Tushratta and The Mittani / Egyptian Alliance
In Desperation, A Bronze Age King Reopens Relations With Egypt
One of the great alliances of the Late Bronze Age existed between the kingdoms of Egypt and Mittani. In fact, it was this partnership that served as a foundation for the development of the international diplomatic community that shaped the Near East during the Amarna Age. At first this alliance may have grown from a mutual concern over the Hittites of Anatolia, but eventually the two Great Kingdoms fell into a commercial partnership that saw trade flourish between the Mittani lands in Syria and Egypt to the south.
Internal strife within the Mittani Kingdom would, for a time, undermine this relationship. In the Amarna archive is a letter sent by King Tushratta of Mittani (ca. 1372-1324 B.C.E.) to the Pharaoh Akhenaten, (ca1353-1335 B.C.E.) attempting to rekindle his alliance with Egypt. This letter, Amarna Letter 17 (EA 17), is one of the only sources available that sheds any light on the inner workings of the Mittani Kingdom in this period.
King Tushratta's Uneasy Rise To Power
During the early years of the 14th century, Tushratta’s father, Shuttarna II (ca. 1415-1390 B.C.E.) had entered into a marriage alliance with Egypt . It was Tushratta’s elder brother, Artashumara, who first succeed his father to the throne, but he was soon toppled by an internal coup and assassinated. The villain, named UD-hi, then placed the young Prince Tushratta on the throne.
According to Tushratta, UD-hi prevented him from “friendship with anyone who loved me.” This is an apparent reference to the diplomatic strictures that were now in place, given the illegal nature of the Mittani regime. Considering the intermarriage between the two royal households, it appears that Egypt would not tolerate the murdering of in-laws to the Pharaoh, as commerce between the two kingdoms dried up along with diplomatic contact following the death of Artashumara. It is only after Tushratta comes of age and UD-hi is killed that the young king can once again communicate with Egypt.
The Hiitite Problem Resurfaces
In his letter (EA 17) to Akhenaten, Tushratta writes to remind the pharaoh how, in the past, there had been a close friendship between the two kingdoms. The Mittani King recalls that even now his sister resides in Egypt as a wife of the Pharaoh. Furthermore, the original purpose of the alliance had once again become relevant, since after a long time of remaining in Anatolia, the Hittites were once again on the move southward into Syria.
Tushratta writes to Akhenaten telling the pharaoh that the year after he had restored legitimate rule to his land, the Hittites invaded. This encounter can either be read as an account of a minor raid by the Hittites or as a full scale invasion, the letter is unclear. Either way, Tushratta claim's victory and announces to the Egyptian king that none of the enemy returned home alive. As a token of friendship with Egypt, and as proof of this account, Tushratta sends along with his letter a Hittite chariot, a team of horses and two slaves as a sample of his booty gained from the battle.
Mittani Attempts To Renew An Alliance With Egypt
In the letter Tushratta continues by listing his “greeting gifts.” For the Pharaoh he sends another five chariots and five teams of horses. As a way of making his point about the friendship between the two Kingdom’s, Tushratta sends along several additional “greeting gifts” for his sister, the Pharoah’s wife Gildukhepa.
The presence of a man named Keliya, whom Tushratta identifies as his “Chief Minister”, as a member of the delegation sent to Egypt is a further sign of Mittani’s commitment to this new alliance. Revealing his anxiousness for the success of this diplomatic mission, the Mittani king requests that, following the presentation of the gifts to the Pharaoh, that Keliya be returned him with news of Egypt’s intent without delay.
This sense of urgency is not lost through the many centuries. If Tushratta feared his Kingdom was at the brink of a serious war and needed strong allies, then he was correct. In the end, although Egypt would renew its friendship with Mittani, it would not be enough to stop the Kingdom’s destruction. Within a few decades of Tushratta’s having written to the Pharaoh,the Kingdom of Mittani would be no more.
Sources:
Bryce, Trevor, Kingdom of the Hittites, (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2005)
Klengel, Horst. Syria: 3000 to 300 B.C. (Akademie Verlag.)
Moran, William, The Amarna Letters, (Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992)
Roaf, Michael, Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia, (Andromeda, Oxfordshire, 2004.)
A Hittite Chariot
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