The military forces of the Hattusa empire are the most powerful in the known world, bar none. With clear divisions of legions, full-scale war tactics and the skill of masterful generals, Hattusa's military might has allowed them to take over vast territories of Anatolia and become the youngest and yet largest empire in Aeipathy's world. Many of Hittite militia techniques were later employed by the armies of the Roman Empire.

With large open territories within its borders, Hittite legions have plenty of open space in which to hone their skills. They also produce large numbers of horses, iron-enforced chariots and low amounts (but more than any other realm) of iron weaponry.

The unified mentality of the Hattusa nation inspires loyalty over individual heroics. Men who follow their superiors' orders well are glorified, whilst those who attempt heroic solo missions are marked as rebellious and disloyal. Victories are collective and losses the fault of everyone involved. The army relies strongly on universal training and high quality work from each and every soldier. As such, the Hittite military powers operate as a united wave of strength, crashing down upon the shores of their enemies' front lines. Structure The Hittite armies are divided into three major units: infantry, charioteers and archers. Each unit will have multiple legions within, specialising in certain crafts (such as mounted archers or charioteers or operate with spears and others with swords).

Each province of the empire has a means of enlisting soldiers to their force. In some areas this will be a very small, specialised legion. Others might have multiple legions, all with different specialisations but belonging to one particular unit (such as the archery unit). Larger provinces still might have multiple legions, with different specialisms and belonging to more than one unit. These normally grow naturally based on the local resources. An area with little open space, for example, is unlikely to develop a chariot legion.

The leader of each unit is called a Huiyatalla (e.g. the Huiyatalla of Infantry) and will have a record on which areas currently run legions that fall under their remit. It is the Huiyatalla's duty to check in on these legions and ensure they are kept in top condition. When war is waged, the Huiyatalla will decide which legions from which areas will be useful in the current campaign and will summon them to a particular location, away from but close enough to battle so that they can then march as a single unit upon the enemy. Those in charge of legions are called Captain. It is their responsibility to see their legion is in fit condition at all times in order to obey when they are summoned. Enlisting Men wishing to be part of the Hattusa army will enlist in their local area. As different areas have specialist legions, an enlistee may be immediately redeployed to another area with an official commission to join a different legion. This decision is based on an enlistee's current skill set (for example, if he's already a skilled hunter with a bow and his area does not have an archery legion) or on the unit he most wishes to join.

Men can enlist at any time but every month there is an official enlisting ceremony in which prospective soldiers become a true part of their legion. The ceremony involves an oath and signed clay contract.

The oath includes breaking an arrow shaft and the lighting of a small candle. An enlistee vows that, should they break their oath of fealty, loyalty and obedience to the army, they will have their weapons broken (like the arrow) and never again be treated as a man who can wield such things. Similarly, if they break their vow, the Gods should smite and melt them as the candle they've lit melts its wax.

The oath to the military is for life (or until a valid reason allows a man to be discharged). An enlistee is expected to sit with their candle, meditating upon that oath and its sanctity without food or water until the candle naturally burns out. It is considered terrible bad luck if the candle is blown out before it can burn down and a soldier will work hard to ensure the flame is protected for the few hours it burns. Once the candle burns out, the man is no longer free. He is a soldier of Hattusa.

Women cannot enlist as soldiers in the Hattusa military. No exceptions. They can, however, become part of a military campaign when other professions are necessary to support the legions (see the Personal Life section below). Active Leadership In Hattusa, a man's authority and power is often linked to his physical strength and military prowess. As such, most of the upper class men in Hattusa will have at least trained with the militia. Most of the princes of the land will have actually fought in battle.

Not only are these princes and prominent men expected to lead battles and participate in war. They are expected to actually fight in them. On the front-lines, beside their men. They will usually be a part of the mounted or chariot legions so that they can move around the battle and issue orders, but they are also expected to engage with the enemy, crossing physical swords with opposing nations. As this regularly results in the death of a prince or member of the royal family, it is yet another reason why royals keep many concubines and try to produce as many male children as possible.

