Alaksandu
Encyclopedia
Alaksandu was a king of Wilusa
who sealed a treaty with Muwatalli II
ca. 1280 BC. This treaty implies that Alaksandu had previously secured a treaty with Muwatalli's father, Mursili II
, as well.
Alaksandu was a successor of one Kukkunni, although it is not known if he was his immediate successor. Muwatalli recalls the friendship of Kukkunni with his own grandfather, Suppiluliuma I
, and further evokes over three centuries of friendship between the Hittites
and Wilusa
dating back to the reign of Hattusili I
.
Muwatalli in his letter downplays the importance of royal ancestry, suggesting that Alaksandu had come to power by other means than regular succession, so that Alaksandu is not necessarily a blood-relation of Kukkunni's. This has been taken as a hint that he may have been an early Greek ruler called Alexander
, and he has been associated with Homer
's Alexandros of Ilion, who is better known by his nickname Paris
, of Troy
. However, the Hittite empire had already collapsed before the Trojan War, which explains their absence in the Homeric account, so this letter must refer to an earlier time. Paris' father Priam ruled up until the fall of Troy, and Homer's Paris was never king, so this must be an earlier ruler named Alexandros, perhaps Priam's grandfather.
One of three gods guaranteeing the terms of the treaty on the side of Alaksandu is Apaliunas
, from whom Apollon
apparently derived. The god Apollo
is portrayed in the Iliad
as the foremost champion of the Trojans and the one who helped Paris kill the otherwise invulnerable Achilles
.
This chronology is consistent with the archaeology of Troy, which shows that Troy VI
was destroyed by an earthquake, around 1300 BCE, after over 300 years of occupation, and then rebuilt. And, according to Greek legend, this rebuilding was completed by Poseidon
, Apollo
and Aeacus
.
Wilusa
Wilusa was a city of the late Bronze Age Assuwa confederation of western Anatolia.It is known from six references in 13th century BC Hittite sources, including...
who sealed a treaty with Muwatalli II
Muwatalli II
Muwatalli II was a king of the New kingdom of the Hittite empire .- Biography :He was the eldest son of Mursili II and Queen Gassulawiya, and he had several siblings....
ca. 1280 BC. This treaty implies that Alaksandu had previously secured a treaty with Muwatalli's father, Mursili II
Mursili II
Mursili II was a king of the Hittite Empire ca. 1321–1295 BC .-Family:Mursili II was the younger son of Suppiluliuma I, one of the most powerful rulers of the Hittite Empire...
, as well.
Alaksandu was a successor of one Kukkunni, although it is not known if he was his immediate successor. Muwatalli recalls the friendship of Kukkunni with his own grandfather, Suppiluliuma I
Suppiluliuma I
Suppiluliuma I was king of the Hittites . He achieved fame as a great warrior and statesman, successfully challenging the then-dominant Egyptian empire for control of the lands between the Mediterranean and the Euphrates....
, and further evokes over three centuries of friendship between the Hittites
Hittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
and Wilusa
Wilusa
Wilusa was a city of the late Bronze Age Assuwa confederation of western Anatolia.It is known from six references in 13th century BC Hittite sources, including...
dating back to the reign of Hattusili I
Hattusili I
Hattusili I was a king of the Hittite Old Kingdom. He reigned ca. 1586–1556 BC .He used the title of Labarna at the beginning of his reign...
.
Muwatalli in his letter downplays the importance of royal ancestry, suggesting that Alaksandu had come to power by other means than regular succession, so that Alaksandu is not necessarily a blood-relation of Kukkunni's. This has been taken as a hint that he may have been an early Greek ruler called Alexander
Alexander (disambiguation)
-Human names and groups:*Alexander, the name, together with a list of persons called Alexander*Alexander the Great , king of Macedonia*Alexander , persons with the surname Alexander*Aleksander , a Hasidic Jewish group...
, and he has been associated with Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
's Alexandros of Ilion, who is better known by his nickname Paris
Paris (mythology)
Paris , the son of Priam, king of Troy, appears in a number of Greek legends. Probably the best-known was his elopement with Helen, queen of Sparta, this being one of the immediate causes of the Trojan War...
, of Troy
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
. However, the Hittite empire had already collapsed before the Trojan War, which explains their absence in the Homeric account, so this letter must refer to an earlier time. Paris' father Priam ruled up until the fall of Troy, and Homer's Paris was never king, so this must be an earlier ruler named Alexandros, perhaps Priam's grandfather.
One of three gods guaranteeing the terms of the treaty on the side of Alaksandu is Apaliunas
Apaliunas
Apaliunas is a theonym, attested in a Hittite language treaty as a tutelary of Wilusa.Apaliunas is considered to be the Hittite reflex of *Apeljōn, an early form of the name Apollo....
, from whom Apollon
Apollon
Apollon may refer to:* Apollo, ancient Greek god of light, healing and poetry* Apollon , Formula One constructor* Apollon Kalamarias, Greek football club* Apollon Athens, a Greek football club from Athens...
apparently derived. The god Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
is portrayed in the Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
as the foremost champion of the Trojans and the one who helped Paris kill the otherwise invulnerable Achilles
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Plato named Achilles the handsomest of the heroes assembled against Troy....
.
This chronology is consistent with the archaeology of Troy, which shows that Troy VI
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
was destroyed by an earthquake, around 1300 BCE, after over 300 years of occupation, and then rebuilt. And, according to Greek legend, this rebuilding was completed by Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
, Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
and Aeacus
Aeacus
Aeacus was a mythological king of the island of Aegina in the Saronic Gulf.He was son of Zeus and Aegina, a daughter of the river-god Asopus. He was born on the island of Oenone or Oenopia, to which Aegina had been carried by Zeus to secure her from the anger of her parents, and whence this...
.