy VI had established relations with the outside
world by means of maritime routes. The best products are the pieces of Minyan ware found
in large quantities in the older habitation levels of the sixth settlement. Like their
contemporaries who lived on the Greek mainland, the Trojans had brought this type of
pottery with them from their common homeland.
The most important Anatolian state contemporaneous with the Hittite Empire was the
kingdom of Mitanni, situated in the east and south-east of the peninsula, which was the
most powerful Hurrian state in the middle of the 2nd millennium (c. 1650-1450 BC.). The
Hurrian tongue is one of the strangest languages of the ancient world. It has an
agglutinative character and is quite unlike Semitic, Indo-European and the prefixing
Hattic language. It is interesting that the Hurrian culture reveals Indo-Aryan influences;
and all the rulers of Mitanni had Indian names. The Hurrians were thus ruled by an
aristocracy of Indo-Aryan origin. The members of this apparently very sparse group of
nobles were charioteers and mounted knights. It was undoubtedly due to them that
horse-breeding and the use of war chariots became known in the Near East.
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