An older nobleman, or the Tabarna himself, who has reached old age despite many battles is often seen as favoured by the God Zababa. It is a prestigious and exciting event when the Tabarna chooses to lead a battle himself because he is said to bring the favour of the Gods with him. Nobility vs. Meritocracy Barring the highest rank of Gal Meshedi, the Hittite army is entirely meritocratic. A nobleman can commission a place in charge of a small legion (Captain) but this is as high as they can raise themselves without hard work. And they can easily be replaced or demoted by their Huiyatalla if they are not suited for the role. Those of lower classes can work hard and be promoted all the way up to Huiyatalla if they have the skill.

Huiyatalla and Deputy Huiyatalla are such high ranking positions that the men to keep them will usually be older and more experienced but this is not always the case as life expectancy is naturally shorter when one dedicates themselves entirely to the armed forces. It will always, however, be someone who has seen a lot of battles. Men will, therefore, occasionally request reassignment to a different legion that might see more combat action, depending on its specialism, in order to serve in more battles, gain a better reputation and then advance faster through the ranks.

There is very little benefit to being born noble when in the military. In fact, it’s actually a detriment to many men as nobleman and royals are forced to serve whilst lower classes can avoid combat if they so wish as there is no conscription in Hattusa. Specialisms Legions are split into specialisms and soldiers fit into the legions they are most trained for or most prefer. Any switching between legions must be signed off on by both the captain of a soldier's current legion and the one he wishes to transfer to. Specialisms include:

Infantry Large-scale infantry Small-scale incursion Fort / city defence Espionage training

Archery Large-scale archery Mounted archery Vanguard exploration

Charioteering Large-scale charioteers Message runners

There is no cavalry unit in Hattusa. Without saddles or stirrups, fighting from the back of horses, where a rider cannot both attack and defend himself is ineffective and dangerous. Not to mention expensive, in providing a horse per fighter. Instead, men fight from chariots, where you can have more than one man to a chariot covering both attack and defence.

Horse-back riding is, however, used by messengers and officers on the battlefield, allowing them to run between legions or units with instruction but also be easily seen by the men they are issuing orders to.

Large-scale infantryHundreds or thousands of foot soldiers used to fight on the front lines as a unified legion.
Small-scale incursionSmall legions of a few dozen up to a hundred specially trained to infiltrate cities / military forts, or scout enemy forces.
Fort / city defenceLegions of several hundred trained to work together in building fort aggression systems (such as barricades, pikes and wall-work) and then defend those fortifications effectively.
Espionage trainingVery small units in which the soldiers are taught singular or small group infiltration skills and undercover espionage.
Large-scale archeryLarge units of hundreds or thousands of archers trained to fight by command as a unified force, creating showers of arrows.
Mounted archeryA small and still experimental specialism, learned from the Syrians: archers who ride on the back of a horse, using their legs to steer and firing short bows from their mount. Legions are usually a few dozen at most.
Vanguard explorationLegions of a few dozen up to a hundred of archers trained to scout terrain and enemy forces ahead of an expeditionary force.
Large-scale charioteersHundreds to thousands of men aboard chariots, designed to charge into battle together. Trained carefully to avoid colliding with one another, they are the thundering hammer of Hattusa's armed forces.
Message runnersSmall legions with specialised soldiers trained in smaller chariots or on horseback to make them more nimble. Message runners are also trained in memory techniques and undergo torture training to ensure that the messages they carry never fall into the wrong hands.

Ranking Structure FLOWCHART IN HERE Gal Meshedi
The Gal Meshedi is the Commander in Chief of the armed forces of Hattusa. Only the Tabarna and Tawananna hold higher authority when it comes to the military. Whilst most royal males (including the Tabarna) have military experience of their own, the Tawananna does not. Therefore, if the Tawananna is forced to take on military matters in the Tabarna's stead, she will often defer to the Gal Meshedi, even if she is technically of a higher authority, simply due to his expertise. The role of Gal Meshedi is often given to a brother or son of the current Tabarna. As illegitimate sons of lower-class concubines cannot inherit the throne, it is common for one of them to be appointed as Gal Meshedi, so that no political rival is given power over an army. This is usually a brother for whom the Crown Prince or Tabarna feels intense trust, affection or loyalty.

