Invited Lecture at the Joint Alumni Forum
March 18, 2025
The Joint Alumni Forum in Switzerland is an association of alumni of Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford, Yale, and Columbia. The Forum organizes occasional lectures for
Luwian reliefs with banquet scene, food carriers and musicians in the right chamber of the south gate of Karatepe-Aslantaş, the Luwian citadel near Osmaniye in southern Türkiye (© Luwian Studies #0246)
Western Asia Minor was once home to a great culture yet to be fully recognized by archaeology: the Luwians. They lived along the eastern Aegean, opposite Mycenaean Greece, in a region the size of modern Great Britain, often contending with the Hittite kingdom to the east. Today, nearly 500 extensive settlements have been identified in Luwian lands – many still awaiting exploration.
The Luwians shaped the cultural and political dynamics of their time. Their hieroglyphic script predates the Mycenaean Linear B by centuries. Studying the Luwians sheds light on enduring mysteries of Mediterranean archaeology, including the questions about the origins of the Sea Peoples and the historicity of the Trojan War. Understanding Luwian culture is key to contextualizing these events and explaining the sudden collapse of Bronze Age kingdoms.
From the Middle and Late Bronze Age, 483 major settlement sites are known in the Luwian countries. The settlement density was at least as high as in Mycenaean Greece, Hittite Central Anatolia and Minoan Crete.
The Luwian territory covered an area of around 250,000 square kilometers, making it larger than the Hittite kingdom, the Mycenaean petty states and Minoan Crete combined.
The Luwian hieroglyphic script was in continuous use for over 1,000 years. Akkadian cuneiform was used in Hittite Anatolia for 500 years, while Minoan Crete employed three scripts over 350 years. Linear B in Mycenaean states lasted only 250 years.
Around 700 BCE, the Luwian hieroglyphic script was replaced by the alphabet. The Luwian culture persisted until the sixth century BCE, when it faded following the rise of the Persian Empire.
The Luwians, a powerful yet often overlooked civilization of the Bronze Age, bridged the cultural and political gaps between the Mycenaeans, Hittites, and later Greek societies. Archaeological discoveries of immense settlement sites, rich ore deposits, and advanced metallurgical practices reveal their mastery over the region’s resources and their influence on the Mediterranean world.
Historical accounts from ancient writers like Herodotus and Plato further highlight the wealth and sophistication of western Anatolia, pointing to the existence of an organized and prosperous Luwian society. Their legacy not only provides context for key events like the Trojan War but also explains the intellectual leaps of early Greek thinkers and the rise of Anatolian powers such as the Phrygians and Lydians.
By piecing together their contributions, we uncover how the Luwians shaped trade, culture, and innovation during a transformative era in history. Exploring their story invites us to rethink the connections between these ancient civilizations and the foundations of the modern Mediterranean.
The Joint Alumni Forum in Switzerland is an association of alumni of Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford, Yale, and Columbia. The Forum organizes occasional lectures for
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