Mitanni

Mitanni (or even Mittani, Naharina in Egyptian texts) was a kingdom located in northern Mesopotamia that was extended, at the height of its amplitude, the Zagros Mountains to Lake Van and the borders of Assyria, inhabited mainly by the Hurrians. It reached its peak between 1450 BC and 1350 BC, during the terminal phase of the Bronze Age. Its capital was Washukanni, identified today with Tell el Fakhariya. The defeat for the Hittite army, led by Piyashshili of Carchemish and King Suppiluliuma I, marked the end of the power of Mitanni although the principality lived for a time.

History
Until now we have not been found original sources for the history of the kingdom of Mitanni (ie Hanilgalbat) and then there is mostly based on stories Assyrians, Hittites and Egyptians and inscriptions, mainly from Syria. Often it is not even possible to establish a relative chronology between rulers of different countries or cities, not to mention the ability to provide precise dates. A precise definition of the history of Mitanni is further undermined by the failure to identify the linguistic groups, ethnic and political.

It is believed that the warring tribes of the Horites and their city-states were unified under one dynasty after the collapse of Babylon due to the sacking of the Hittites in 1595 BC The Mursilis and the subsequent invasion of Kassites in Lower Mesopotamia. The Hittite conquest of Aleppo (Yamkhad), the crisis in the Middle Assyrian kingdom and the internal struggles in the Hittite kingdom created a power vacuum in upper Mesopotamia, which allowed the formation of the kingdom of Mitanni.

The second king, Barattarna expanded the kingdom west to Aleppo and made his vassal Idrimi of Alalakh. The state of Kizzuwatna, west, also became an ally of Mitanni while Arrappa and Assyria, to the east, became vassal states of Mitanni in the mid-fifteenth century BC From this moment on, the king of Mitanni, in diplomatic correspondence, will define himself as "the great King" and so will be defined the king of Babylon, and the Pharaoh of Egypt. This scenario of three superpowers (Egypt, Babylon and Mitanni, then replaced by the Hittites) will be for centuries important for the political balance of the Near East; diplomatic correspondence in the three GranRe called themselves brothers to each other and to any dynastic succession the new king of Mitanni had to get the approval of the other two GranRe before considering secure his inauguration. The principality was strengthened during the reign of Shaushtatar although pressure Hittite highlands of Anatolia began to be worrisome. The kingdom of Kizzuwatna west and north Ishuwa, important allies of the Hittites, exerted increasing pressure on the kingdom of Mitanni.

After several clashes with the Egyptian rulers of the Eighteenth Dynasty, for control of Syria, the kingdom Mitanni sought peace with Egypt and was close alliance. During the reign of Shuttarna II, in the early fourteenth century BC, relations were friendly, and the king sent his daughter Kilu-Hepa to Egypt to marry her to Amenhotep III. The Mitanni kingdom was then at the height of his power.

On the death of Shuttarna II, the state was torn by struggles between the various pretenders to the throne. Ultimately prevailed Tushratta, son of Shuttarna but the Mitanni kingdom was very weakened and this advantage Hittites who increased their pressure on the borders. Although diplomatic relations with Egypt had meanwhile cooled, despite that, like its predecessor, also Tushratta had sent his daughter as a bride to Amenhotep III. Even the Assyrians took advantage of this period of dynastic crisis and institutional get rid of the yoke of Mitanni. The Hittite king Suppiluliuma I invaded the vassal states of Mitanni in northern Syria and replaced their leaders with more loyal to him.

In the capital of Mitanni he broke a new struggle for power. Hittites and Assyrians supported different pretenders to the throne. Finally, a Hittite army conquered the city and sat on the throne Shattiwaza, son of Tushratta, as a vassal. At the end of the fourteenth century BC, the kingdom was now reduced to the valley of the river Khabur. The Assyrians, who had not abandoned their claims to the kingdom of Mitanni, in the thirteenth century BC They invaded and incorporated it into their reign as the Hanigalbat, as it became known later.

