King Muršili I was one of the most important of the Old kingdom Hittite kings. He succeeded his grandfather at a young age in around 1620 BCE (all dates are conjectural and not known for certain), and ruled for about thirty years, during which time he strengthened the empire with a series of campaigns, the two most notable of which are those that resulted in the sack of Aleppo, and more importantly, the sack of Babylon in c.1595 BCE. In c.1590 BCE he was murdered by a relative in a power grab, and that is basically about as much as anyone knows of this monarch today. Before the late 19th century the Hittites were only known by a handful of vague references, and despite the enormous amount of research and archaeology done since then, there is still much we do not know about these important Bronze Age people and their kings.

Naturally there is almost no evidence for the appearance of Hittite kings at this time, so a set such as this has to be speculative, which makes for an interesting exercise. The first figure pictured above is the king himself. Dressed in a robe with what looks like a scale corselet over it, and a cape over that, his most prominent feature is the tall conical headdress. Generally it is thought that such a headdress denoted a god, and is fairly easy to find in carvings – the most famous is probably the 12 gods at Yazilikaya. Kings too are sometimes shown with this headdress, but kings were often declared to be a god once they died, so such representations may reflect this posthumous divinity rather than how they actually appeared during their lifetime. That said, of course the only proper answer to the question of such authenticity is that nobody today knows for sure, and this figure certainly has the regal feel, as well as that of a warrior king as he holds a staff and an axe.

Beside the king is a figure in a much simpler costume devoid of ornament. This man has a hemi-spherical headdress that is seen in some carvings, so is perhaps a courtier, or maybe a servant. Again, evidence is lacking, and that applies equally to the rest of the figures, which are all armed and so must be the bodyguard. What few modern recreations there are of Hittite warriors tend to concentrate on the famous period when the Hittites met the Egyptians at Qadesh, which was well over 250 years after the death of Muršili I, and we would suggest that Linear-A have taken these as their source, since the king and two of the guards closely resemble illustrations in the Tim Newark book listed below, which relates to Qadesh. The first wears a tunic with very broad belt and crested helmet, the second a long robe and a long armour corselet over that, including shoulder pieces, but no helmet. The third also wears a long robe and corselet, but this is made up of several large pieces to improve mobility, and he also wears a helmet with crest, though this is of an unusual angular design which we feel does not seem to match the aesthetic of the Bronze Age. All three carry a simple spear, and two also have a circular or oval shield. All three are broadly very well armoured, so probably not typical of Hittite soldiers, but plausible as an elite royal bodyguard. However, the caption in the Newark book implies some of these features were copied from the Mitanni, who rose to prominence after the period of this set, so again, impossible to say for sure if all of this is accurate or not.

The poses are quite relaxed, as you might expect. Kings might be described as warrior kings, and that might sometimes mean they actually fought in the front line, leading their troops, but standing watching or issuing commands is much more likely, and so the bodyguard would also be standing around, much as these men are doing. The sculpting is as usual impeccable, with lovely detail despite quite elaborate costume and equipment. As these figures are 3D printed there is no flash or assembly, but plenty of areas where a traditional two-piece mould would have to compromise, so even the characteristic turned-up toes on the boots have been well done. Faces are terrific, and the head of the bare-headed warrior is particularly delightful. Spear shafts are slender, every detail of the hands holding the shield is faultless; all the usual perfections we expect from this manufacturer.

So there you have it. This is the first Hittite command set ever made, and it is for a period far removed from the usual 13th century focus (i.e. the battle of Qadesh), though as we have said, it probably works well for that period too. It is a bold choice, and there is so little information that no one can say for sure if the accuracy is good or not, which does at least give the designer a lot of wiggle room. All we can say is, while the tall headdress may be inappropriate here, nothing else particularly seems out of place to us, so this is as good a guess as any in our view. The figures are certainly beautiful, and should delight fans of the ancient world, which is reason enough for this small set to exist.