432
edits
Changes
m
insert middle ad
====The Hittite New Kingdom====
The Hittite dark age ended when Tudhaliya I (ruled ca. 1430-1410 BC) came to the throne in Hattusa, but it was Suppiluliuma I (reigned ca. 1370-1330 BC) who truly made the Hittite Empire into a strong, militaristic state that was on par with the other great Near Eastern kingdoms of the period. Because of his efforts, Suppiluliuma I is often referred to by modern historians as Suppiluliuma “the Great.” Suppiluliuma I’s success was achieved not just through sheer brute force, but a combination of well-time and well-planned military campaigns combined with a clear and consistent diplomatic policy proved to be a winning formula. Not long after assuming the kingship, Suppiluliuma I recovered lost Hittite lands in Anatolia and then contracted a marriage with a Babylonian princess. <ref> Macqueen, p. 46</ref> The marriage allowed Suppiluliuma I to focus the Hittite army on Mitanni, which was a bordering kingdom and therefore a more immediate threat.
<dh-ad/>
Mitanni was one of the so-called “Great Powers” of the Near East when Suppiluliuma I came to power, but was severely weakened by internal problems and constant war with the Hittites. The king of Mitanni during most of Suppiluliuma’s reign, Tushratta, saw that his kingdom was in jeopardy so he made an alliance with the Egyptians; but the Egyptians under Tutankhamun (ruled ca. 1345-1335 BC) were more concerned with their own post-Amarna Period internal problems. Sensing a supreme opportunity, Suppiluliuma I led his army south into Mitanni and sacked the capital city of Washshukanni. A Hittite text recorded the event:
“I, the Sun Suppiluliuma, the great king, the king of the Hatti land, the valiant, the favorite of the Storm-god, went to war. Because of king Tusratta’s presumptuousness I crossed the Euphrates and invaded the country of Isuwa. . . I, the Sun Suppiluliuma, the great king, the king of the Hatti land, the valiant, the favorite of the Storm-god, reached the country of Alse and captured the provincial center Kutmar. To Antar-atal of the country of Alse I presented it as a gift. I proceeded to the provincial center Suta and ransacked it. I reached Wassukanni. The inhabitants of the provincial center Suta together with their cattle, sheep (and) horses, together with their possessions and together with their deportees I brought to the Hatti land, Tusratta, the king, had departed, he did not come to meet me in battle.” <ref> Pritchard, James B, ed. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691035032/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0691035032&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=64ac33031f999ef079ed9c5124752160 Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament].</i> 3rd ed. (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1992), p. 318</ref> Tushratta was assassinated by his inner circle and his son fled to Hatti to live as a refugee. <ref> Kuhrt, p. 253</ref> Suppiluliuma I had effectively toppled the once mighty Mitanni Kingdom and made it a vassal of the Hittites. With Mitanni eliminated, the Hittites were then able to turn their attention to the abundant resources of the Levant.
====Wars with Egypt====
* Anthony, David W. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/069114818X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=069114818X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=91acd1fb26fd0e39cec9c838c7246396 The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World].</i> (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2008)
* Kuhrt, Amélie. <i> [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415167620/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0415167620&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=e70bd85bb3b02513c87276a0a1579e70 The Ancient Near East: c. 3000-330 BC].</i> Volume 1. (London: Routledge, 2010)
* Pritchard, James B, ed. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691035032/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0691035032&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=64ac33031f999ef079ed9c5124752160 Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament].</i> 3rd ed. (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1992)
* Grayson, A. Kirk, trans. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1575060493/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1575060493&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=e29a8a0d81b1c856f82549acbdfd2991 Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles].</i> (Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, 2000)