Turira

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Tūrira ( URU Tu-u-ri-ra) was a Bronze Age city-state north of Karkemiš . It lay between the sphere of influence of the Hittites , the Assyrians and of Ḫanilgabat . The Turireans seem to have used this position to maintain an independent position for a while between the resurgent great powers of Assyria and Hatti. The exact location of Tūrira has not yet been identified.

Localization

Urartu / Arms under King Rusa I also shows the vassal states Isuwa, Turira (corresponds to Touchan) and Alše (corresponds to Alzi) from the 12th century BC. Chr.

Probably the region around Tušhan (Tushan or Tushhan, Ziyaret Tepe) on the Tigris is meant, which is also said to be the site of the Kurkh monolith . This would mean Turira west of Melid , northwest of Karkemiš and the northernmost part of the former Mittani empire whose remainder state Ḫanigabat was ruled from Taite (Assyrian Ta'idu or Taidu) in the headwaters of the Chabur and that as an Assyrian vassal until the 12th century . v. Continued to exist. Šattiwazza , the father of Šattuara I and King of Mittani, had already concluded a vassal contract with Šuppiluliuma I , which helped him to the throne, and was married to a Hittite princess. Under the vassal Wašašatta (also Wasashatta, son of Šattuara I ), the vassalage went to the Assyrian Adad-nirari I (1295–1263 BC according to short chronology ), against whom Wašašatta rebelled, due to ignorance of the national borders of the Hittite ruler . His son Šattuara II was the last vassal of the Assyrians, then the region was integrated into the Assyrian Empire.

Hittite Assyrian certification

A letter from the Ḫattuša archive (KBo I 14), probably from Ḫattušili III. addressed to Adad-nārārī I of Assyria , reports of the constant raids by the Turireans on the territory of the Hittites, on Karkemiš and Aštata , and consequently on important Central Assyrian trade routes. The booty will be brought to Tūrira. In addition, Hittite subjects would regularly escape the access of the great king "up" to Tūrira.

According to this letter, the king of Ḫanilgalbat, presumably Wašašatta or his successor Šattuara II, registered claims to Tūrira (“Tūrira belongs to me”, KBo I 14, verse 9), which, however, reject both the sender and recipient of the letter. "Tūrira is not a matter for the king of the land Ḫanilgabat." However, the new Hittite king is not sure whether Turira now belongs to his kingdom or to Assyria. He calls on the Assyrian king to smash Tūrira. However, he should not lay claim to the property of Hittites who live in the city (the deserters already mentioned?). If the king of Assyria does not consider Turira to be part of his kingdom, he should inform the great king of this. This will then knock down the city. He assures that he does not want to touch the property of Assyrian soldiers who live in the city. How it came about that Assyrian soldiers were based in the city is unclear.

The letter shows the uncertain situation shortly after the ascension to the throne of the usurper attušili III., Who is unclear about the boundaries of his territory and almost anxiously tries to avoid a conflict with Aššur, which his predecessor Urḫi-Teššup had rudely ironed out as not equal ( KUB XXIII 102).

According to the style of the language, the letter is written by a Hittite, but it contains numerous Assyrianisms .

literature

  • Gary Beckman: Hittite Diplomatic texts. Writings from the ancient world 7. Atlanta, Scholars Press 1996, pp. 139 ff.
  • Trevor Bryce: The Kingdom of the Hittites. Oxford University Press, 1998, p. 274 ( limited preview in Google Book search)
  • Albrecht Goetze : Kizzuwatna and the Problem of Hittite Geography. Yale, 1970.
  • Amir Harrak: Hanilgabat. Hildesheim, 1987.
  • MB Rowton: The Background of the Treaty between Ramesses II. And Hattušiliš III. In: Journal of Cuneiform Studies 13/1, 1959, pp. 1-11.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Swiss excavation; Archived copy ( memento of the original from June 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hamidiya.unibe.ch
  2. ^ KBo I 14
  3. ^ A. Hagenbuchner: Die Korrespondenz der Hittiter Heidelberg 1989, p. 158; Betina Faist : The long-distance trade of the Assyrian Empire between the 14th and 11th centuries BC. AOAT 265, Ugarit Verlag, Münster 2001, p. 25; MB Rowton: The Background of the Treaty between Ramesses II. And Ḫattušiliš III. Journal of Cuneiform Studies 13/1, 1959, p. 4ff.
  4. ^ Trevor Bryce: The Kingdom of the Hittites. Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-199-28132-9 , p. 274 ( limited preview in Google Book Search).
  5. ^ KBo I 14, Vs 12.
  6. ^ A. Goetze: Kizzuwatna and the Problem of Hittite Geography. P. 27ff
  7. ^ MB Rowton: The Background of the Treaty between Ramesses II. And Hattušiliš III. In: Journal of Cuneiform Studies. 13/1, 1959, note 18.