The Gal Meshedi is responsible for maintaining all three armed forces units (the charioteers, archers and infantry) as well as the royal guards who protect the Tabarna personally and the hiring of bodyguards and personal militia for other royals. Whilst the Tabarna holds the highest authority, it is rare for him to lead military campaigns; the Gal Meshedi holds his authority and trust on the battlefield. He is considered the Shield and Sword of the Empire. Gal Meshedi is a role of great distinction and though it holds no political authority, the Gal Meshedi is expected to attend Council meetings in order to offer opinions on the militia state of the empire and international relations with other lands. As leader of the military forces, a Gal Meshedi is expected to also know the empire's enemies as well as he knows his own side, which makes his contributions to international policy and negotiations significant. As the role is usually appointed to men of royal blood, a Gal Meshedi also has his own rank and power as a prince, which may include a political position. A Gal Meshedi can therefore hold a seat on the Council as well as his military leadership role. This combination makes the Gal Meshedi a powerful man in the empire. Huiyatalla Current Huiyatalla0 / 3 Filled

The Huiyatalla are the military leaders of specific branch units of the armed forces. The archers, the charioteers and the infantry. There are always three: no more, no less. They serve under the Gal Meshedi and are otherwise the highest form of authority within their own military specialty. They are permitted into the Council of Ministers to make reports and give expertise opinion if a particular matter would benefit from their insight. Otherwise they do not interact with politics at all. However, due to their rank, they are permitted at Courtly events and the social side of politics, so they may have some stake / influence there. As these roles are specific to particular military skills, they are awarded solely through meritocracy, not birth. However, those of a wealthier birth and family are more likely to have been able to afford the time and money to train a son to be so skilled, ergo the Huiyatalla are usually, but not always, of some form of noble birth.

Deputy Huiyatalla Current Deputy Huiyatalla0 / 3 Filled

Each Huiyatalla has a deputy to work in their stead and translate their orders into action. Like the Huiyatalla, these roles are appointed by meritocratic skill. They are not permitted access to either the Council or Court alone but may often be given invitations to such events based on the respect and honour their rank has attained for them. As a Huiyatalla is rarely 'off-duty' it is not uncommon for their deputy to follow them to personal and social functions.

Captain Current Captains3 / 42 Filled

Whilst the huiyatalla commands a unit, a captain commands one of the legions within that unit. Each provincial area has its own number of specialism legions and each will have a captain. They are usually the most skilled man from that legion, though the position can be bought into by powerful local individuals. Despite this opportunity for the rich, anyone who is unskilled in the role is liked to be replaced very quickly at the authority of the Huiyatalla. Captains are not always local to the area their legion is from, as they may have been transferred between legions depending on their specialisms or the availability of high-ranking roles. A captain oversees all legion matters from supplies to salaries, from martial discipline to training exercises. They will usually have several scribes and aides in their employ to help them. For very large legions, they may even have an appointed Deputy but this is not a common role.

Meshedi Whilst the Gal Meshedi is leader of both the entire armed forces of the Hittite empire, he is also the leader of the emperor's private guard: the Meshedi. These are elite soldiers hired as much for their loyalty and discretion as for their abilities with a sword and shield. They are the best of the best and it is an extreme honour to serve as a member of the Meshedi. One must be willing to lay their life on the line for their emperor should such a circumstance arise. The Meshedi are the only guards permitted in the royal palace, which means even the guards in the corridors and standing watch over doors and gates are members of this elite fighting force. The Meshedi do not belong to a legion or unit and follow the direct orders of the Gal Meshedi, not the Huiyatalla. This does not, however, mean that they outrank a Huiyatalla. A Meshedi has no commanding authority or power. They are simply soldiers assigned to this branch of the military because of their exceptional skills. Soldier The lowest rank in the military forces is that of a common soldier. Whilst they have no political or regal authority soldiers are definitely afforded respect. They are trained, reliable and multi-skilled men who are willing to lay their lives down for their empire; society honours these men greatly. Soldiers are often respected in the streets and may be approached for help or aid as one might approach a modern-day police officer. Current Leadership

Soldier Duties Several duties within the armed forces can only be carried out by those with specific training. However, there are other duties that every soldier must complete for themselves or contribute to when the time comes. A soldier's life is not solely about active fighting. It is about the preparation for war and the permanent defence of the empire. It is a soldiers duty to ensure he is always ready for battle.

