Shaushtatar
Encyclopedia
Shaushtatar also spelled Šauštatar , was a king of the Hurrian kingdom of Mitanni
in the fifteenth century BC.
. By the time he ascended the throne ca. the 15th century BC, his father had installed Hurrian client kings in a number of cities, making it easier for Shaushtatar to make Mittani a Mesopotamia
n power. Now freed from the constant threat undergone by Mitanni of the Egyptians
, Shaushtatar turned his attention toward Assyria
. He invaded Assyria and sacked and looted its capital, Assur
.
, along the way gathering beneath his sway all the northern Syrian states as he brought his army to the Mediterranean coast. He was looking to extend Mitanni's power further south, perhaps into Palestine
. However, much of southern Syria still lay within the Egyptian sphere of influence, which had long been a threat to Mitanni.
There was a consequence into Shaushtatar's expansion into Palestine: war with Egypt. Despite Mitanni's advantage that Palestine had a significant Hurrian population at the time, the war would be difficult to win. During the planning stages, however, Shaushtatar died, and his son Artatama I
would negotiate with the pharaoh Amenhotep II
over an alliance.
Mitanni
Mitanni or Hanigalbat was a loosely organized Hurrian-speaking state in northern Syria and south-east Anatolia from ca. 1500 BC–1300 BC...
in the fifteenth century BC.
Invasion of Assyria
Shaushtatar was the son of ParshatatarParshatatar
Parshatatar, or Paršatar, the name of a Hurrian king of Mitanni in the fifteenth century BC. He may be the same individual as king Barattarna.-Barattarna:...
. By the time he ascended the throne ca. the 15th century BC, his father had installed Hurrian client kings in a number of cities, making it easier for Shaushtatar to make Mittani a Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
n power. Now freed from the constant threat undergone by Mitanni of the Egyptians
Egyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
, Shaushtatar turned his attention toward Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
. He invaded Assyria and sacked and looted its capital, Assur
Assur
Assur , was one of the capitals of ancient Assyria. The remains of the city are situated on the western bank of river Tigris, north of the confluence with the tributary Little Zab river, in modern day Iraq, more precisely in the Al-Shirqat District .Assur is also...
.
Later Battles
After his invasion of Assyria, Shaushtatar turned his army westward across the EuphratesEuphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
, along the way gathering beneath his sway all the northern Syrian states as he brought his army to the Mediterranean coast. He was looking to extend Mitanni's power further south, perhaps into Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. However, much of southern Syria still lay within the Egyptian sphere of influence, which had long been a threat to Mitanni.
There was a consequence into Shaushtatar's expansion into Palestine: war with Egypt. Despite Mitanni's advantage that Palestine had a significant Hurrian population at the time, the war would be difficult to win. During the planning stages, however, Shaushtatar died, and his son Artatama I
Artatama I
Artatama I was a king of the Hurrian kingdom of Mitanni in the late fifteenth century BC. His reign coincided with the reigns of Egyptian pharaohs Amenhotep II and Thutmose IV....
would negotiate with the pharaoh Amenhotep II
Amenhotep II
Amenhotep II was the seventh Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. Amenhotep inherited a vast kingdom from his father Thutmose III, and held it by means of a few military campaigns in Syria; however, he fought much less than his father, and his reign saw the effective cessation of hostilities...
over an alliance.