The Hittite state started small, as one of a number of competing kingdoms in Anatolia.1 Under a series of rulers from the early king Hattusili I, around 1650 bc, it grew to become a regional superpower, expanding from its north-central Anatolian heartland, with political and economic interests drawing its attention southeast to the Mediterranean coast, Syria, and the older kingdoms in the area, and also westward to the Aegean.2 Its capital at Hattusa, the fortified residence of the Hittite kings, modern Boğazköy, became a splendid city of temples, testament to the rulers’ commitment to the gods and the rituals necessary to win their favour and avoid incurring their displeasure.3