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:''See also Muwatalli I'' Muwatalli II (also Muwatallis, or Muwatallish) was a king of the New Kingdom of the
Hittite empire The Hittites () were an Anatolian people who played an important role in establishing first a kingdom in Kussara (before 1750 BC), then the Kanesh or Nesha kingdom (c. 1750–1650 BC), and next an empire centered on Hattusa in north-centr ...
c. 1295–1282 (
middle chronology The chronology of the ancient Near East is a framework of dates for various events, rulers and dynasties. Historical inscriptions and texts customarily record events in terms of a succession of officials or rulers: "in the year X of king Y". Com ...
) and 1295–1272 BC in the
short chronology The chronology of the ancient Near East is a framework of dates for various events, rulers and dynasties. Historical inscriptions and texts customarily record events in terms of a succession of officials or rulers: "in the year X of king Y". Com ...
.


Biography

He was the eldest son of Mursili II and Queen
Gassulawiya Gassulawiya was a Hittite queen of the king Mursili II, ruler of the Hittite Empire (New kingdom) ca. 1321–1295 BC (short chronology). Family Gassulawiya is known to have had several children including a daughter named Massanauzzi (referred t ...
, and he had several siblings. He is best known for relocating the Hittite capital to Tarhuntassa, appointing his brother Hattusili as governor in
Hattusa Hattusa (also Ḫattuša or Hattusas ; Hittite: URU''Ḫa-at-tu-ša'', Turkish: Hattuşaş , Hattic: Hattush) was the capital of the Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age. Its ruins lie near modern Boğazkale, Turkey, within the great loop of ...
, and fighting
Ramesses II Ramesses II ( egy, rꜥ-ms-sw ''Rīʿa-məsī-sū'', , meaning "Ra is the one who bore him"; ), commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Along with Thutmose III he is often regarded a ...
in the
Battle of Kadesh The Battle of Kadesh or Battle of Qadesh took place between the forces of the New Kingdom of Egypt under Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire under Muwatalli II at the city of Kadesh on the Orontes River, just upstream of Lake Homs near the ...
. A copy of a treaty has been recovered between him and
Alaksandu Alaksandu, ( Hittite: 𒀀𒆷𒀝𒊭𒀭𒁺𒍑 ''Alâkšândûš'') alternatively called Alakasandu or Alaksandus was a king of Wilusa who sealed a treaty with Hittite king Muwatalli II ca. 1280 BC. This treaty implies that Alaksandu had pr ...
, ruler of
Wilusa Wilusa ( hit, ) or Wilusiya was a Late Bronze Age city in western Anatolia known from references in fragmentary Hittite records. The city is notable for its identification with the archaeological site of Troy, and thus its potential connection ...
(
Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...
), one of the
Arzawa Arzawa was a region and a political entity (a " kingdom" or a federation of local powers) in Western Anatolia in the second half of the 2nd millennium BC (roughly from the late 15th century BC until the beginning of the 12th century BC). The core ...
lands. Egyptologists suspect that some time prior to Ramesses II's accession to the Egyptian throne, Muwattalli had reached an informal peace treaty or understanding with
Seti I Menmaatre Seti I (or Sethos I in Greek) was the second pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt during the New Kingdom period, ruling c.1294 or 1290 BC to 1279 BC. He was the son of Ramesses I and Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II. The ...
over Kadesh to avoid a clash between the two powers over control of Syria. In it, Seti effectively ceded Kadesh to the Hittite king in order to focus on domestic issues in Egypt. Muwatalli had a wife named Tanu-Ḫepa and at least two children. One was Urhi-Teshup, who became king as
Mursili III Mursili III, also known as Urhi-Teshub, was a king of the Hittites who assumed the throne of the Hittite empire (New Kingdom) at Tarhuntassa upon his father's death. He was a cousin of Tudhaliya IV and Queen Maathorneferure. He ruled ca. 1282–1 ...
until his uncle Hattusili III deposed him. Another was Kurunta who became the vassal ruler of Tarhuntassa during the reign of Hattusili III. Another person named Ulmi-Teshup is suggested to be a third son of Muwatalli II, but it is quite likely that Ulmi-Teshup and Kurunta are the same person.
Tudhaliya IV Tudhaliya is the name of several Hittite kings: *Tudhaliya (also Tudhaliya I) is a hypothetic pre-Empire king of the Hittites. He would have reigned in the late 17th century BC (short chronology). Forlanini (1993) conjectures that this king corre ...
and Egyptian Queen Maathorneferure were the nephew and niece of Muwatalli. Muwatalli's namesake, Muwatalli I, was a pre-Empire king of the early 14th century, the predecessor of Tudhaliya I.


