Suppiluliuma I

It was the early war season in Syria, during the time of the season we would call the first days of March.  The year was 1311BC and just into the beginning of Tutankhamun’s 10th Year of reign.  It would be his final day of reign as he led his Egyptian troops northwards into the Nuhasse region in Syria towards the strategic crossroads city of Kadesh to regain territory conquered by the Hittites led by their king Mursili II.  The Egyptians had recruited several Nuhasse kings, led by Tette, who had rebelled against Hittite leadership and returned to the Egyptian side.  The Hittite forces, led by Mursili’s military General Kantuzili, and Mursili’s two brothers Sarri-Kusuh of Carchemish and Telipinu of Aleppo, along with the Ugarit forces and the Nuhasse Kings who remained loyal to Hatti, met the Egyptians for battle at Kadesh and decimated the Egyptians, mortally wounded their king Tutankhamun in a quick and easy victorious battle.  Hittite King Mursili himself was coming from the northern Armenian Highlands to join the battle with an even larger military force.  Egypt was in big trouble!  Their only alternative was to retreat back to Egypt, have a short and limited mourning period, rush Tut’s burial, crown a new king and get back on the battlefield before a possible Hittite invasion into Egypt appeared.  Had Mursili known of Egypt’s retreat and how easily they were defeated, he could have kept going all the way to Egypt and conquered it.  But instead, and fortunately for Egypt, Mursili turned back north with his brother Sarri-Kusuh who joined him to continue his decade long battle with the Kaskans.

The Daḫamunzu Affair is an event in Egyptian and Hittite history that took place during or after the Amarna era. The name “Daḫamunzu,” which appears in a Hittite text known as The Deeds of Šuppiluliuma, refers to an unnamed Egyptian queen whose husband, Nibḫururiya, recently died. She wrote letters to Hittite king Šuppiluliuma, asking him to send one of his sons to Egypt to become her husband and rule as pharaoh. Although the majority of scholars identify Daḫamunzu and Nibḫururiya as Akhenaten and Nefertiti or Ankhesenamun and Tutankhamun, the pharaoh Ay is worthy of consideration as a possible candidate for Nibḫururiya. In addition to The Deeds of Šuppiluliuma, other primary sources for this event include the Amarna Letters, Muršili’s “Plague Prayers,” the Šattiwaza Treaty, and other Hittite and Egyptian records. An analysis and comparison of the various texts associated, or potentially associated, with the Daḫamunzu Affair indicates that Daḫamunzu was Tutankhamun’s wife, Ankhesenamun. Furthermore, Nibḫururiya was either Tutankhamun or Ay. Because Ay married or co-ruled with Ankhesenamun after Tutankhamun’s death, he provided immediate succession and stability. After his death, however, Ankhesenamun was the last remaining member of the dynasty and in a vulnerable position. Her refusal to marry Horemheb may have led her to write the Daḫamunzu letters to make peace with the Hittites and perpetuate the dynasty. The chronology of events in Egypt, Ḫattuša, and Syria suggest that Ay is at least as good a candidate for Nibḫururiya as Akhenaten, Smenkhkare, or Tutankhamun.

Orta Anadolu’da M.Ö. 2. bin yılın baslarında Kızılırmak kavsi içerisinde kurulan Hitit Devleti, I.Šuppiluliuma döneminde Yukarı Mezopotamya ve Suriye bölgesine doğru önemli bir genişleme politikası izlemiştir. Anadolu’nun güneydoğusunda Fırat ve Dicle ırmaklarının arasında kalan ve “Verimli Hilal” olarak da adlandırılan Yukarı Mezopotamya bölgesinde o sırada güçlü Mitanni Devleti varlığını sürdürmekteydi. Mitanni’nin güneydoğusunda başlangıçta Mitanni’ye bağlı bir yerel krallık konumunda olan Asur Devleti bulunmaktaydı. Güney Mezopotamya’da Kassit Krallığı tarafından yönetilen ve bu dönemde sosyal ve kültürel alanda büyük gelişme göstermiş olan Babil Krallığı vardı.
M.Ö. 2. bin yılın ilk yarısından itibaren dönemin devletleri tarafından ele geçirilmek istenen asıl yer ise Suriye bölgesiydi. Çünkü bu bölge zengin liman kentlerine sahip ve ticaret yollarının kesiştiği bir noktada bulunuyordu. Bu yüzden bu bölgenin I. Šuppiluliuma döneminde Hitit hâkimiyetine geçmesi, başta Hititler olmak üzere bölgedeki halklar ve devletler için siyasi, kültürel ve ekonomik olarak bir çok sonuç doğuracaktı.