Cleaning and Maintaining Armour and Weaponry
Soldiers are expected to maintain their own equipment, ensuring it's clean and in good repair. Any broken equipment is fixed by the unit's blacksmith or leather worker but it is the soldier's responsibility to notice when such attention is needed.
Sharpening Swords and Weapons
The sharpening of blades is not considered a repair but a task of general maintenance and is completed by a soldier themselves. Several wet stones are provided around military camps for this purpose.
Looking After the Horses
Charioteers or cavalry soldiers are expected to look after their own animals and the chariots they draw or the equipment they use. Again, any issues or problems were reported to the appropriate expert but it's the soldiers that use the animals that are required to give routine maintenance - grooming, feeding and general check ups. As the Hittites ride three men to a chariot, it is usually the driver who cares for the animals. Horse hands look after the horses of officers, in their place.
Cooking
Large war campaigns will often take a group of cooks or culinary staff with them in order to produce food for large numbers of soldiers in one go. But, when smaller military units travel to war the soldiers themselves take turns playing chef.
Camp Maintenance
When a military unit travels, they build camps wherever they rest. Soldiers are assigned duties to check on the camp and monitor certain elements - both in building it and taking it down. This includes fence and barricade building, tent repairs, building paddocks for the animals, watching over any livestock (kept for food purposes) and digging the lavatory pits.
Sentry Duty
A camp is only as strong as its watch. Sentry duty is a constant at wartime - day or night. This includes as the camp is being built, during supply runs and during the time the camp is being demolished in order to be moved. It is also important to maintain watch on the perimeter of a camp during a battle - not all soldiers go to fight immediately. Some are required to protect the home base, assets and rear. Specialist Duties Tasks that require special talents or training are usually not completed by active fighters. A military legion's physician or dentist, for example, will not actively fight in combat as their skills are too rare to be risked. Instead they are kept at camp behind the fighting lines, ready to tend to those who return. Others might be closer to the battle but never on the front lines. They are always classed as soldiers but not expected to become one of the many fighting hand-to-hand. Specialist tasks within a legion would include:

Armour and Equipment Repair
Metal and leather workers are required when fixing damage to armour, weaponry, horse tack or other such equipment.
Message Running
This might sound like a simple task but messengers in the army are important. They have to be incredibly fast runners in order to deliver orders or instructions at crucial moments and have exceptional memory. Most messages, when urgent, do not have the time to be written down. A messenger must relay his commanders words verbatim after running, potentially, several miles at high speed. They must also be trustworthy to a fault.
Bathing and Barbering
Soldiers have to look after themselves physically. There are soldiers dedicated to the health and hygiene of a legion such as practices in barbering/shaving and the special treatment of chafed or damaged skin by armour.
Dental Work and Surgery
Tooth extraction and surgeries are never pretty on a battlefield but sometimes they are necessary. This is one of the few roles that is highly unlikely to be completed by an average soldier and actually would have an in-house specialist to perform such tasks - even in a small unit. In large war efforts there are several physicians and a team of assistants to perform nursing tasks within a field infirmary. In a tight pinch, where a physician is killed or unavailable, military units will occasionally throw the urgent medical tasks at a local veterinarian (someone they seek out if their horses need treating or euthanizing) or even the chef (he's good with a knife).
Mixing Medicines
On large war campaigns, units take physicians whose sole expertise is focused on medicine making and apothecary work. In smaller military units, men use herbal remedies they are taught in their youth or seek out medicine from local settlements and towns.
Scribing and Records
Scribes are incredibly important to any war effort. They record all supplies, orders, actions, plans, maps, events, and reports -everything is made a note of. This task is completed by an individual (or team of individuals) in a large war campaign, but in a small unit it is normally appointed to a soldier (if they find one who is literate).
Hornblower
A military horn, though simple in construction, is a delicate instrument. Without buttons or levers to adjust the tone or pitch of the horn, a user must be skilled in the right force, breath and sound to make into the horn in order to produce the right noise or noise pattern. A hornblower must also have a good memory and be well-versed in the messages each sound communicates. Like the translator of another language, he must be quick to interpret the orders of his commander, find the best way to communicate that to the men and not let nerves or fear see him mess up the use of the horn. One wrong sound and the entire legion might march in the wrong direction, lower their shields or break line, leading to utter devastation. There will usually be several skilled hornblowers per legion.
Flag / Fire Signaller
Like the skill of hornblowing, flag and fire signalling is exceptionally important for communicating. Whilst horns are used to communicate orders from commander to soldier, flags and fire are for longer distance messages, perhaps between whole military units or back towards nearby cities and settlements. The language used in both cases is less complex and harder to get wrong than with a horn, but a signaller's skills lie with physical strength. Building and tending to bonfires, raising, lowering, and twirling flags -all require fierce upper body strength and a blind devotion to their craft. A signaller must be willing to die before they allow an enemy to take their flag or put out their flame. For them, the message is more valuable than theirs or anyone else’s life.

