MIDDLE ASSYRIA Hittite-Assyrian Sequence

Letters in Assyrian file are in proposed order basis Ramesses 2 year 1 = 1279. Updated October 2002.
Year Letter

Hagen-

buchner

 #

Comment
c1285 ARI Adad-nirari defeats Shattuara and requires tribute. A relatively early date is based on (1) the number of Adad-nirari eponyms referring to victory in Hanigalbat; (2) the number of late Adad-nirari eponyms ("late" meaning that Shalmaneser 1 persons are present) 
1275 Battle of Qadesh with Mitanni as kuirwana ally of Hatti in year 5 Ramesses 2 versus Muwatallish. By interpolation, Wasashatta is king Mitanni at this battle.  
1270 Accession of Urhe-teshub. Urhe-teshub rules 7 years (Apology of Hattusilis) in the middle of the period of R2 year 5 (Qadesh) and R2 year 21 (Hattusilis 3 Treaty). There are events filling both times; Rowton split the leftover periods 4-5; 5-4 is used here to allow a very brief Urhe-teshub-Shalmaneser overlap. 
1270 ARI Adad-nirari defeats Wasashatta, memorialized in undated royal inscription (no reason not to date this about the time of the accession of Urhe-teshub, both possibly a year earlier), but could be a little earlier in late Muwatallish.
1270 KUB 23:102 192 Letter from king Hatti to king Assyria, mentioning latter's victory over Wasa-[shatta], king of the Hurri, rebuffing king of Assyria's request for brothership. Usually attributed as Urhe-teshub or Hattusilis 3 to Adad-nirari 1. In the available time-frame, Urhe-teshub seems the most likely, with Muwatallish (but not Hattusilis 3) possible.
1263 Accession of Shalmaneser 1 (1263-1234)
1263 Letter from Urhe-teshub to Shalmaneser, returned by Tukulti-ninurta to Tudhaliya many years later according to KUB 26:70.  This is usually presumed to be a letter from Urhe-teshub in exile to Shalmaneser, but since the overlaps here are close anyway, there seems to be little reason not to take a late reading of Urhe-teshub and permit a very slight overlap with Shalmaneser. This (together with a view on Tudhaliya adopted below) shrinks the reign of Hattusilis somewhat from usual systems, but there do not seem to be any internal obstacles to this.
1262 Accession of Hattusilis 3 (here 1262-1243). 
1260 Treaty between Kadashman-turgu and Hattusilis 3, involving marriage of a Hittite princess to Kadashman-turgu, but no delivery of a Babylonian princess.
1259 Treaty between Hattusilis 3 and Ramesses 2 in R2 year 21 
1258 Accession of Kadashman-enlil 2; death of Kadashman-turgu. A period of strained relations between Hatti and Babylonia.
1252 Rebellion of Shattuara in Hanigalbat, completely suppressed by Shalmaneser in 1252.  Administrative documents referring to supplies to refugees in Hanigalbat cities and a royal inscription a couple of years later.  (This could be about 8 years earlier if there was a late Adad-nirari rebellion, but this placing seems more likely.)  
1252

IBoT 1:34

King of Hanigalbat is holed up in Šinamu, mentions king Ehli-Šarruma of Isuwa and Halpa-ziti of Aleppo. This Ehli-sarruma is distinguished here from the homonym prince of Hatti in the time of Tudhaliya (although they are sometimes identified) following comments of Ian Mladyov.
1251 KBo 1:10 204 Letter from Hattusilis 3 to Kadashman-enlil 2, mentioning that he had grown up from childhood accession and referring to prior treaty between Hattusilis 3 and Kadashman-turgu 
1247

KBo 28:59

196 Letter from Shalmaneser 1 (eponym Adad-Šamši - year 1247) to unnamed Hittite king (presumably Hattusilis 3). Little other information. Address lines are preserved but do not include names.
1242 Accession of Tudhaliya in year 38 Ramesses 2. This is the highest possible date, owing to year 36/37 stela marking marriage in which Hattusilis is mentioned.  In the same year is probably the treaty with Kurunta (attended by Benteshina, king of Amurru, and his son, Shaushgamuwa, as brother-in-law) and the marriage of Shaushgamuwa to a Hittite princess. There doesn't seem to be any reason why these are not all more or less synchronous. 
1242 KUB 23:99 AfO 12:B Fragmentary draft letter from Tudhaliya to Shalmaneser (strangely spelled), seemingly at the accession of Tudhaliya, perhaps complaining about lack of accession presents. 
1241 spring Death of Benteshina and accession of Shaushgamuwa in Amurru, with anti-Assyria treaty.  
1241 fall