Move to Tarhuntassa

At the start of Muwatalli II's reign the capital of Hatti was Hattusa, located in the northern region of Anatolia. Not long after he came into power, he made the decision to move the capital to a new location, which he named Tarhuntassa. There is no documentation stating the reason why the capital was moved, but scholars, based on later texts written by his brother Hattusili III and the campaigns Muwatalli II fought, have come up with two possible reasons. The first theory is that Muwatlli II moved the capital because of the border skirmishes between the Hittites and the
Kaska The Kaska or Kaska Dena are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group living mainly in northern British Columbia and the southeastern Yukon in Canada. The Kaska language, originally spoken by the Kaska, is an Athaba ...
, and later the rebellion by Piyamaradu. These disputes were on the northern border, and the capital of Hattusa is located near the northern border. After stabilizing the northern border, he moved the capital farther south, to the new location of Tarhuntassa. This new location was not only farther away from the troublesome northern border, but it was also strategically better for the upcoming fight against Egypt over Syria.Bryce, Trevor. ''The Kingdom of the Hittites.'' New ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005 pg. 230-233. The second theory of why Muwatalli II moved his capital south is for religious reasons.
Itamar Singer Itamar Singer (November 26, 1946 – September 19, 2012) was an Israeli author and historian of Jewish-Romanian origin. He is known for his research of the Ancient Near East and as a leading Hittitologist, pioneering the study of this ancie ...
, in his essay “The Failed Reforms of
Akhenaten Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Echnaton, Akhenaton, ( egy, ꜣḫ-n-jtn ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning "Effective for the Aten"), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth D ...
and Muwatalli” states that the reason for the move had deeper roots in a religious reform, although he does acknowledge the political advantages of the move. The main evidence for this is how the depiction of the Storm God on his royal seals changes significantly after the expulsion of Danuhepa. Muwatalli II introduces a new motif for seals that is followed by all the Hittite kings that rule after him: the ''Umarmungsszene'' (German) (the protective embrace of the deity). This style is identifiable because it shows the king being embraced by one (or more) gods. In Muwatalli II's seals, he is being embraced by the Storm God of Lightning ( Pihassassa) instead of the traditional Storm God of Heaven (Teshub).


Sirkeli relief

The relief of Muwatalli II is located near Sirkeli Höyük, which is one of the largest settlement mounds in Plain Cilicia. The settlement is situated on the left bank of the Ceyhan River, known in ancient times as Puruna or Pyramos. The inscription of the king mentions also the name of his father Mursili II: “Muwattalli, Great King, the Hero, son of Mursili, Great King, the Hero”. He wears a long robe and, in his left hand, he holds the ''kalmus'' (
lituus The word ''lituus'' originally meant a curved augural staff, or a curved war-trumpet in the ancient Latin language. This Latin word continued in use through the 18th century as an alternative to the vernacular names of various musical instruments ...
). The appearance of King Muwattalli is consistent with the way the
Sun God of Heaven The Sun god of Heaven ( Hittite: nepišaš Ištanu) was a Hittite solar deity. He was the second-most worshipped solar deity of the Hittites, after the Sun goddess of Arinna. The Sun god of Heaven was identified with the Hurrian solar deity, Šimi ...
(''Nepisas Istanu'', or ''Simige'') was portrayed in Hittite iconography; so this indicates deification. A second, very similar relief is a few meters away, but it was partially destroyed in antiquity. The nature of the damage indicates a deliberate destruction, so that the name of this figure could not be read. This figure is probably Urḫi-Teššup, whose throne name was Muršili (III). He became the king of Hatti after the death of his father Muwatalli II, but was overthrown 7 years later by his uncle
Hattušili III Ḫattušili (''Ḫattušiliš'' in the inflected nominative case) was the regnal name of three Hittite kings: * Ḫattušili I (Labarna II) *Ḫattušili II *Ḫattušili III It was also the name of two Neo-Hittite kings: * Ḫattušili I (Labarn ...
. These reliefs were probably directly visible to the people entering the ancient town, and dominated the landscape. But because the course of the river kept changing over the centuries, currently the reliefs are not so easily visible to visitors. During the Hittite period, Sirkeli Höyük may have been the cult town of
Kummanni Kummanni ( Hittite: ''Kummiya'') was the name of the main center of the Anatolian kingdom of Kizzuwatna. Its location is uncertain, but it may have been near the classical settlement of Comana in Cappadocia. Recent research also proposed as a loc ...
.