Annual Leave In Hattusa, soldiers are all afforded annual leave. The longer they fight with a legion the more leave they can accrue. Officers might also give additional leave time to a soldier who has performed particularly well in a battle. It is the soldier's choice when and how he uses that leave (a day at a time, or a full week in one go etc.). All leave must be signed off on by the legion Captain. A Captain has the right to decline leave if the timing is inconvenient to the legion. If the leave is approved, the soldier’s return date is confirmed and, if he does not present himself to the legion Captain on that day before sundown, he will be officially marked as a deserter. Families and Children A soldier will usually work in a legion local to his family’s home. If a soldier moves legions, his family will usually move with him to his new province. This allows a soldier to return home to his wife most nights during peace time. When a legion goes to war, a soldier's family have three options:

SeparationA small-scale war or battle will often last from a few weeks to a few months. It is not uncommon for a soldier and his family to be separated for this long.
Enlist in a CampaignIf a war effort is incredibly large, citizens are recruited by the armed forces for duties such as linen washing (for uniforms and tents), cooking, scribing, leather or armour repairs etc. If a wife or child of a soldier has these necessary skills, they can join the war effort and journey with the soldier to war. They’ll not be a part of any fighting but on peaceful days between battles etc. they’ll be together with the soldier. Immediate family members are permitted to stay in a soldiers tent with them at night.
Travel NearbyIf they have the money or the means, a family will occasionally travel with their soldier husband/father. Whilst they aren’t permitted to journey with the legion (unless enlisted as above) they might journey from nearby town to nearby town, finding a place to live in each settlement so the soldier can return to them each night as he would at home. This strategy, of course, only works if the legion remains close to areas the family can settle in and if the family can exist in such a nomadic way.


Soldiers are often given additional leave to return home for events such as the birth or marriage of a child but this is solely at the discretion of their legion Captain. As birth dates cannot be guessed as accurately in this era, it is an accepted fact that most soldiers will miss the birth of their children. They are usually given their additional leave after they have received news that the child has been born, so they can go to see the baby for a few days. This is, of course, down to circumstance. No such leave is ever going to be approved if a legion is currently in battle or weeks of travel away from a soldier's home.

Any married soldier must provide legal evidence that two guardians have been arranged for his family before he can partake in active service. The first is a guardian for his wife and future children should he die in battle. The second is a temporary guardian for his future children should his wife die whilst he is away at war. A man cannot engage in active combat without proof that these arrangements have been made.

Military Authority Any crime or issue commited in military service is defined as 'poor conduct' regardless of the offence. This is handled within the ranks of the military, not usually in the normal judiciary system.

Crimes committed within the military are reported to the victim's immediate commanding officer who then acts on their behalf by speaking with the accused's commanding officer. A meeting with all four in attendance will usually be arranged to discuss the offence and then judgement is passed.

If the crime has no victim but is a behaviour that threatens the legion / unit (and, by extension, the empire) then the commanding officer who notices or is informed of the crime will pass judgement on its severity.

This is the end of the proceedings unless either the accused or the victim is of royal lineage. Then the matter is passed directly to the Gal Meshedi. Only disputes involving direct descendants of the current Tabarna are outside of the Gal Meshedi's authority, in which case the Tabarna must become involved in judgements passed.

If the matter is being handled whilst the military unit is near a temple, a commanding officer or Gal Meshedi might bring in a representative of the temple as a sort of consultant on the morality of the matter. But, usually, issues within the military stay in the military. Examples of Poor Conduct As stated above, poor conduct is any crime committed by a soldier whilst in active duty. This can be something as simple as failing to take care of your own sword or as disastrous as committing high treason. It can be a crime against another person or against the empire itself. Examples include:

Failure In One's Duties A list of expected duties can be found in the Duties and Tasks section above. Failing to complete any of the above listed duties to an officer’s satisfaction is an act of poor conduct. Failing to keep your sword sharp, uniform or horse in good condition… even failure to bathe (as this can alert enemies to your location or make the lives of your fellow soldiers uncomfortable) are all punishable offences.

