Tahurwaili was a
king
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
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-centra ...
(Middle Kingdom), c. early 15th century BC (
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 ...
)
or mid 15th century BC (
short chronology timeline
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 ...
). He was a cousin of the King
Telipinu
Telipinu was the last king of the Hittites Old Kingdom, living in 16th century BC, reigned c. 1525-1500 BC in middle chronology. At the beginning of his reign, the Hittite Empire had contracted to its core territories, having long since lost all ...
.
Family
As a
first cousin
Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...
of Telipinu, must have been the son of one of
Ammuna's brothers. This would have made him a direct male descendant of
Zidanta I
Zidanta I was a king of the Hittites (Old Kingdom), ruling for 10 years, ca. 1560–1550 BC (middle chronology) or 1496–1486 BC ( short chronology timeline). According to the Telepinu Proclamation, this king became a ruler by murder.
Zidanta wa ...
, so that his
royal blood stemmed ultimately from Zidanta’s
wife
A wife (plural, : wives) is a female in a marital relationship. A woman who has separated from her partner continues to be a wife until the marriage is legally Dissolution (law), dissolved with a divorce judgement. On the death of her partner, ...
. It was tenuous, but the
blood line was carried on.
[''The Kingdom of the Hittites'' by ]Trevor Bryce
Trevor Robert Bryce (; born 1940) is an Australian Hittitologist specializing in ancient and classical Near-eastern history. He is semi-retired and lives in Brisbane.
His book, ''The Kingdom of the Hittites'', is popular among English-speakin ...
Reign
Tahurwaili is not mentioned in any of many "offering lists",
[Joost Blastweiler, Kings, Queens and princes of the Hittite Kingdom in the offering lists of the Royal ancestors, in "Anatolia in the Bronze Age", Arnem, NL, 2013] but his existence is confirmed by the seal impressions found in Hattussa.
[S.R.Bin-Nun. Who was Tahurwaili, the great king? Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 26 No 2 April 1974] He ruled sometime between Telepinu and Zidanta II, but otherwise the placement of his rule in the sequence of kings is uncertain. Often he is put after Aluwamna and even Hantili II, based on the style of his seal (see, for example,
History of the Hittites), but such decision is speculative. Since he is mentioned in one of the Telepinu's letters (KUB 26:77) and is supposed to be Telepinu's cousin, it makes sense to assume that he ruled right after Telepinu. Here is the reasoning by Bin-Nun:
we know that Aluwamna was exiled by Telepinu, so it would be difficult for him to come to the throne right after Telepinu's death. Therefore, it makes sense to assume that the usurper could come to power for a while. Putting Tahurwaili's reign after Hantili II (son of Aluwamna, who is son-in-law of Telepinu) means moving Tahurwaili at least two generations down the time line.
Tahurwaili made a parity treaty with
Eheya of
Kizzuwatna
Kizzuwatna (or Kizzuwadna; in Ancient Egyptian ''Kode'' or ''Qode''), was an ancient Anatolian kingdom in the 2nd millennium BC. It was situated in the highlands of southeastern Anatolia, near the Gulf of İskenderun, in modern-day Turkey. It enc ...
. Its terms were very similar to those between
Paddatiššu and
Hantili II
Hantili II was a king of the Hittites (Middle Kingdom) in the 15th century BC.
Reign
Hantili was a son of King Alluwamna, as attested in a land grant document from Alluwamna to his son, Hantili.''T.Bryce. The Kingdom of the Hittites, Oxford Uni ...
. These kings are usually assumed, but neither of the treaties names a Hittite king.
See also
*
History of the Hittites
References
External links
Reign of Tahurwaili at Hittites.info
{{Authority control
Hittite kings
15th-century BC rulers