Battle of Kadesh


Overview

Muwatalli II is best known as the Hittite ruler who fought
Ramesses II Ramesses II ( egy, rꜥ-ms-sw ''Rīʿa-məsī-sū'', , meaning "Ra is the one who bore him"; ), commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Along with Thutmose III he is often regarded a ...
to a standstill at the
Battle of Kadesh The Battle of Kadesh or Battle of Qadesh took place between the forces of the New Kingdom of Egypt under Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire under Muwatalli II at the city of Kadesh on the Orontes River, just upstream of Lake Homs near the ...
. Among his allies was Talmi-Sharruma, grandson of Suppiluliumas I, who was the king of
Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...
. Although both sides claimed victory in this war, scholars generally believe that the battle ended badly for both sides, especially Ramesses II. This is because both sides suffered heavy losses and their military strength was reduced. What makes this battle unique is not how it ended, but that out of all the battles that Ramses II fought during his reign, he gave special attention to this battle. This is evident by the fact that he produced two official versions of the battle: the Literary Record, sometimes referred to as the Poem, and the Pictorial Record, which includes the Bulletin, a short record of the battle and carved images. These two depictions of the battle are found inscribed in five different Egyptian temples, including the
Ramesseum The Ramesseum is the memorial temple (or mortuary temple) of Pharaoh Ramesses II ("Ramesses the Great", also spelled "Ramses" and "Rameses"). It is located in the Theban Necropolis in Upper Egypt, on the west of the River Nile, across from the ...
.Miriam Lichtheim, ''Ancient Egyptian Literature: The New Kingdom,'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006), 43 The second thing that makes this battle noteworthy is the tactics that Muwatalli II used against the Egyptian Army. The general outline of the battle is this: Muwatlli II gathered his troops in northern Syria and sent out scouts and spies to ascertain the location of Ramesses II army. The spies reached Ramesses II and the division of Amun, when he was first approaching Kadesh. The spies, pretending to be deserters, gained the ear of Ramses II. They used this to convince him that the Hittite army was over hundred miles away in Aleppo. Sometime later, other Hittite scouts were caught, and Ramesses II discovered the ruse: Muwatalli II was right outside of Kadesh with his forces. The battle began when the Hittite forces attacked the Egyptian army that was marching towards Kadesh. Ramses II, at his camp in Kadesh, had gone ahead of his other divisions and only had one division of his army with him. While the division to the south of Ramses II was being attacked by one attachment of Hittite charioteers, Muwatalli II had sent a second division of charioteers to attack Ramses II camp. Ramses II forces managed to fend off the Hittite attack and “win” the battle on the following day.


Egyptian account

The two accounts that Ramses II created of the battle depict it as an epic struggle against the Hittite army, where Ramses II shows off his prowess as a brilliant military leader. In the shorter Bulletin, Muwatalli II is frequently described as “the vile Chief of Khatti.” Translation of the Battle of Kadesh Egyptian texts taken from: Miriam Lichtheim, ''Ancient Egyptian Literature: The New Kingdom,'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006), 44. Ramses II admits to having heard the false reports of Muwatalli II's whereabouts, but when he discovers where Muwatalli II's forces really are, he claims that “His majesty slaughtered them in their places; they sprawled before his horses; and his majesty was alone, no other was with him.” In the longer Poem, Ramesses II again calls Muwatalli II the “vile foe of Khatti” but in this version he also depicts Muwatalli II as being afraid of him, saying “the vile Chief of Khattii stood in the midst of the army that was with him and did not come out to fight for fear of his majesty” and “the wretched Chief of Khatti stood among his troops and chariots… stood turning, shrinking, afraid.” The Poem and Bulletin both end with Ramesses II winning a stunning victory over Muwatalli II and the Poem ends with Muwatalli signing a peace treaty with Ramesses II out of fear. Despite the enthusiastic depiction of the battle by Ramesses II, scholars have concluded that the battle was a disaster for Ramesses II. This is because after the battle, Muwatalli II continued to expand into Syria and the Egyptian expansion was stopped in the area of Palestine.Marc Van De Mieroop, ''A History of the Ancient Near East. ca. 3000-323 BC,'' 3rd ed. (West Sussex: Wiley Blackwell, 2016), 169.


See also

*
History of the Hittites The Hittites () were an Anatolian people who played an important role in establishing first a kingdom in Kussara (before 1750 BC), then the Kanesh or Nesha kingdom (c. 1750–1650 BC), and next an empire centered on Hattusa in north-cent ...


Notes


External links


Reign of Muwatalli II

The failed reforms of Akhenaten and Muwatalli
by
Itamar Singer Itamar Singer (November 26, 1946 – September 19, 2012) was an Israeli author and historian of Jewish-Romanian origin. He is known for his research of the Ancient Near East and as a leading Hittitologist, pioneering the study of this ancie ...
in British Museum Studies in Ancient Egypt and Sudan (BMSAES) 6(2006), pp. 37–58 {{DEFAULTSORT:Muwatalli Ii 1270s BC deaths Hittite kings 13th-century BC rulers Year of birth unknown