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A Tentative Chronology of the Kingdom of Mittani From 035_042.qxd 13.02.2004 09:48 Seite 35 A T E N T A T I V E C H R O N O L O G Y O F T H E K I N G D O M O F M I T T A N I F R O M I T S R I S E T O T H E R E I G N O F T U Š R A T T A Stefano de Martino* Defining the chronology ofthe kingdom of Mittani times and ways in which the kingdom of Mittani in relative and absolute terms is particularly was formed are not known. problematic; in fact, not only are references to Nevertheless, some clues on the subject may be astronomical details lacking in Hurrian docu- gathered from the Hittite sources of the Old King- ments – unlike in Mesopotamian, Hittite and dom and, in particular, from the historiographic Egyptian texts – that could supply us with some narrations of the Hittite kings Ô attušili I and objective information, but the sources on the Muršili I. It must be said that the toponym Mittani kingdom of Mittani are scant, often indirect and has never been found in the Hittite texts of the limited to certain periods of the history ofthis Old Kingdom; the mention of Ô anigalbat in the country. Akkadian version of the “A nnals” of Ô attušili I The synchronisms that are seen between the (KBo X 1 Ro 11) might be an interpolation of a kings of Mittani, and the Hittite, Babylonian and subsequent age in this manuscript, since the com- Egyptian kings are useful in placing the history of pilation of it dates to the Imperial Age and, more- Mittani into the chronological grid of the ancient over, the textual tradition of this annalistic docu- Near East; however, problems that inevitably ment is very complex. 5 In all the texts at the time arise in the chronological reconstruction of all of Ô attušili I and Muršili I, and also in those of these areas – Egyptian, Hittite and Mesopotami- their successors, reference is made to the Hurrian an – again fall under the Mittanian chronology. political entities in the Syrian area against whom As we know, the first attestation of the the Hittites fight only via the ethno-linguistic toponym Mittani comes from an Egyptian expression Ô urla-/Ô urri “Hurrian”. source. It is the fragmentary inscription on the As M. S ALVINI pointed out, Mittani is not even tomb of an Egyptian official called Amen- mentioned in the texts of the archive ofTunip- emhet,1 who served under three Pharaohs, tešup, the Hurrian king of the country ofTiku- Ahmose I, Amenophis I and Tuthmosis I; he nani, which was situated east of the Euphrates;6 recalls having participated in a military expedi- to him Ô attušili I of Ô atti sent a letter related to tion on Syrian territory and in this context the the expedition that both were about to go on country of Mtn is mentioned, i.e. Mittani.2 It is against the town of Ô a ∆∆um.7 thought that this expedition possibly coincides In the military campaigns of Ô attušili I and with the one led by Tuthmosis I 3 in Syria; this is Muršili I against Alala∆ , Aleppo, Uršum, Ô aššum, the first synchronism that connects the history Ô a ∆∆um, the Hurrians intervene militarily of Mittani to the history ofEgypt, and in this against Ô atti, to try and check the Hittite case to the reign of Tuthmosis I, whose ascent to advance, and via operations of military aggres- the throne is dated, according to different sion inside the kingdom of Ô atti.8 The geographi- chronologies, to the end of the 16th or beginning cal area in which the presence of the Hurrians is of the 15th century B.C. 4 placed, according to the Hittite sources of the Old Unfortunately, we have no Mittanian sources Kingdom, corresponds more or less to what we related to this period that may give us further know about the kingdom of Mittani then, i.e. information on the subject; for this reason, the south-eastern Anatolia and northern Syria. * 4 University ofTrieste See V ON B ECKERATH 1994, 124. 1 5 See P ORTER and M OSS 1994, 457. See M ELCHERT 1978, 1–22. 2 6 See, recently, W ILHELM 1994, 287; K ÜHNE 1999, 213; See M ILLER 2001, 410–429 with previous literature. 7 D E M ARTINO 2000, 68, all with previous bibliography. See S ALVINI 1994, 61–68; S ALVINI 1996, 108–114. 3 8 See R EDFORD 1993, 154 n. 117 with previous bibliogra- See D E M ARTINO 1991, 71–84; D E M ARTINO 1992, 19–37. phy; W ILHELM 1994, 287. 