In the mid-fourteenth century BCE, two kings ruled in Hatti – Tudhaliya II and Suppiluliuma I. During this period, Hatti was fraught with political turmoil and instability. It began with the destruction of Hattusa, and ended with a glorious military campaign, in which a large part of Syria was conquered, and the foundation laid for a strong and prosperous kingdom.
Many studies have dealt with this epoch, since it parallels the el-Amarna period, however, its Hittite aspect has been comparatively overlooked. That, coupled with the discovery of several new sources for this period, provided the impetus for my research on this era. This volume sets out to identify important historical events that occurred during the protagonists’ reign, to verify them and examine their details, and then offers a synchronization of the Egyptian and Hittite chronologies.

This article deals with the last years of Tudhaliya II's reign (beginning of the Amarna Period). It is divided is divided into two parts:
1) In the first part I examine the evidence for the so-called ‘concentric attack’, which appear in the first tablets of the 'Deeds of Suppiluliuma', probe the current order of Fragments 1-17 of this text, and offer a new arrangement. My conclusion is that this tablets deal with Tudhaliya II's counter attack and with the re-establishment of the Hittite empire.
2) The second part concerns the synchronization between the reigns of Tudhaliya II and Suppiluliuma I and their Egyptian and Mittanian counterparts (chronological atble at the end of the article).

The present study provides an analysis and explanation of the political, social, economic and religious changes that occurred in Egypt from the second intermediate period until the end of the Amarna period. This study argues that the reasons of these changes are due to the spread of an epidemic that affected Egypt and many regions in the Near East, as well as it aims to discuss the reasons and how it moves to Egypt, the precautionary measures to confront the epidemic, and the quarantine system imposed by Amenhotep III and Akhenaten on some areas of the spread of the epidemic, as it refutes ancient texts, known as the plague Prayers of Muršili II, reveal that this deadly epidemic was brought by Egyptian prisoners of war taken to the Hittite capital city.

This paper suggests that following the death of Tudhaliya II (Tasmisarri), his family was divided into two parties, one led by Tudhaliya ‘the Younger’ and the other by Suppiluliuma. It then tries to identify the members of each group and to determine their kinship, clarifying the relationship between Suppiluliuma and the royal family. Further, based on newly available evidence concerning Suppiluliuma’s accession,
the paper suggests a possible restoration of the so-called ‘Cruciform Seal’.

SUMMARY: Lecture 17 provides a brief overview of the Hittites, their emergence, and the Hittite military system, social organization, religion, and other aspects. This lecture is designed mainly as an educational resource for college students (i.e., normally posted only on my institution's course website), the public (e.g., people auditing my course), and interested colleagues from other disciplines (to whom I provide copies privately).  I am posting it here, both as a broader access, educational tool, and especially to promote the study of this region and its past societies.  For further knowledge about this region and period, I refer interested parties to the textbooks and other sources from which the materials were extracted (see syllabus), and/or the bibliographies in these works and my online resource guides (see other files in my academia folders).  The lecture summarizes the pertinent materials in the course textbook(s), adding in other data, and furnishing numerous images to clarify information encountered within the textbook(s).  Some generic imagery (usually indicated as such) is posted to aid in transmitting various concepts visually, and/or when a specific image remains not located (temporarily).  I update and revise such lectures each time, with such elective courses normally being taught once every two years.  I try to cover the most current, mainstream views, and usually place summary notes at the end of each lecture alongside some of the key sources used for compiling the ppt.  Over time, each lecture is improved, errors rectified, and additional data placed within the lecture.  These ppt. lectures take many hours to compile, but they have proved useful to many of my more serious students and I hope they can be of benefit to others as well.  My apologies for any errors I may have made, and my liberal usage of educational imagery from professional sources and vetted internet sources. REVISED: Revisions to formatting, some new text and images (revised April, 2024).

The present article is offered in honor of Ahmet Ünal, whose scholarly legacy includes publications on Hittite history. It refers to a debate on the period preceding the rule of Suppiluliuma i (c. 1355-1322),1 which has engaged scholars continuously since at least the 1950s (Goetze, 1952) and which has witnessed a major revival in recent years (see, e.g., Forlanini, 2005; Groddek, 2009; de Martino, 2010a and 2013; Cordani, 2011; Stavi, 2011 and 2013; Miller, 2013; for a summary, see de Martino, 20ıob; Hawkins, 2011: 86-91). The following issues, which are of key importance in this discussion, will be discussed here in particular: (a) Tudhaliya III and his two queens, Sata(n)duhepa and Taduhepa, (b) the chronology of Tudhaliya 111'5 reign, and (c) the relations between Suppiluliuma, his spouse Henti and the royal family.