A few centuries after the fall of Assyria Washukanni and serfdom, the region appears to be almost completely integrated and the Hurrian language disappears from the use Assyrian Empire. A dialect closely related all'hurritico survives but in the new State of Urartu, formed in the mountainous areas of northern Mesopotamia. In the inscriptions of Adad-nirari II, Ashurbanipal II and Shalmaneser III, Hanilgalbat is still used as a geographical term.

The uncertainty thus surrounds the entire history of the empire of Mitanni, and also the list of sovereigns below, compiled following the chronology intermediate.

Mitanni origins
It has been suggested that the aristocracy of Mitanni, who bore names Indo-Aryans had migrated from Iran and had been imposed on indigenous peoples of the Middle Euphrates hurritiche not appear to be Indo-European, although the data are scarce. Some scholars have tried to equate the deities worshiped by Hurrians with Vedic deities, and have identified the names used by the aristocracy as eponyms Indo. In a treaty between the Hittite king Suppiluliuma I and the king of Mitanni Shattiwaza, they emphasize the Vedic deities Mitra, Varuna, Indra, and Nasatya Asvins. Eusebius, in the early fourth century, refers quotes Eupolemo, a historian jew of the second century BC, whose works are lost, who said that ... in the days of Abraham Armenians invaded Syria; This could correspond to a migration of the Horites, or their aristocracy, because Abraham is placed historically in about 1700 BC.

Interpretations Sanskrit names of the rulers of Mitanni make Shuttarna as Sutarna ("good sun"), as Baratarna Paratarna ("great sun"), as Parsatatar Parashukshatra ("governor with the ax"), as Saustatar Saukshatra ("son of Sukshatra The good governor "), Artatama as" absolutely right ", Tushratta as Dasaratha (" possessor of ten wagons "?), and, finally, as Mattivaza Mativaja (" whose wealth is prayer ").

Some scholars believe that not only the kings had names Indo-Aryans; a large number of other names similar to Sanskrit documents were discovered in this area.

A treatise on breeding horses written by Kikkuli the Hurrian Hittite language contains terms correlated to Sanskrit as aika (eka, one), tera (tri, three), belly (pancha, five), satta (sapta, seven), na (Nava, nine), vartana (vartana, round, zero). Another text has babru (babhru, Brown), parity (Palita, gray), and pinkara (pingala, red).

The main festivities of Mitanni was the celebration of the solstice (vishuva), common in many cultures of the ancient world. The warriors were called marya, the term used by the warriors also in Sanskrit. An alternative theory to the previous one has tried to connect the name M (a) itanni with idioms belonging to linguistic groups related. Kurdish scholars believe that one of their clan, one of Mattini living in the geographic region that once Hanilgalbat, retains the name of Mitanni. Archaeologists have found a considerable parallelism with the spread in Syria of a particular type of pottery associated with what is called Kura-Araxes culture, but the dates commonly assigned to this culture are quite the oldest of the alleged arrival of Mitanni. Always on the basis of linguistic affinities name Shaushtatar has been linked with the Cimmerian Sandaksatra.

Society and Religion
When conquered peoples, the Horites divide them depending on ethnicity and their kings and made them vassals. The state was Hurrian with great officials, khalsukhlu that, according to some, were in charge of justice. The government Hurrian was feudal. The army Hurrian possessed iron weapons and fighting on chariots.

The Horites leave us ample testimony of their divinity, leaving temples and even religious texts (although much of the literature Hurrian has been lost). The main deity was Teshub. The influence on Mesopotamian Hurrian religion has become much feel.

Tut History: Mitanni war
Tut in the miniseries, the Mitanni is a civilization with expansionist ambitions toward Egypt itself they consider an enemy now past. The pride of his king Tushratta leads them to occupy the country in the first episode vassal of Egypt known as Amurru, sparking priman Egyptian reaction to this annexation. Following again the Mitanni will clash with the Egyptians, being defeated in an exemplary manner. During this second offensive, Tushratta and his son were killed and the army Mitanni, completely destroyed.