The dating and sequence of Hittite kings is compiled by scholars from fragmentary records, supplemented by the finds in Ḫattuša and other administrative centers of cuneiform tablets and more than 3,500 seal impressions providing the names, titles, and sometimes ancestry of Hittite kings and officials. Given the nature of the source evidence, reconstructions vary among scholars, and the dating or even existence, relationships and sequence of some kings is disputed at several point within Hittite history. The list below indicates instances of such debates, with references.
All dates in the list below should be considered approximate. Hittite Chronology is almost completely dependent on synchronisms with other ancient Near Eastern countries.<ref>Kuhrt 1995: 229-231; Bryce 2005: 376-382.</ref> Such synchronisms are few and usually open to interpretation. Muršili I is believed to have overthrown Samsu-ditāna, the last king of the Amorite dynasty of Babylon, but the dating of this event varies widely across chronological schemes based on interpretations of the records of observation of Venus during the reign of Samsu-ditāna's predecessor. These have resulted in several chronologies for Mesopotamia. In reference to the capture of Babylon by Muršili I, these are High (1651 BC), Middle (1595 BC), Low (1531 BC), and Ultra-Low (1499 BC),<ref>Bryce 2005: 378.</ref> with additional variants such as the lower Middle Chronology (1587 BC).<ref>De Jong & Foertmeyer 2010; for an overview vis-à-vis recent scientific dating, see Höglmayer & Manning 2022.</ref> The distinction between these Mesopotamian chronological models disappears in the Late Bronze Age. Egyptian chronology is also subject to variant interpretations, resulting in three leading options, High (1304 BC), Middle (1290 BC), and Low (1279 BC), for the accession of Ramesses II, the contemporary of the Hittite kings Muwatalli II and Ḫattušili III.<ref>Kuhrt 1995: 205.</ref> Assuming the preferred Low Chronology for Egypt, Ramesses II fought Muwatalli II at Kadesh in 1274 BC (Year 5), concluded a peace treaty with Ḫattušili III in 1259 BC (Year 21), and married the latter's daughter Maathorneferure in 1246 BC (Year 34).<ref>Bryce 2005: 234, 277, 282.</ref>
On the Hittite side there are very few precise indicators. The "Apology" of Ḫattušili III indicates that his nephew and predecessor Muršili III reigned for 7 years.<ref>Bryce 2005: 261.</ref> A text of Muršili II records an omen of the sun at the beginning of the campaign season against Azzi-Ḫayaša, in Year 9 or 10 of the reign. It is often considered to have been a solar eclipse, with current scholarly opinion divided between one on 24 June 1312 BC (which was visible from central Anatolia but seemingly late in the year, apparently adopted in the chronologies of Amélie Kuhrt and Trevor Bryce) and one on 13 April 1308 BC (which was earlier in the year but marginally visible, from eastern Anatolia, apparently adopted in the chronology of Jacques Freu).<ref>Beckman 2000: 22 in favor of 1312 BC; Huber 2001: 640-644 prefers an earlier eclipse in 1340 BC on purely astronomical grounds; Wilhelm 2004: 74, 76 considers both 1312 BC and 1308 BC; Gautschy 2017 considers the eclipse in 1308 BC both possible and preferable.</ref>
The lists below use variations of the Mesopotamian Middle Chronology, the most generally accepted chronology of the Ancient Near East and the chronology that accords best with Hittite evidence.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The variants represented below derive from three comprehensive reconstructions of the chronological sequence of rulers, by Amélie Kuhrt (1995), Trevor Bryce (2005), and Jacques Freu (2007). All regnal dates remain approximations.
