Bentesina

Bentešina ( Benteschina ; Sumerian ^I ZAG.ŠEŠ, Ugaritic Pndḏn) was the son and successor of Duppi-Teššup of Amurru and took over with interruptions in the period from about 1290/80 BC. BC to 1235 BC The royal office of Amurru.

Surname

His name is probably Hurrian and is composed of fandi (right), šena (brother) and the article -ni . Fandi-šenni means something like "The brother is just".

Life

When exactly Bentešina ascended the throne is unknown. However, he is proven to be the king of Amurru even before the battle of Kadesch (approx. 1274 BC) when he dissolved the alliance with the Hittites and in approx. 1276/1275 BC. Moved to the Egyptian side after Ramses II attacked Ammuru in his fourth year of reign. Because of this breach of loyalty, Muwattalli II. Bentešina resigned as king after the Battle of Kadeš, after which the Hittites had regained control of Amurru, and led him to Ḫatti prisoner . Šapili was installed as the new king in Amurru. Strategic considerations like Ḫattušili III. to demand the extradition of Bentešina from Muwattalli II. After Muwattalli II complied with the request, Ḫattušili III. Bentešina a place of residence in Ḫakpiš . When finally Ḫattušili III. against Muršili III. revolted and became great king himself, he deposed the previous king Šapili and gave Bentešina back his office. Ḫattušili III. married his daughter Gaššuliyawiya with Bentešina and Nerikkaili , a son of Ḫattušilis, married a daughter of Bentešina. On this occasion, the contract that Aziru had concluded with Šuppiluliuma I was renewed . Ḫattušili III. explained his mild action against Bentešina, pointing out that the Egyptians under Ramses II had left Bentešina no other choice. As a result, Bentešina was in the same position as Aziru earlier.

In a letter Ḫattušili III. at Kadašman-Enlil II of Babylon , Bentešina is mentioned as the ruler of Amurru. The Babylonian king complains (retelling of Ḫattušilis) that his traders in Ugarit and Amurru were killed and that Bentešina ( Bantip-šenni ) cursed him.

Bentešina is still king of Amurru and a witness of the state treaty between Tudḫaliya IV. And Kurunta , which was signed around 1236 BC. BC, at the beginning of the rule of Tudḫaliyas, was closed. Next to him, his son and designated heir to the throne, Šaušgamuwa, is named as a witness. From the so-called Šaušgamuwa contract , a letter from Tudḫaliya to Šaušgamuwa, it emerges that Bentešina had since passed away. In this text, the historical developments in Amurru are recapitulated and the defection of Bentešina under Muwattalli II is recalled as well as its reinstatement. Since the Šaušgamuwa treaty points to severe tensions between the Hittites and Assyria, which are proven above all at the beginning of the rule of the Assyrian king Tukulti-Ninurta I (from approx. 1233 BC), Betenšina's death can be approximately in the Period between 1235 and 1230 BC. Limit Chr.

See also

• Ammistamru II

literature

• Dietz-Otto Edzard : Real Lexicon of Assyriology and Near Eastern Archeology . (RLA). Volume 1: A - Bepašte. de Gruyter, Berlin et al. 1932, p. 101 (Unchanged photomechanical reprint. ibid 1993, ISBN 3-11-004451-X ).
• Itamar Singer : A Concise History of Amurru. In: Shlomo Izre'el : Amurru Akkadian. A Linguistic Study (= Harvard Semitic Studies. Volume 41). Volume 2. Scholars Press, Atlanta GA 1991, ISBN 1-55540-634-3 , pp. 164-171.
• Theo PJ van den Hout : The Ulmitešub contract. A prosopographical investigation (= studies on the Böğazköy texts. Volume 38). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1995, pp. 149-51.
• Birgit Brandau, Hartmut Schickert: Hittites. The unknown world power. Piper, Munich et al. 2001, ISBN 3-492-04338-0 .
• Trevor R. Bryce : The Kingdom of the Hittites. Revised new edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2005, ISBN 978-0-19-928132-9 pp. 240f .; 254; 267f .; 310-312.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Itamar Singer: A Concise History of Amurru. Atlanta GA 1991, p. 164.

predecessor	Office	successor
Duppi-Teššup	King of Amurru approx. 1290/80 BC BC – 1235 BC Chr.	Šapili Šaušgamuwa