Their art was characterized by solidity and roundness and work in relief. "The mural crown was a Hittite invention ; the animal forms in which their artists especially excelled were fre quently combined to form composite creatures, among which may be mentioned the double-headed eagle, afterwards adopted by the Seljukian Sul tans. This Hittite art is the sourcc of the pecu liar art of Asia Nlinor, which forms a well-marked element in that of primitive Greece" (Idem. pp. 426-432)• In relation to the science of letters, scholars have long been perplexed by a number of alpha bets which existed in different districts of Asia Minor. They were neither Greek nor Plurnician, but they seemed to come from the same source as did the Greek.
Dr. Isaac Taylor recognizes five distinct alpha bets—the Lycian, the Carian, the Cappadocian, the Phrygian and the Pamphylian. To these he thinks may be added three more—the Lydian, the Mysian and the Cilician. Inscriptions found by Mr. Hamilton Lang, in Cyprus, supplied the key to the mysterious alphabets of Asia Minor, and they proved to be distantly related even to the whorls discovered by Dr. Schliemann in the lower stratum of Hissarlik.
This and other important discoveries carried the question farther back towards the parent stem, which seems to be recognized by the existence throughout Asia Minor of numerous inscriptions similar to those Hittite records which were found in Hamah.
"These monuments," says Dr. Isaac Taylor, "are those of a people who have been identified with the Hittites of the Old Testament, the Kheta of the Egyptian monuments, the Khattai of the Assyrian records, and the Keteioi of Homer. They were one of the most powerful peoples of the primeval world, their empire extending from the frontier of Egypt to the shores of the tEgean, and, like the Babylonians and the Egyptians, they pos sessed a culture, an art and a script peculiar to themselves (The Alphabet, ii. pp. 115-12o).
We learn from thc Egyptian records that the Hittites were far in advance of their neighbors in the arts of war as well as of peace. Indeed, thcy were formidable in making war bccause they excelled in peaceful pursuits.
(5) Religion. This people. like the Canaanites, imported their gods and goddesses from Baby lonia. Wherever the Phcrnicians steered their ships and carried their arts and merchandise the ritcs and worship of Baal and Astarte (see BAAL) accompanied them. In like manner wherever the
Hittites extended their empire, there we find under some form the goddess who was called Atargatis (Ashtoreth or Ishtar) at Carchemish.
The Hittite goddess appears in connection with Attvs or Sutckh, accompanied by the horrible rites with which Ishtar (see ASHTORETH) and Tammuz (see TAMMUZ) had been honored in Babylon. In the capital of the Hittites we see one of the numer ous shrines where Hittite girls were devoted to wickedness in the name of religion. The wor ship of these deities took many repulsive forms. Devotees surrendered their children to Baal in the flames while the screams of the victims were drowned by trumpet and drum.
(6) Nationality. Who were the Hittites? To what race or people did they belong? Outside the Bible our two sources of informa tion on this subject are the Hittite names and sculptures.
It is now pretty generally conceded that the language of the Hittites was not Semitic • that is, it was not of the same family as the language spoken in varying dialects by the Jews and other Semitic people.
There are several eminent linguists who believe that the Hittite language was Semitic, and there should be no dogmatism where our certain knowl edge is so limited, but with the most careful bal ancing of the facts the weight of evidence seems to be on the side of the non-Semitic character of this peculiar tongue. This conclusion is supported by the Hittite and also by the Egyptian sculp tures.
Captain Conder draws attention to the distinct characteristics of the Hittites and their allies as pictured on the temple at lbsamboul: "In this picture the Hittites and their allies are represented as distinct races with different kinds of weapons. The one race is bearded, the other beardless, and the Chinese-like appearance of the Hittites is very remarkable" (Heitz and Moab, p. 22). This would seem to point to a Tartar or Mongolian people. Colonel Sir Charles Wilson, who has recently re turned from Asia Minor, says : "The sculptures show that the Hittites did not belong to a Semitic race. The features are rather those of a northern people, and on the temple of lbsamboul the Hit tites have a Scythic character, with shaven head and a single lock of hair on the crown. Hence it would appear from the testimony of the sculptures, as well as of the proper names, that the Hittites were non-Semitic.