Old kingdomEdit
| Ruler | Reign (MC, Kuhrt, Bryce)<ref name=":1" /><ref>Bryce 2005: xv uses the same dates.</ref> | Reign (MC, Freu)<ref>Freu & Mazoyer 2007: 25.</ref> | Lineage and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ḫuzziya (I) | (omits) | Template:Circa | Father or father-in-law of Labarna;<ref>Freu & Mazoyer 2007: 52-55.</ref> existence disputed.<ref name=":1" /> |
| Labarna I | Template:Circa<ref>Kloekhorst, Alwin, (2020). "The Authorship of the Old Hittite Palace Chronicle (CTH 8): A Case for Anitta", in Journal of Cuneiform Studies 72 (2020): "...Recently, Forlanini proposed that the text's author was not Muršili I but rather Ḫattušili I, who tells about the times of his predecessor Labarna I (ca. 1680(?)–1650 BCE)..."</ref> | Template:Circa | Traditional founder of the royal line; son or son-in-law of Ḫuzziya;<ref>Freu & Mazoyer 2007: 52-55.</ref> existence disputed.<ref name=":1" /> |
| Ḫattušili ITemplate:Efn | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Nephew of the wife of Labarna I<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> |
| Muršili I | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Grandson of Ḫattušili I.<ref name=":0" /> Sacked Babylon Template:Circa.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> |
| Ḫantili I | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Brother-in-law of Muršili I<ref name=":0" /> |
| Zidanta I | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son-in-law of Ḫantili I<ref name=":0" /> |
| Ammuna | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son of Zidanta I<ref name=":0" /> |
| Ḫuzziya I (II) | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son of Ammuna (?)<ref name=":0" /> |
| Telipinu | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Brother-in-law of Ḫuzziya I<ref name=":0" /> |
Middle kingdom (often not distinguished from Old kingdom)Edit
| Ruler | Reign (MC, Kuhrt, Bryce)<ref name=":1" /><ref>Bryce 2005: xv.</ref> | Reign (MC, Freu)<ref>Freu & Mazoyer 2007: 25.</ref> | Lineage and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alluwamna | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son-in-law of Telipinu<ref name=":0" /> |
| Ḫantili II | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son of Alluwamna<ref name=":0" /> |
| Taḫurwaili | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Cousin of Telipinu;<ref>Birgit Brandau, Hartmut Schickert: Hethiter Die unbekannte Weltmacht</ref> placement uncertain<ref>Kuhrt 1995: 230 and Bryce 2005: xv tentatively place Taḫurwaili after Telipinu; Freu & Mazoyer 2007: 25 place Taḫurwaili after Ḫantili II.</ref> |
| Zidanta IITemplate:Efn | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son of Ḫaššuili, a possible brother of Ḫantili II;<ref>Freu & Mazoyer 2007: 166.</ref><ref name=":0" /> |
| Ḫuzziya II (III) | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son or son-in-law of Zidanta II (?);<ref>Freu & Mazoyer 2007: 172.</ref> |
| Muwatalli I | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Unclear lineage<ref name=":0" /> |
New kingdomEdit
| Ruler | Cartouche | Reign (MC, Kuhrt)<ref name=":1" /><ref>Kuhrt 1995's variant dates for Hittite New Kingdom reigns correspond to the Egyptian Middle and Low Chronology dates for Ramesses II, with his accession in 1290 BC or 1279 BC, respectively.</ref> | Reign (MC, Bryce)<ref>Bryce 2005: xv; this author tentatively treats Tudḫaliya I and Tudḫaliya II as a single king, whom he designates Tudḫaliya I/II.</ref> | Reign (MC, Freu)<ref>Freu & Mazoyer 2007: 25.</ref> | Lineage and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tudḫaliya I | File:Tudhaliya cartouche.svg | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son of Kantuzzili, descendant of Zidanta II (?)<ref>Freu & Mazoyer 2007: 311; Kuhrt 1995: 230.</ref> Identity disputed (= Tudḫaliya II ?)<ref>Bryce 2005: 122-123.</ref> |
| Ḫattušili II | File:Hattusili cartouche.svg | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son of Tudḫaliya I (?)<ref>Freu & Mazoyer 2007: 311; Kuhrt 1995: 230.</ref> Existence disputed <ref>Template:Cite book</ref> |
