Piyamaradu (also spelled ''Piyama-Radu'', ''Piyama Radu'', ''Piyamaradus'', ''Piyamaraduš'') was a warlord mentioned in Hittite documents from the middle and late 13th century BC. As an ally of the

Ahhiyawa The Achaeans or Akhaians (; , "the Achaeans" or "of Achaea") is one of the names in Homer which is used to refer to the Greeks collectively. The term "Achaean" is believed to be related to the Hittite term Ahhiyawa and the Egyptian term Ekwe ...

, he led or supported insurrections against the

Hittite empire 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 ...

in Western Anatolia. His history is of particular interest since his area of activity may have included

Wilusa Wilusa () or Wilusiya was a Late Bronze Age city in western Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) known from references in fragmentary Hittites, Hittite records. The city is notable for its identification with the archaeological site of Troy, and thus its ...

, thus suggesting a potential connection to the myth of the

Trojan War The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...

Meaning of the name

The name appears to be a compound with

Luwian Luwian (), sometimes known as Luvian or Luish, is an ancient language, or group of languages, within the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family. The ethnonym Luwian comes from ''Luwiya'' (also spelled ''Luwia'' or ''Luvia'') – ...

''piyama'' "gift" as its first part. Other Luwian names containing the same word are attested, such as

Piyama-Kurunta Piyama-Kurunta ({{langx, hit, 𒋧𒈠𒀭𒆗 ''SUM-ma-Dingir, dLAMMA'') was a prince and regent for the last independent king of Arzawa, a Bronze Age kingdom of western Anatolia. The king of Arzawa Uhha-Ziti named his son "Gift of the god Kurunta ...

. The second part of the word was earlier believed to be an unknown

theonym A theonym (from Greek (), 'god', attached to (), ) is a proper name of a deity. Theonymy, the study of divine proper names, is a branch of onomastics, the study of the etymology, history, and use of proper names. Theonymy helps develop an und ...

*''Radu'', but since Luwian words do not start with an ''r'', it must be ''aradu'', which may be a noun meaning "devotee", derived "from *''arada-'' 'religious community (vel sim.)', itself a derivative of *''ara-'' 'associate' (cf. Hittite ''ara-'' 'id.').

The identity and exploits of Piyamaradu

Piyamaradu's renegade activities are remarkable for their duration, having spanned at least 35 years, during which time he posed a considerable threat to three Hittite kings:

Muwatalli II Muwatalli II (also Muwatallis, or Muwatallish; meaning "mighty") was a king of the New Kingdom of the Hittite empire c. 1295–1282 ( middle chronology) and 1295–1272 BC in the short chronology. Biography He was the eldest son of Mursili II ...

Hattusili III Ḫattušili (''Ḫattušiliš'' in the inflected nominative case) was the regnal name of three Hittite kings: * Hattusili I (Labarna II) * Hattusili II * Hattusili III It was also the name of two Neo-Hittite kings: * Hattusili I (Kummuh) * Hattus ...

, and Tudhaliya IV. Some scholars speculate that Piyamaradu was the legitimate heir of

Uhha-Ziti Uhha-Ziti was the last independent king of Arzawa, a Bronze Age kingdom of western Anatolia around 1320 BC. Family Uhha-Ziti had two recorded children, Piyama-Kurunta and Tapalazunauli, who were of fighting age as of 1322 BC. History Late Bronz ...

, a previous king of

Arzawa Arzawa was a region and political entity in Western Anatolia during the Late Bronze Age. In Hittite texts, the term is used to refer both to a particular kingdom and to a loose confederation of states. The chief Arzawan state, whose capital wa ...

who was dethroned by the Hittite king

Mursili II There were three Hittite kings called Mursili: * Mursili I, ca. 1556–1526 BCE ( short chronology), and was likely a grandson of his predecessor, Hattusili I. His sister was Ḫarapšili and his wife was queen Kali. * Mursili II, (also spelled Mur ...

; perhaps he was the son of Uhha-Ziti's son

. However, Piyamaradu is nowhere referred to as a prince, and Bryce and Sommers prefer to describe him as a "rebellious Hittite dignitary". His attacks and raids in Western Anatolia on the Hittite vassal states of

, Seha, Lazpa (

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of , with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, eighth largest ...

) and

(

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

) have been interpreted as an attempt to reassert his own dynastic claim. He probably made a concurrent plea to the Great King of Hatti to be accepted as a Hittite vassal king. When his application was deprecated, he rebelled, and the Great King of Hatti suppressed him through the agency of a trusted vassal, Manapa-Tarhunta. Piyamaradu turned for support to the Great King of

(

Achaea Achaea () or Achaia (), sometimes transliterated from Greek language, Greek as Akhaia (, ''Akhaḯa'', ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Western Greece and is situated in the northwest ...

, i.e.

Mycenean Greece Mycenaean Greece (or the Mycenaean civilization) was the last phase of the Bronze Age in ancient Greece, spanning the period from approximately 1750 to 1050 BC.. It represents the first advanced and distinctively Greek civilization in mainlan ...

), and married his daughter to Atpa, the vassal ruler of Millawanda (

Miletus Miletus (Ancient Greek: Μίλητος, Mílētos) was an influential ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia, near the mouth of the Maeander River in present day Turkey. Renowned in antiquity for its wealth, maritime power, and ex ...