035_042.qxd 26.02.2004 16:03 Seite 36 36 Stefano de Martino For this area, Hittite documents testify to a sequent to Muršili I, may have facilitated its very political situation that is fragmented; in the text rapid expansion.14 KBo III 60,9 more Hurrian kings are mentioned If we accept such a historical scenario about to whom the title “Kings of the Hurrian people the formation of Mittani, we must conjecture that (ÉRIN)”10 is given; it is significant that this title, this kingdom came into existence in the age imme- i.e. “King of the Hurrian people” – also docu- diately following that of the Hittite king Muršili I. mented in another Hittite text of the Old King- Now, this sovereign’s campaign against Babylon dom, KBo III 46 + II 54, – is borne by the kings and the end of the first Babylonian dynasty con- of Mittani11 in a subsequent age. This shows a cer- sequent to such expedition are dated depending on tain continuity between some Hurrian potentates the chronologies to 1595 (middle chronology) 1531 of this period and the subsequent kingdom of (low chronology), or 1499 (according to the Mittani. chronology suggested by H. G ASCHE15). In the for- Again from Hittite documentation at the time mer case, the interval lasting almost a century – of Ô attušili I and Muršili I, a situation of conflict between the supposed formation of Mittani and between these potentates can be inferred. In a the first attestation of the toponym Mittani to the recent article I put forward the hypothesis that time of Tuthmosis I – seems to be too long; from Ô attušili I exploited and instigated conflicts this standpoint, as G. WILHELM already pointed among some of these potentates of the region in out, it is better to work with the low chronology, 16 order to overcome the towns in western Syria, or a lower middle chronology, according to what supported by Aleppo, which the Hittite king was was recently suggested by C. M ICHEL and P. unable to defeat; in fact, the letter to Tunip-tešup R OCHER. 17 According to G ASCHE’ S “ultra-low of Tikunani shows that the Hittite king sided chronology”, Mittani, instead, should already with this small eastern Hurrian kingdom, fighting exist at the time of Muršili I. against Ô a ∆∆um. Furthermore, the text KBo I Mittani’s first attested king is Parattarna I.18 11,12 yet again from the time of Ô attušili I, also Before him, we have to perhaps place the kingdom makes reference to a dynastic struggle in the royal of Šuttarna, the sovereign documented by the house of one of the Hurrian principalities in west- impression of his seal, used in a more recent age ern Syria, enemies of the Hittites. 13 by Sauštatar. 19 Therefore, the hypothesis can be made for the As the inscription of Idrimi ofAlala∆ testifies, formation of the kingdom of Mittani to be placed Parattarna and Idrimi were contemporaries; but in this situation of ferment, conflict, and politi- not only: the treaty (AlT 3) drawn up between cal change in which the Hurrian potentates of Idrimi and Pilliya,20 king of Kizzuwatna, also Syria found themselves; the fall of the kingdom tells us that the latter was a contemporary of Šut- of Yam ∆ ad and the taking of Aleppo by Muršili tarna. Moreover, the texts of Terqa show that I, the destruction of Ebla, the annihilation of Parattarna was also a contemporary of Qiš- towns like Uršum, Ô a ∆∆um and Ô aššum by Ô at- Addu, the king of this country. 21 tušili I and Muršili I created a void, which the Pilliya of Kizzuwatna had also sealed a treaty eastern Hurrian principality of Mittani may with the Hittite king, Zidanza (KUB XXXVI have taken advantage of; while the political and 108), and therefore a synchronism can be estab- military weakness of the Hittite sovereigns, sub- lished between Ô atti and Mittani.22 Identifying 9 18 See, recently, DE M ARTINO 2002, 77–85, with previous See, recently, Wilhelm 1994, 293 with previous bibliog- bibliography. raphy. 10 19 See W ILHELM 1994, 292; K ÜHNE 1999, 208. See, recently, DE M ARTINO 2000, 76 and no. 41. 11 20 See W ILHELM 1994, 292. On the problem, if there were two sovereigns of Kiz- 12 See B ECKMAN 1995, 23–34. zuwatna with this name, see Beal 428–431, who shows 13 Vo 7: “The sons of the ‘Son of the Storm-god’ are fight- convincingly that there was only one king Pilliya. 21 ing one another over kingship”. See R OUAULT 1992, 254; R OUAULT 1988, 313. 14 22 See K LENGEL 1992, 86. The excludes the hypothesis put forward by VAN S OLDT 15 G ASCHE, A RMSTRONG, C OLE and G URZADYA N 1998.
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