Hattusili III
Encyclopedia
Hattusili III was a king of the Hittite empire (New Kingdom or Late Empire) ca. 1267–1237 BC (short chronology). He was the fourth and last son of Mursili II
. Mursili appointed Hattusili as priest of Sausga of Samuha
, and Hattusili remained loyal to the "Ishtar of Samuha" to the end of his days.
His older brother Muwatalli II
moved his seat in Tarhuntassa
and appointed him governor of Hattusa
. Hattusili was a commander of Hittite forces during the famous Battle of Kadesh
against Egypt in 1274 BC. Hattusili as governor, also reconquered Nerik
and became the High Priest of its storm god. Hattusili named his eldest son and crown prince "Nerikkaili" in honor of this achievement. Hattusili married priestess of Ishtar
, Puduhepa
who later became Hittite queen and Tawanannas.
His nephew, Mursili III
(or Urhi-Teshub) moved the capital back to Hattusa (KBo 21.15 i 11-12), rendering Hattusili's governorship redundant. Mursili then deposed him from Nerik, triggering a civil war. Hattusili defeated and exiled his nephew. Hattusili renamed Urhi-Teshup's sibling Ulmi-Teshup "Kurunta
" (or: married her off to Kurunta), and appointed Kurunta over Tarhuntassa
in his place. After this, Hattusili elevated a junior son Tudhaliya IV
as crown prince instead.
Hattusili and the Egyptian
pharaoh
Ramesses II
sealed a written peace treaty
based upon Hittite models which, due to Egyptian monumental copies of it, has become the earliest well known treaty in history, establishing a long-lasting peace between the two rival empires. Ramesses married Hattusili's daughter, known the by the Egyptian name of Maathorneferure
. Years later he married another Hittite princess.
An archive of over 200 letters have been found from the royal palace at Hattusa
which show that Hattusili exchanged letters with numerous Near East
ern kings including Ramesses II
of ancient Egypt
. They are an important primary source for this period.
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...
. Mursili appointed Hattusili as priest of Sausga of Samuha
Samuha
Samuha was reputedly a city of the Hittites, a religious centre and for a few years military capital for the empire. Samuha's faith was syncretistic. Rene Lebrun in 1976 called Samuha the "religious foyer of the Hittite Empire"....
, and Hattusili remained loyal to the "Ishtar of Samuha" to the end of his days.
His older brother 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....
moved his seat in Tarhuntassa
Tarhuntassa
Tarhuntassa is an as-yet undiscovered Bronze Age city south of Hattusa. Speculations of its site include Konya, Rough Cilicia, the Gok Su valley, and the vicinity of Kayseri. The site of Kilise Tepe has also been proposed for it. Still others speculate that Tarhuntassa may be a Kaskan name for the...
and appointed him governor of Hattusa
Hattusa
Hattusa was the capital of the Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age. It was located near modern Boğazkale, Turkey, within the great loop of the Kızıl River ....
. Hattusili was a commander of Hittite forces during the famous Battle of Kadesh
Battle of Kadesh
The Battle of Kadesh took place between the forces of the Egyptian Empire under Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire under Muwatalli II at the city of Kadesh on the Orontes River, in what is now the Syrian Arab Republic....
against Egypt in 1274 BC. Hattusili as governor, also reconquered Nerik
Nerik
Nerik was a Bronze Age city to the north of the Hittite capitals Hattusa and Sapinuwa. The Hittites held it as sacred to a storm god who was the son of Wurusemu, sun goddess of Arinna...
and became the High Priest of its storm god. Hattusili named his eldest son and crown prince "Nerikkaili" in honor of this achievement. Hattusili married priestess of Ishtar
Ishtar
Ishtar is the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex. She is the counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate north-west Semitic goddess Astarte.-Characteristics:...
, Puduhepa
Puduhepa
Puduhepa was a Hittite tawanannas was married to King Hattusili III. She has been referred to as "one of the most influential women known from the Ancient Near East."...
who later became Hittite queen and Tawanannas.
His nephew, Mursili III
Mursili III
Mursili III, also known as Urhi-Teshub, was a king of the Hittites who assumed the throne of the Hittite empire at Tarhuntassa upon his father's death around 1272 BCE. He was a cousin of Tudhaliya IV and Queen Maathorneferure.- Biography :...
(or Urhi-Teshub) moved the capital back to Hattusa (KBo 21.15 i 11-12), rendering Hattusili's governorship redundant. Mursili then deposed him from Nerik, triggering a civil war. Hattusili defeated and exiled his nephew. Hattusili renamed Urhi-Teshup's sibling Ulmi-Teshup "Kurunta
Kurunta
Kurunta was an Anatolian tutelary deity in the Late Bronze Age frequently associated with stags. The Hittites typically wrote the name using the Sumerogram "dLAMMA"...
" (or: married her off to Kurunta), and appointed Kurunta over Tarhuntassa
Tarhuntassa
Tarhuntassa is an as-yet undiscovered Bronze Age city south of Hattusa. Speculations of its site include Konya, Rough Cilicia, the Gok Su valley, and the vicinity of Kayseri. The site of Kilise Tepe has also been proposed for it. Still others speculate that Tarhuntassa may be a Kaskan name for the...
in his place. After this, Hattusili elevated a junior son Tudhaliya IV
Tudhaliya IV
Tudhaliya IV was a king of the Hittite Empire , and the younger son of Hattusili III. He reigned ca. 1237 BCE–1209 BCE. His mother was called Puduhepa...
as crown prince instead.
Hattusili and the Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
sealed a written peace treaty
Peace treaty
A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, that formally ends a state of war between the parties...
based upon Hittite models which, due to Egyptian monumental copies of it, has become the earliest well known treaty in history, establishing a long-lasting peace between the two rival empires. Ramesses married Hattusili's daughter, known the by the Egyptian name of Maathorneferure
Maathorneferure
Maathorneferure was an Ancient Egyptian queen, the Great Royal Wife of Ramesses II.-Family:Maathorneferure was a daughter of the Hittite king Hattusili III and his wife Queen Pudukhepa...
. Years later he married another Hittite princess.
An archive of over 200 letters have been found from the royal palace at Hattusa
Hattusa
Hattusa was the capital of the Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age. It was located near modern Boğazkale, Turkey, within the great loop of the Kızıl River ....
which show that Hattusili exchanged letters with numerous Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
ern kings including Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
of ancient Egypt
New Kingdom
The New Kingdom of Egypt, also referred to as the Egyptian Empire is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of Egypt....
. They are an important primary source for this period.
External links
- Reign of Hattusili III
- The Eternal Treaty from the Hittite perspective by Trevor Bryce, BMSAES 6 (2006), pp. 1–11