Labarna was the traditional first king of the
Hittites
The Hittites () were an Anatolian peoples, Anatolian Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in mo ...
, (
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 ...
), the most accepted chronology nowadays. He was the traditional founder of the Hittite Old Kingdom (fl. c. 1680(?)-1650 BC). His wife was
Tawannanna
Tawananna is the title for the queen of the Hittites, the king's consort, as long as she was living. Upon her death the title ''Tawananna'' passed to her daughter or the new king's consort, whichever was available to ascend. The Hittites were rul ...
.
The existence of Labarna is questioned by some modern scholars. ''
Labarna ''Tabarna'' or ''labarna'' was a royal title used by the Hittites. It was used from at least the 17th century BC until the end of the Hittite empire, except for the brief period from Suppiluliuma I to Muwatalli II. It was in origin possibly a perso ...
'' was also a title of early Hittite rulers, such as
Hattusili I Ḫattušili (''Ḫattušiliš'' in the inflected nominative case) was the regnal name of three Hittite kings:
* Hattusili I (Labarna II)
* Hattusili II
*Hattusili III Ḫattušili (''Ḫattušiliš'' in the inflected nominative case) was the regnal ...
. Given the relatively few contemporaneous references to Labarna personally, some scholars have suggested that pioneering
Hittitologist
Hittitology is the study of the Hittites, an ancient Anatolian people that established an empire around Hattusa in the 2nd millennium BCE. It combines aspects of the archaeology, history, philology, and art history of the Hittite civilisation.
Ther ...
s may have erred in assuming that Labarna was the personal name of a king. According to this theory, the first ''Labarna'' (in the sense of a title) was Hattusili I, who is normally regarded as the second ''Labarna''.
''Tabarna'', a variant of ''Labarna'', is mentioned often in Hattian, Hittite, Hurrian and Akkadian texts from the Hittite archives.
Biography
Labarna was not the first in line to the throne.
PU-Sarruma
PU-Sarruma (PU-lugal, LUGAL-ma, mPU-''Šàr-(rù)-ma'', possibly representing ''Hišmi-Šarruma'') is a conjectured List of Hittite kings, pre-Empire king of the Hittites. The conjecture was forwarded by Emil Forrer and is not commonly accepted.
H ...
designated Labarna as his successor after his own sons revolted against him. Upon
PU-Sarruma
PU-Sarruma (PU-lugal, LUGAL-ma, mPU-''Šàr-(rù)-ma'', possibly representing ''Hišmi-Šarruma'') is a conjectured List of Hittite kings, pre-Empire king of the Hittites. The conjecture was forwarded by Emil Forrer and is not commonly accepted.
H ...
's death, Labarna and
Papahdilmah, one of
PU-Sarruma
PU-Sarruma (PU-lugal, LUGAL-ma, mPU-''Šàr-(rù)-ma'', possibly representing ''Hišmi-Šarruma'') is a conjectured List of Hittite kings, pre-Empire king of the Hittites. The conjecture was forwarded by Emil Forrer and is not commonly accepted.
H ...
's sons, contended for the throne, with Labarna emerging victorious.
What little is known about him is culled mainly from the
Telepinu Proclamation
Telipinu (or Telepinu) Proclamation is a Hittite edict, written during the reign of King Telipinu, c. 1525-1500 BCE. The text is classified as CTH 19 in the Catalogue of Hittite Texts.
The edict is significant because it made possible to recon ...
, which states that he overwhelmed his enemies and "made them borders of the sea",
§3 a statement which may refer to conquests as far as the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast in the south, and the Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
in the north.
Labarna installed his sons as governors in several cities including Tuwanuwa, Hupisna, Landa, and Lusna (the identities of these cities are uncertain, but thought to perhaps be Tyana
Tyana, earlier known as Tuwana during the Iron Age, and Tūwanuwa during the Bronze Age, was an ancient city in the Anatolian region of Cappadocia, in modern Kemerhisar, Niğde Province, Central Anatolia, Turkey.
It was the capital of a Luwia ...
, Heraclea Cybistra
Heraclea Cybistra (), or simply Heraclea or Herakleia (Ἡράκλεια), also transliterated as Heracleia, was a town of ancient Cappadocia or Cilicia; located at the site of modern Ereğli in Konya Province, Turkey.
History
Middle Bronze ...
, Laranda, and Lystra
Lystra () was a city in central Anatolia, now part of present-day Turkey. It is mentioned six times in the New Testament. Lystra was visited several times by Paul the Apostle, along with Barnabas or Silas. There Paul met a young disciple, Timoth ...
). Through his conquests, he was responsible for laying the groundwork for the Hittite empire that was to come.
See also
* History of the Hittites
The Hittites () were an Anatolian Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in modern-day Turkey in the early 2nd millen ...
References
External links
Reign of Labarna I
Hittite kings
16th-century BC monarchs
{{ANE-bio-stub