Perhaps the most effective way to “go back in time” is to read letters written in the past. Fortunately, personal letters survive written by Egyptians and Hittites during the Bronze Age. I particularly enjoy the insights I gain about the personalities of the writers. I’m delving into my favorite Hittite queen’s letters to Pharaoh and sharing insights into Egyptian life via an excellent article in ANET.
Hittite queens had a surprising range of political, social and religious power. They held far more independence than the queens of surrounding realms such as Egypt and Babylonia. Puduhepa ruled in a society that gave her important legal rights, but she also made more extensive use of those rights than any other Hittite queen. In a guest post I explain this queen and her incomparable power.
I’m a guest on Sarah Johnson’s excellent Reading the Past with an essay explaining my world-building for my historical fantasy. I use the “stranger than you could make up” rites and practices found on the clay tablets excavated from Hittite archives.
Queen Puduhepa takes on Ramses II and secures a lasting peace. Read all about it.
Delve in the royal day of the Hittite Queen Puduhepa.
