Kiluhepa

Kiluḫepa / Kiluchepa or also Kilu-ḫepa / Kilu-chepa , Geluḫepa, Giluḫepa ( Akkadian Ke-lu ^Dingir He-pa-at , Egyptian Kir ^GI pa ) was the daughter of the Mitannic king Šuttarna II and sister of Tušratta , Biria-Waza and Artaššumara .

Date of birth

Mitannian princesses were mostly married between the ages of 12 and 15. Hence Kiluchepa will likely have been born between the fifth and eighth year of Thutmose IV's reign . An earlier date of birth and an associated higher age at marriage for Kiluchepa cannot be ruled out.

Marriage to Amenophis III.

In the tenth year of Amenhotep III's reign . becomes Kiluchepa with Amenhotep III. married. Her brother Tušratta acted as a negotiator on behalf of his father. The further development of Kiluchepa remains unclear, as she is still mentioned by Tušratta in the Amarna letter EA 17 . At the latest in the 34th year of Amenhotep III's reign. Kiluchepa could no longer be identified by Mitannian messengers at the Egyptian royal court, which is why Tušratta with Amenophis III. asked what had happened to Kiluchepa.

In the following answer, Amenhotep III assumes. The messenger did not know how he looked : did not they (the messengers) recognize Kiluchepa? She faced them (the messengers) after all. In this context, there is a demand for another Mitann princess. Soon afterwards Tušratta sent his daughter Taduchepa to marry. Kiluchepa's age at the time was at least 36 to 39 years. Further inquiries about Kiluchepa from Tušratta did not follow. Kiluchepa is no longer mentioned in the following letters, which is why no statements can be made about the further fate of Kiluchepa.

literature

Texts from the environment of the Old Testament . Volume 1, Old Series, Gütersloher Verlagshaus Gerd Mohn, Gütersloh 1982, ISBN 3-579-00061-6 .
Cord Kühne: The chronology of the international correspondence from El-Amarna. Butzon and Bercker, Kevelaer 1973, ISBN 3-7666-8587-2 .
Nasser-Mekawi Ouda, Horst Steible : The means of international communication between Egypt and the Middle East in the late Bronze Age. Dissertation: Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg i. Br. - Philosophical Faculty - Oriental Seminar, Freiburg (Breisgau) 2003; Print edition: Freiburg (Breisgau) January 19, 2004, ( PDF file ).

Individual evidence

↑ Hieroglyphic spelling of the name, see Wolfgang Helck : Documents of the 18th Dynasty. Issue 22, Akademie, Berlin 1957, p. 1738
^ Commemorative scarab at Helck: Documents of the 18th Dynasty. Issue 22, Berlin 1957.

personal data
SURNAME	Kiluhepa
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Kiluchepa; Kilu-ḫepa; Kiluḫepa; Kilu-Chepa
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Daughter of the Mitannian king Šutarna II. And later concubine of Amenophis III.
DATE OF BIRTH	around 1392 BC Chr.
PLACE OF BIRTH	Mitanni
DATE OF DEATH	14th century BC Chr.
Place of death	Egypt

[1] Hieroglyphic spelling of the name, see Wolfgang Helck : Documents of the 18th Dynasty. Issue 22, Akademie, Berlin 1957, p. 1738

[2] Commemorative scarab at Helck: Documents of the 18th Dynasty. Issue 22, Berlin 1957.