Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the empire that flourished in the Late Bronze Age in what is now Turkey, and which, like others at that time, mysteriously collapsed. For the next three thousand years these people of the Land of Hatti, as they called themselves, were known only by small references to their Iron Age descendants in the Old Testament and by unexplained remains in their former territory. Discoveries in their capital of Hattusa just over a century ago brought them back to prominence, including cuneiform tablets such as one (pictured above) which relates to an agreement with their rivals, the Egyptians. This agreement has since become popularly known as the Treaty of Kadesh and described as the oldest recorded peace treaty that survives to this day, said to have followed a great chariot battle with Egypt in 1274 BC near the Orontes River in northern Syria.
With
Claudia Glatz Professor of Archaeology at the University of Glasgow
Ilgi Gercek Assistant Professor of Ancient Near Eastern Languages and History at Bilkent University
And
Christoph Bachhuber Lecturer in Archaeology at St John’s College, University of Oxford
Producer: Simon Tillotson
President Trump says he plans to control revenue f....
BBC Sounds
To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....
The Supreme Court is expected to rule this year on....
Five years ago, a mob attacked the United States C....
President Trump campaigned on promises to put “A....
Overnight, the U.S. military launched strikes on V....
On the night of his inauguration, President Trump ....
Happy New Year! In this special episode, the Polit....
BBC Sounds
To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....
We look back on some of the highlights from 2025 w....
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
Editor's note: This episode originally aired on De....
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
BBC Sounds
To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
It was another busy week in Washington. We discuss....
President Trump used his prime-time speech Wednesd....
BBC Sounds
To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....
Only 36% of Americans approve of President Trump�....
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
President Trump has built a brand as the sports-fa....