Anatolian Civilizations and Historical Sites - TEDA

ANATOLIAN CIVILIZATIONS:10x19 antik kentler 8/1/11 10:50 AM Sayfa
to Egypt as the prospective bridegroom. The fact that the prince, who
was sent as a prospective bridegroom, was killed on his way by the
enemies of the queen outraged and desolated Shuppiluliuma, upon
which he attacked the lands affiliated with Egypt and returned with
great many pillages. The era in which Shuppiluliuma I lived was a time
when all the states communicated by letters written in Akkadian and
when relations gained importance. This great king died at his return
from Palestine, as a result of the plague epidemic brought by the
Egyptian captives. His elder son Arnuvanda II succeeded to the throne
in lieu of the deceased great king around 1346-1345 BC. However,
Arnuvanda II also died in a few months after contracting the same
disease and hereafter Murshili II (1345-1315 BC), the middle son of
the great king became the king.
The period of Murshili II has been the period which has provided the
most information on Hittite history. This is because this king
commissioned all the events of his period as well as all his deeds to be
written in the documents known as annuals (annals). When he came
to the throne, insurgencies in the land of Hatti and his princedoms
appeared. Murshili II first organized a ceremony in the name of the
solar goddess of the city of Arinna. During the first years of his reign,
he fought with Kashgans and annexed the mountainous land they
resided in to Hattusha. He continued the Hittite dominion in the Near
East with the assistance of the relative kingdoms of Carchemish and
Halpa. Owing to his good relations with these kings, he ensured
their commitment to the land of Hatti. This indicates that the king
was a decent commander besides being an author.
We learn that Murshili II’s son Muvatalli (1315-1282 BC) succeeded to
the throne in place of his father, from the epitaphs of the
subsequent Hittite kings. Around the time when the King came to
the throne, he settled his disputes with his neighbors in the west via
bilateral agreements. However, in the meantime, Kashgans and the
Egyptians created big problems. The king appointed his brother
Hattushili-an ambitious and talented figure-as the general governor
of the vast region in the north where Kashgans resided. Egyptian
pharaohs had come as far as the city of Kadesh. Around this time,
Muvatalli sensed a threat and relocated his capital from Hattusha to
Dattasha. In 1286 BC, during the reign of Ramses II, the war with
Egypt took place on the plane to the south of the city of Kadesh. This
war happened to be cited as the most talked-about pitched battle in
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