The Hittites were one of the most powerful civilisations in the Near East, building a vast empire that encompassed much of modern-day Turkey. But aside from a few vague references in ancient texts, proof of their existence was not established until the 20th century, when the discovery of more than 10,000 clay tablets laid bare the story of the Hittite kingdom and its rulers. Historian Mark Weeden talks to Jon Bauckham about the rise and fall of this elusive people, and reveals what we can glean from the surviving physical evidence.

Listen to our episode with Zainab Bahrani, where she tackles listener questions about the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon: https://link.chtbl.com/9xMgWiPX

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.

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