Common Punishments » Docking of wages. » Loss of leave time. » Humiliation tasks / punishments.

Severe Mistakes Sometimes a soldier fails in his duties in a more severe way e.g. accidentally giving the wrong command with the horn, killing a soldier on your own side during battle, accidentally giving the entire camp food poisoning etc. Punishment for these mistakes is more severe but the mistake itself is still recognised as an accident, not malicious.

Common Punishments » Reports to higher authorities that go on a soldier's record. » Public flogging or beating. » Harsh docking of wages. » Humiliation tasks / punishments.

Sabotage If it is suspected that a soldier is failing in his duties on purpose, as a means of sabotaging his unit or legion, the punishment is more severe still.

Common Punishments » Public flogging or beating. » Blinding. » Limb amputation. » Imprisonment. » Fines to be paid to the legion.

Desertion / Cowardice Being absent from active duty, running during a battle or attempting to break one's military oath is an act of desertion and is punished severely.

Common Punishments » Public flogging or beating. » Blinding. » Exile. » Imprisonment.

Treason Rather than sabotage, which is simply a soldier being deliberately inept, treason requires deliberate efforts outside of a soldier’s duty, such as sending out military intel, assassinating an officer etc. usually in the name or under the payment of an enemy nation. Cases of treason are taken directly to a unit’s Huiyatalla, who will then report it to the Gal Meshedi for formal handling. It may even be escalated to the Council of Ministers.

Common Punishments » Death by hanging. » Death by gibbeting / exposure. » Death by beheading. » Blinding. » Limb amputation. » Exile. » Life imprisonment.

War Crimes Hattusa has very strict laws on how soldiers should conduct themselves during war time. Unlike many other nations who permit the pillaging, robbing and rape of enemy civilians, Hattysa law prevents its soldiers from engaging in these activities. As far as Hattusa law is concerned: once a land has been claimed by the army in victory, the people are Hittites. To pillage from a newly-conquered town is no different to stealing from your own people. Prisoners of war are also expected to be kept in liveable conditions, given hard labour but never sold into slavery or treated worse than animals like in other lands. This code of conduct stems greatly from the worship of Zababa, the God of Warriors, who rewards those that fight with dignity.

Common Punishments Failure to meet with this code of conduct means normal punishments. I.e. assaulting a prisoner of war or a civilian in a conquered town is afforded the same punishment as assault on a Hittite.

Armour Given the climate of Anatolia and the limited space aboard a chariot or in tight infantry formations, heavy armour is ineffective for Hittites. They go into battle with little armour worn on their person barring:

Helmet
Helmets are usually metal and only worn when fighting in mountainous or shady areas. In cold altitudes the metal heats from the sun and keeps a soldier’s head warm. In forests, where it’s shady and warm, the helmet provides protection. In open lands under the usual climate however, a helmet will simply burn a soldier’s head and is rarely worn. Helmets are not often perfect fits, and therefore can diminish peripheral vision. They are rarely worn by archers.
Tunic
For soldiers able to stand the warmth, they will choose to wear tunics of hide or with hide layers. While this will not protect against a direct hit with arrow, spear, or sword, it can help take the force of a glancing blow.
Kursapahs
Though leather is rare in Hattysa, some wealthier soldiers or officers may wear a kursapahs. This is a sleeveless leather shirt that is cropped at the lower ribs. Fastened down either side, beneath the arms, the kursapahs is effectively a leather breastplate, and can slow a weapons impact. Arrows are still likely to pierce skin but less likely to reach delicate organs or ribs if one is wearing a kursapahs. A spear or sword is more likely to glance off of the chest if the soldier is twisting away from the attack because of the smooth strength of the leather. It is also relatively easy to move in. In general, the kursapahs is the most sought after and most expensive piece of personal armour.
Boots
Boots and sandals can occasionally be doctored with pieces of leather or hide where one can afford it. This can, to a point, protect the toes and ankles from stray arrows and spears.
Shields
All infantry and chariot riders will use a shield. Hittite shields are rectangular, with each side bowing inwards and are long enough to cover an adult man from neck to thigh. They are a wooden frame with hide or thick, waxed cloth pulled taut over the top. They cannot -and are not designed to- stop the thrust of a sword or spear. Arrows will usually glance off a shield, however if fired with enough force they will puncture its covering and remain stuck in the shield. They will not go straight through to hit the soldier beyond unless the shield is already damaged and lost its tensile strength. Against a sword or spear, a shield is used as a deflector - a means of bashing away a sword (as you might do with your hand or arm) without taking injury yourself. At the end of a battle, a shield’s covering is usually pretty decimated and is stripped away to be replaced with a new hide or waxed linen over the wooden frame. Weaponry Most Hittite weaponry is light and easily carried. They also need to be useful from both the ground and the back of a chariot. Hittites do not use any form of axe in warfare. Axes are viewed solely as tools for construction. For a Hittite, going to battle with an axe would be like going to war with a screwdriver.

