In the 14th century BC the Hittites became the supreme political and military power in the Near East. How did they achieve their supremacy? How successful were they in maintaining it? What brought about their collapse and disappearance? This comprehensive history of the Hittite kingdom, featuring numerous translations from the original texts, seeks to answer these questions. The revised edition contains a substantial amount of new material, taking account ofimportant recent advances in Hittite scholarship.