RS 34:165

Battle of Nihrija. Letter from [Šulmanu]-SAG king Assyria to king Ugarit ([a]-na LUGAL KUR u?-[ga-ri-it]) referring to defeat of Tudhaliya king Hatti at Nihrija. This letter mentions contemporary hostile and peaceful letters  - compare KBo 18:24. Ammistaru is here held to be K Ugarit at this time and for some considerable time afterwards (to pursue Grande Dame affair with Shaushgamuwa)
1241 fall KBo 4:14 Letter of Tudhaliya referring to defeat at Nihrija. Mentions Hešmi-sarruma, Assur, Karduniash, Alatarma
1241 fall KBo 18:24 H,188;  Letter of unnamed Hittite king (here Tudhaliya) to Shalmaneser, mentioning Milid. See Heinhold-Kramer 1988. This letter also mentions coexisting hostile and peaceful letters - compare RS 34:165, KUB 23:88
1242 fall KUB 23:88 AfO 12:C Letter fragment from unnamed Hittite king (here Tudhaliya) to Shalmaneser (name heavily restored), perhaps referring to coexisting peaceful and hostile letters - compare RS 34:165, KBo 18:24
1240 189 In a later letter KBo 18:25,  Tukulti-ninurta 1's father, Shalmaneser, is mentioned as having given cities to the king Carchemish, presumably as part of peace treaty following the RS34.165 war. This peace process is associated here with an MMA letter in eponym Assur-da'issunu (here 1241) mentioning the visit of a Ini-teshub (here although not proveable the king of Carchemish) to Assur.
1239c KBo 1:14

195; 

Beckman

24B

Letter to king Assyria, mentioning treatment of messengers under Urhi-teshub and requesting that K Assyria deal with men of Turira. Usually attributed as Hattusilis 3 to Adad-nirari 1. Recently (Giorgieri, Or 2000, referring to article in press), attributed as Tudhaliya 4 to Shalmaneser 1 -  (followed here)
1233 KUB 23:92+103 191 3 draft letters on same tablet(s): one to Babu-aha-iddina, who is named in significant Assur archive. Two to new king (presumably Tukulti-ninurta 1). The letters indicate that there was a period of peace prior to the accession of TN1. One letter discusses the right of Great Kings to write one another for help and notes that his father did not write TN1's father asking for help. This has been usually construed more broadly as statement that they did not write each other at all, which would seem to be contradicted at a minimum by well-dated Shalmaneser letter  KBo 28:59.
1232 Campaign of Tukulti-ninurta against Qutu, Shubaru, Paphu
1230c KBo 18:25 189 Unnamed Hittite king (Tudhaliya 4) to Tukulti-ninurta 1, mentioning that Assyrian king's father [Shalmaneser] had given cities to king Carchemish, presumably as part of peace treaty c1249, following RS34.165 war.
1230c KUB 3:74

190; 

AfO 12:A

Letter from Tudhaliya (named) to Tukulti-ninurta (named). Other than salutation, little information.
KUB 23:101 203
1230c KUB 23:109

193;

AfO 12,D

Fragment to Tukulti-ninurta from unnamed Hittite king (here Tudhaliya 4) with no information
1230c KUB 26:70

194; 

AfO 12, E

Fragment acknowledging that Tukulti-ninurta had returned letter which Urhe-teshub had written to his father (Shalmaneser 1). The Urhe-teshub letter is usually ascribed to period of exile while Hattusilis 3 was king.
1230 KUB 3:73 202 Letter of unnamed king (generally Tukulti-ninurta 1) to unnamed Hittite king (generally Tudhaliya), protesting good will and contrasting peace in his reign with warfare in time of his predecessors [Arik-d]en-ili, [Adad-nirari and Shalman]eser, interpretation heavily restored.
1215 Conquest of Babylon by Tukulti-ninurta.  Dur-Katlimmu correspondence indicates friendly relations and trade with Carchemish. Tagi-sarruma mentioned (also in Ugarit file). Amurru-ashared is also mentioned - a highly unusual name, also in KUB 23:92+103
1214 Death of Ramesses 2. Accession of Merneptah.
1211 KBo 28:61-62 198-199 Letter from unnamed K Assyria in eponym Ili-ipadda (almost certainly Tukulti-ninurta 1) to Hittite king (Suppiluliuma 2 or perhaps Tudhaliya) discussing affair of Šagarakti-šuriaš. It may be possible to update eponym Ili-ipadda by a decade.
1210 Diplomats from Hatti and Sidon are provisioned at Tell Chuera (near Harbe).
1194 Ili-ipadda is sukallu in Tell Sabi Abyad near the source of the Balikh (very near probable site of Nihrija).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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