Dagger
As stated elsewhere, all Hittites carry daggers or short blades. For a soldier, these are used in war as often as they are used to cut fruit.


Sickle Sword
Curved blades for sweeping attacks serve the Hittite fighting style better than straight, thrusting swords. A Hittite sickle sword has a less extreme curve than a K’m’t khopesh (can even appear straight in subtler models) and will often be sharpened on both sides. It’s not as long as a broad sword and has a short handle with no hilt / crossguard.
Spear
Hittite spears are longer than the fighting spears of the Hellas. At six to eight feet long they can be used from the back of chariots like lances and on the ground by infantrymen as a thrusting weapon or as pikes against oncoming chariots or cavalry.
Bow and Arrow
The bow and arrow is the prime weapon of archers but can also be used by attacking soldiers on chariots. Quivers often contain up to thirty arrows but archers facing a long fight will usually equip themselves with multiple quivers. The bow itself will be made from a composite of wood and horn and the arrows reed with bronze heads. As bronze tipped arrows work perfectly well, precious iron is never used in their construction. Chariots Many lands in this era use chariots but each is different in construction and use. Hittite chariots are larger and heavier than in other lands, with their axles reinforced with iron. This allows them to carry three men (a feat that would crush other chariots beneath the weight). It also makes them heavier aggressors: like bulldozers charging into battle with less risk of broken wheels or being toppled.

With three men aboard a chariot, one focuses on driving the two (or four) horses pulling the cart, whilst the other two men perform the role of aggressor and defender. The aggressor will fight with either a spear, sword or bow. The defender will carry a larger than usual shield, protecting all three men aboard. All three will be equipped with a dagger and sword, no matter their role, because chariots can be stopped in battle and the men ordered to disembark and fight alongside the infantry or they might lose a horse or the cart in a charge and be forced to fight on foot.

Because of their size and extra weight, Hittite chariots are bulky and not as fast or nimble to manoeuvre as in other lands. Which means they work best on large open plains. When in their element, Hittite chariots are the most powerful driving force in the known world and are a huge reason for the fast-growing military expansion of Hattusa. Legion Fighting The organised techniques of the Roman Empire’s military were arguably the most fearsome in history. From the Vikings they learned the techniques of the shield wall and box formations. But it was from the Hittites that they learned the power of organising vast numbers of men and the importance of effective commanders. The Hittite army is vast and even legions (the smallest unit of soldiers) can hold thousands of men. The Hittites were the first to master the art of a commander sitting on high ground and using their assets as pieces on a chess board, commanding their men through the use of horns and flags. Whilst the legions of Hattusa may not have yet developed special techniques like the binding of shields, they move in war as if of one mind. Their lines are hard to break and they shift and adapt as necessary to their commanding officers’ orders, never allowing a point of vulnerability to appear.

This is one of the main reasons that the Hattusa military is based so strongly in meritocracy: the skill of a Captain or Huiyatalla is essential to the success of a battle and the Hittites do not put up with mediocre leaders purchasing roles of power that they cannot handle. Hand-to-Hand Combat Most Hittite soldiers, their specialisms not withstanding, will be trained in fighting with a dagger, sword and shield. Wrestling and non-weapon fighting are also popular sports in Hattusa. If a soldier is devoid of his weapons, he will continue to fight, taking his opponent to the ground.

When it comes to fighting with sword and shield, techniques have grown in popularity at different stages throughout history. But that doesn't mean those skills weren't utilised in periods when they were less well-known. See the images below (click to enlarge) for more ideas on how your character might fight in close quarters.

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