In the mountains and corridors of ancient Anatolia, empire was never built by armies alone. It was built by oaths sworn before terrible witnesses, by rituals performed to prevent divine withdrawal, and by myths that warned what happens when the oldest powers are disturbed. The Former Gods takes you into the Hittite and Hurrian world-where storm gods rule like kings, the underworld functions like a court of consequence, and the deep past remains dangerously close beneath the surface of the present.

Inside, you'll explore divine succession and rebellion, the ritual logic of purification and restoration, the political force of treaties and sacred speech, and the haunting persistence of the "former" gods-older authorities stored below, respected and feared as the final guarantors of order. Written for readers who love ancient history, mythology, and the hidden machinery of civilizations, this book is a vivid descent into a world where words bind reality-and where the gods are always listening.

Riddick Dawson is a historian?author whose work moves at the crossroads of archaeology, mythology, and the hidden traditions of the ancient world. With the spirit of an adventurer and the rigor of a researcher, Dawson has dedicated his career to uncovering the forgotten narratives of humanity?from the lost cities beneath desert sands to the spectral voices of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Drawing on over two decades of study, Dawson's research dives deep into the shadowy domains of the Nephilim, the Anunnaki, and the Watchers of Genesis. His writings chart the intersections between biblical texts, Mesopotamian epics, and comparative myth, revealing startling connections that challenge orthodox timelines and conventional history. In the field, Dawson has pursued evidence across sacred landscapes?temples of Egypt, megaliths of the Near East, and mountain sanctuaries whispered about in apocryphal lore. Beyond the texts and ruins, Dawson is a storyteller. His voice?part scholar, part seeker?brings these ancient enigmas to life for a modern audience hungry to ask the deeper questions: Who were the gods of old? What legacies have they left hidden in stone and scripture? And what does their memory mean for humanity today?