Zidanta I was a 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 ...

(Old Kingdom), ruling for 10 years, ca. 1560–1550 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 1496–1486 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 ...

). According to 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 ...

, this king became a

ruler A ruler, sometimes called a rule, scale, line gauge, or metre/meter stick, is an instrument used to make length measurements, whereby a length is read from a series of markings called "rules" along an edge of the device. Usually, the instr ...

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

Family

Zidanta was married to the daughter of Hantili, brother-in-law to King

Mursili I Mursili I (also known as Mursilis; sometimes transcribed as Murshili) was a king of the Hittites 1620-1590 BC, as per the middle chronology, the most accepted chronology in our times (or alternatively c. 1556–1526 BC, short chronology), and was ...

. It is known that his wife’s name ends with either -''ša'' or ''-ta''.

Prior to Kingship

The Royal Coup

Zidanta encouraged and helped Hantili to kill Mursili and seize the throne.Reign of Mursili I
He then served Hantili I for the duration of his reign.

Usurpation of the Throne

At the end of Hantili’s life, Zidanta killed Pišeni, the legitimate

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

, together with Pišeni’s children and foremost servants, and so made it possible for himself to become king.

Reign

His reign is thought to have lasted about 10 years around 1560-1550 BC (middle chronology).

Assassination

Zidanta was killed by his own son,

Ammuna Ammuna was a King of the Hittites ca. 1550–1530 BC (middle chronology) or 1486–1466 BC (short chronology timeline). The land seems to have suffered badly during his reign, and he lost a considerable amount of territory. Biography Family ...

, who then succeeded him.

Notes

External links

Reign of Zidanta I
{{Authority control Hittite kings 15th-century BC monarchs