). Because he had allied with the Great King of Ahhiyawa against the Great King of Hatti, the Hittite archives call Piyamaradu a "troublemaker", "adventurer", "freebooter", or "mercenary", though he may have considered himself merely to be upholding his own (hereditary?) rights. The salience of his exploits in the record, together with his name and claim, render his dynastic descent plausible, but still entirely speculative.

Identification with Homeric personages

Piyamaradu has been conjectured to correspond to the archetype embodied in the epic/legendary

Priam In Greek mythology, Priam (; , ) was the legendary and last king of Troy during the Trojan War. He was the son of Laomedon. His many children included notable characters such as Hector, Paris, and Cassandra. Etymology Most scholars take the e ...

in the

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...

. Konstantinos Kopanias also suggests that Greek oral tradition remembering Piyamaradu's exploits served as the basis for later stories about Achilles in the

Epic Cycle The Epic Cycle () was a collection of Ancient Greek epic poems, composed in dactylic hexameter and related to the story of the Trojan War, including the '' Cypria'', the ''Aethiopis'', the so-called '' Little Iliad'', the '' Iliupersis'', the ' ...

Hittite archives

The relevant Hittite archival correspondence referring to him include: *

Manapa-Tarhunta letter The Manapa-Tarhunta letter ( CTH 191; KUB 19.5 + KBo 19.79) is a fragmentary text in the Hittite language from the 13th century BC. The letter was sent to the Hittite king by Manapa-Tarhunta, client king of the Seha River Land. In the letter, Manap ...

"...a notorious local troublemaker called Piyamaradu is harrying Wilusiya, a land of the

Assuwa Assuwa () was a region of Bronze Age Anatolia located west of the Kızılırmak River. It was mentioned in Aegean, Anatolian and Egyptian inscriptions but is best known from Hittite records describing a league of 22 towns or states that rebe ...

federation loosely allied with the Hittite Empire. The Hittite king has apparently ordered Manapa-Tarhunda to drive out Piyamaradu himself, but Manapa-Tarhunda's attempt has failed, so that a Hittite force is now sent out to deal with the problem." *

Tawagalawa letter The Tawagalawa letter (Catalogue des Textes Hittites, CTH 181) is a fragmentary Hittite text from the mid 13th century BC. It is notable for providing a window into relations between Hittites and Mycenaean Greece, Greeks during the Late Bronze Age ...

"The letter would be more appropriately known as the 'Piyama-Radu letter'". *

Milawata letter The Milawata letter ( CTH 182) is an item of diplomatic correspondence from a Hittite king at Hattusa to a client king in western Anatolia around 1240 BC. It constitutes an important piece of evidence in the debate concerning the historicity of H ...

"Like the Tawagalawa letter and also the Manapa-Tarhunta letter, the Milawata letter mentions the infamous adventurer Piyama-Radu; but as a figure of the past." *Letter from a King of Hatti (Hattusili III?) to another Great King. Includes a reference to Piyamaradu along with the King of

, but the text is too fragmentary for interpretation. * Votive Prayer of Puduhepa, consort of

and chief priestess. Dated to the mid-thirteenth century B.C.E., Puduhepa has traveled to the sea to make an offering in return for the sea god's intervention in apprehending Piyamaradu. One other god is appealed to, but the reference to the god's name is fragmentary.Gary M. Beckman, Trevor R. Bryce, and Eric H. Cline ''The Ahhijawa Texts'' 2011, Atlanta, Society of Biblical Literature, pp.248-252.

References

Bibliography

{{Portal, Asia
''American Journal of Archaeology Online Forum:'' "The Importance of Troy in the Late Bronze Age 2005--03-10"
*Heinhold-Krahmer, Susanne. **1986. "Untersuchungen zu Piyamaradu (Teil II)." ''Orientalia'' 55.47-62. **1983. "Untersuchungen zu Piyamaradu (Teil I)." ''Orientalia'' 52.81-97. *Gurney, Oliver 2002. "The authorship of the Tawagalawas Letter." ''Silva Anatolica'' Vol. 2002, pp. 133–141. *Beckman, Gary M., Bryce, Trevor R., Cline, Eric H. ''The Ahhijawa Texts'' 2011, Atlanta, Society of Biblical Literature. *Hoffner, Harry A., and Beckman, Gary M., ''Letters from the Hittite Kingdom'' 2009, Atlanta, Society of Biblical Literature * Max Gander (2014)
An Alternative View on the Location of Arzawa.
Hittitology today: Studies on Hittite and Neo-Hittite Anatolia in Honor of Emmanuel Laroche’s 100th Birthday. Alice Mouton, ed. p. 163-190 * Susanne Heinhold-Krahmer, Elisabeth Rieken (eds.): Der "Tawagalawa-Brief": Beschwerden über Piyamaradu. Eine Neuedition. (= Untersuchungen zur Assyriologie und vorderasiatischen Archäologie. Bd. 13). de Gruyter, Berlin/ Boston 2019, ISBN 978-3-11-058116-4.

External sites

Università degli Studi di Firenze - sagas.unifi.it 13th-century BC people People of the Trojan War Priam Arzawa people Ancient rebels Warlords