| Tudḫaliya II | File:Tudhaliya cartouche.svg | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son of Ḫattušili II (?)<ref>Freu & Mazoyer 2007: 311; Kuhrt 1995: 230.</ref> Identity disputed (= Tudḫaliya I ?)<ref>Bryce 2005: 122-123.</ref> |
| Arnuwanda I | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Adopted son and son-in-law of Tudḫaliya II<ref name=":0" /> | |
| Tudḫaliya IIITemplate:Efn | File:Tudhaliya cartouche.svg | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son of Arnuwanda I<ref name=":0" /> |
| Tudḫaliya the Younger (?) | (omits) | (omits) | (omits) | Son of Tudḫaliya III. Rule disputed. | |
| Šuppiluliuma I | File:Suppiluliuma cartouche.svg | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Adopted son and son-in-law of Tudḫaliya III<ref>Freu & Mazoyer 2007: 200-201.</ref><ref name=":0" /> Expanded the empire. Mentioned in the Amarna letters.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> |
| Arnuwanda II | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son of Šuppiluliuma I<ref name=":0" /> | |
| Muršili II | File:Mursili cartouche.svg | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son of Šuppiluliuma I<ref name=":0" /> |
| Muwatalli IITemplate:Efn | File:Muwatalli II cartouche.svg | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son of Muršili II<ref name=":0" /> Fought at the Battle of Kadesh. |
| Muršili IIITemplate:Efn | File:Mursili cartouche.svg | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son of Muwatalli II<ref name=":0" /> |
| Ḫattušili III | File:Hattusili cartouche.svg | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son of Muršili II<ref name=":0" /> Signatory of the Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty. |
| Tudḫaliya IVTemplate:Efn | File:Tudhaliya (IV) cartouche.svg | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son of Ḫattušili III<ref name=":0" /> Fought at the Battle of Nihriya. |
| Arnuwanda III | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Son of Tudḫaliya IV<ref name=":0" /> | |
| Šuppiluliuma IITemplate:Efn | File:Suppiluliuma cartouche.svg | Template:Circa | Template:Circa | Template:Circa<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | Son of Tudḫaliya IV<ref name=":0" /> Last known king before the Late Bronze Age collapse and end of the kingdom. |
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BibliographyEdit
- Bilgin, Tayfun (2018), Official and Administration in the Hittite World, Berlin.
- Beckman, Gary (2000), "Hittite Chronology," Akkadica 119-120 (2000) 19-32.
- Bryce, Trevor (2005), The Kingdom of the Hittites, Oxford.
- Freu, Jacques, and Michel Mazoyer (2007), Les débuts du nouvel empire hittite, Paris.
- Gautschy, Rita (2017), "Remarks Concerning the Alleged Solar Eclipse of Muršili II," Altorientalische Forschungen 44 (2017) 23-29.
- Höglmayer, Felix, and Sturt W. Manning, "A Synchronized Early Middle Bronze Age Chronology for Egypt, the Levant, and Mesopotamia," Journal of Near Eastern Studies 81 (2022) 1-24.
- Huber, Peter J. (2001), "The Solar Omen of Muršili II," Journal of the American Oriental Society 121 (2001): 640-644.
- De Jong, Teije, and Victoria Foertmeyer (2010), "A New Look at the Venus Observations of Ammisaduqa," Jaarbericht Ex Oriente Lux 42 (2010) 141-157.
- Kuhrt, Amélie (1995, reprinted 2020), The Ancient Near East: c.3000–330 BC, Volume One, Routledge.
- Wilhelm, Gernot (2004), "Generation Count in Hittite Chronology," in Hermann Hunger and Regine Pruzsinszky (eds.), Mesopotamian Dark Age Revisited, Vienna: 71-79.
See alsoEdit
- List of Neo-Hittite kings, for the rulers of the Neo-Hittite states, some of whom were direct descendants of the Hittite kings
- The rulers of Carchemish in particular presented themselves as successors of the Hittite kings and ruled in northern Syria until defeated by the Assyrians in 717 BC.
- History of the Hittites
- Tawananna, for Hittite queens
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
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