يعد الملك شوبيلوليوما الاول من اعظم ملوك المملكة الحثية، اذ لم يسبق ان تمكن اياً من الملوك الحثيين قبله من مد وتثبيت نفوذهم خارج بلاد الاناضول بالشكل الذي حققه شوبيلوليوما الاول، وذلك عِبر اتخاذه تدابير دبلوماسية وعسكرية مكنته من تأسيس امبراطورية قوية ومتماسكة، ساعدت خلفاءه من بعده في الاحتفاظ على نفوذهم فيها لمدة طويلة، بعد ان كانت المملكة تعاني من انقسامات واضطرابات شديده قبل ارتقاءه العرش الحثي.

I.Šuppiluliuma döneminde gücünün zirvesine ulaşan Hitit Devleti’nin ilgisi varolduğundan itibaren Kuzey Suriye ve Mezopotamya’ya karşı olduğu kadar Batı Anadolu’nun zengin kaynaklarına da yönelik olmuş ve bu kaynaklardan yararlanmak için sık sık buralara seferler düzenlemiştir. Hitit kralları, sefer düzenledikleri topraklara hâkim olan ülkeleri genelde Hititlerin vassalı haline getirerek bölgeyi kontrol etmeyi de amaçlamışlar ve çıkan sorunları diplomatik yollardan (vasallık antlaşmaları, mektuplaşmalar) çözmeye çalışmışlardır. Batı Anadolu ve etrafındaki diğer bölgelerde yer almaya başlayan vassal devletler sayesinde, Hitit kralları Orta Anadolu’daki merkez topraklarını genişletmeyi başarmıştır.
I.Šuppiluliuma döneminde genel olarak güneye yönelen Hititlerin Batı Anadolu politikaları olan durumu korumak yönünde olmuş. Bundan dolayı bölgedeki sorunları ve uygulayacakları politikaları genellikle diplomatik yollardan uygulamaya çalışmışlardır.

ABSTRACT: The following 160 questions follow the documentary (no.5),  Cinema Epoch, 2004. The Hittites: A Civilization that Changed the World (120 min.). The question sheet aids in furnishing a summary of the documentary's coverage and sequence of specific topics. This documentary combines a series of interviews with many excellent and leading specialists in the Hittites, Egypt's relations with the Hitttites, and uses on-site visits to the actual monuments and sites. It interweaves very good re-enactments, sets, and visuals in general (attempting to portray the Hittite architecture and material culture accurately). I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary, which begins in the Middle Bronze Age and proceeds chronologically through the main reigns and events to the Late Bronze Age, including discussion and coverage on diverse aspects of Hittite society and culture. Weblink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=19&v=rvyzw7dT7Ww (current active link; dvd available, but a bit harder to get).  Another excellent documentary on the Hittites is "Lost Warrior Kingdom" (Nat. Geo. and European production), which may have a YouTube link, but is virtually impossible to find otherwise as a commercially available dvd; Michael Wood also has a very good, albeit bit older documentary, on the Hittites within his series: In Search of the Trojan War (which I still show in my Aegean-Anatolia course Anth.245).

Teesid: 1907. aastal hetiidi kuninglikust arhiivist Hattuša linnas avastatud leping, mis on sõlmitud Hetiidi kuninga Šuppiluliuma I ja Mitanni kuninga Šattiwaza vahel 14. sajandil eKr, on äratanud uurijate tähelepanu sellega, et see sisaldab erinevate (hetiidi, assüüria, babüloonia jm) jumalanimede hulgas mitmeid nimesid, mille indoeuroopa päritolu on väljaspool kahtlust. Nimede esinemist lepingutekstis saab seletada Mitanni valitseva kihi indoeuroopa päritoluga. Indoeuroopa jumalanimede hulgas esineb ka Mi-it-ra-aš-ši-il, mida on tõlgendatud jumal Mitra esmamainimisena. Käesoleva artikli autorid juhivad eriliselt tähelepanu nime mitmuslikule vormile ja väidavad, et tõenäoliselt ei ole siin tegemist pärisnimega, vaid tea-tud jumalaterühma tähistusega, mida võiks tõlkida "lepingu(te)jumalad". Kuigi uurijad on olnud nime mitmusevormist teadlikud ka varem, on enamik jumal Mitrast kirjutanud teadlasi tõlgendanud nime ainsuslikuna ega ole autorite mee-lest pakkunud omalt poolt välja ka ühtegi veenvat nime tõlkevarianti.