Kirta is a legendary

Hurrian The Hurrians (; cuneiform: ; transliteration: ''Ḫu-ur-ri''; also called Hari, Khurrites, Hourri, Churri, Hurri or Hurriter) were a people of the Bronze Age Near East. They spoke a Hurrian language and lived in Anatolia, Syria and Norther ...

king. He is traditionally thought to have founded the dynasty of

Mitanni Mitanni (; Hittite cuneiform ; ''Mittani'' '), c. 1550–1260 BC, earlier called Ḫabigalbat in old Babylonian texts, c. 1600 BC; Hanigalbat or Hani-Rabbat (''Hanikalbat'', ''Khanigalbat'', cuneiform ') in Assyrian records, or '' Naharin'' ...

though epigraphic support for that is thin. A seal was found reading "Šuttarna, son of Kirta , king of Maitani." He may have reigned around 1540 BC as per

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 ...

. His offsprings included

Shuttarna I Shuttarna I was an early king of the Mitanni. His name is recorded on a seal found at Alalakh. The inscription reads "son of Kirta" and is the only reference about this king yet discovered.Jankowska, N. B.. "11. Asshur, Mitanni, and Arrapkhe". Earl ...

and

Barattarna Barattarna, Parattarna, Paršatar, or Parshatatar was the name of a Hurrian king of Mitanni and is considered to have reigned, as per middle chronology between c. 1510 and 1490 BC by J. A. Belmonte-Marin quoting H. Klengel. Very few records of ...

. Mitanni's rise under Kirta might have been facilitated by the disappearance of the Babylonian kingdom.

References

Hurrian kings Mythological kings {{AncientNearEast-bio-stub

See also

References