The Amarna Age

The reign of the Pharaoh Akhenaten, 1367-1350 BC, provides us with a window on the great Near Eastern powers of the Late Bronze Age

Thutmose IThutmose III

Amenhotep IIThutmose IV

TutankhamenRamesses II

Akhenaten’s religious revolution was accompanied by a dramatic change in art styles in Egypt, which had previously been very conservative.

Tell el-Amarna

Akhenaten moved his court from the traditional capital at Thebes to a newly created site at Tell el-Amarna. After his death, this site was abandoned, leaving behind the royal foreign correspondence.

Before Akhenaton’s reign, Mitanni was Egypt’s primary opponent in Asia, and the Hittites were in eclipse.

Major Powers of the Late Bronze Age

MycenaeanGreece

Hatti

Assyria

ElamEgyptBabylon

By the end of the Amarna Period the map of the great kingdoms looked very different.

Mitannian GovernmentMitannian Government

Mitanni introduced the institution of Mitanni introduced the institution of “chariot nobility”—a class known as the “chariot nobility”—a class known as the MariyannuMariyannu, who supplied and manned , who supplied and manned chariots in battle.chariots in battle.

Another institution of the time was the Another institution of the time was the dimtu dimtu (lit. “tower”) form of rural (lit. “tower”) form of rural settlement.settlement.

Political power seems to have been Political power seems to have been relatively decentralized.relatively decentralized.

Its ruling dynasty had Indo-Aryan names, but all other evidence suggests that this was only a very small group of people and the dominant population of the kingdom was Hurrian.

Hurri Lands

One issue is whether Mitanni can be linked to Hittite references to the Hurri Lands. The view that these were a specific and independent polity is no longer accepted, but they may include Mitanni.

There is no monumental art that can be associated with Mitanni—only minor arts from peripheral areas like Nuzi.

Nuzi

Various seal styles have been identified as Mitannian. These have a wide distribution and are found as far afield as Greece and the Ulu Burun shipwreck.

Two other innovations are associated with the Mitannian period. Gold (as a standard of value) and glass.

There is a correlation in time and space with the distribution of Nuzi ware.

Glazed and glass vessels begin to appear in the archaeological record with Mitanni, although they do not preserve well

Ingots of glass were found on the Ulu Burun shipwreck. The existence of these was suggested by texts, but so far they have not been found on land.

Tell Brak is now the best-documented major Mitannian center. Recent survey work has shown that the central mound is surrounded by a much larger settlement area.

In area HH there is both a temple and a palace. These were built at the same time in Level 6, the earliest of the Mitannian phases. It probably dates to the 16th Century and is contemporary with Idri-mi

This complex was built on prepared ground that may have previously been the site of the temple of Belet Nagar, the principal deity of Tell Brak.

David and Joan Oates have suggested that the temple represents the a foreign influence, similar to the preservation of the Indo-Aryan personal names and gods despite an otherwise Hurrian and local culture.

Several destruction levels in the Middle Assyrian period brought the occupation of Tell Brak to an end. The Kingdom of Mitanni, greatly weakened in the 14th century, became part of Assyria.

The End of MitanniThe End of Mitanni

Mitanni remains one of the least visible of the Mitanni remains one of the least visible of the early empires despite its broad geographic extentearly empires despite its broad geographic extent

It was probably held together by alliances and It was probably held together by alliances and agreements, and contained many different agreements, and contained many different economies and cultureseconomies and cultures

Although there is some evidence for successful Although there is some evidence for successful settlement in the Jezira, the heart of the empire settlement in the Jezira, the heart of the empire was not heavily urbanized.was not heavily urbanized.

Ultimately, it proved unable to withstand the Ultimately, it proved unable to withstand the powers that rose against it: first Egypt, then Hatti powers that rose against it: first Egypt, then Hatti and finally Assyria, and unlike these, it was soon and finally Assyria, and unlike these, it was soon forgotten.forgotten.

The Re-Emergence of the The Re-Emergence of the HittitesHittites

At the beginning of the Amarna period, the At the beginning of the Amarna period, the “Arzawa letters” make it clear that the “Arzawa letters” make it clear that the Hittites were regarded as “all finished”.Hittites were regarded as “all finished”.

During Akhenaten’s reign they conquered During Akhenaten’s reign they conquered most of Syria.most of Syria.

On the death of Tutankamen (1339 BC) On the death of Tutankamen (1339 BC) they attacked Egyptian territorythey attacked Egyptian territory

The revival of the Hittites was largely due The revival of the Hittites was largely due to Suppiluliuma Ito Suppiluliuma I

The History of the Empire is very well documented until around 1200 B.C.

Bogazköy (ancient Hattuša) becomes the largest site in the Near East during the Hittite Empire

The original settlement area around the great temple and Büyükkale is expanded with the addition of a massive enclosure of higher ground to the south.

The masonry style has been termed “cyclopean”

Sculptures of lions and sphinxes flanked the gateways

The true extent of building on the south wall has only recently been revealed.

The upper city was filled with temples, perhaps for the gods of conquered peoples

Royal archives were written in cuneiform in several languages:

Hittite (Nesite)LuwianPalaic

HatticSumerianAkkadianHurrian

During the Hittite Empire, a new “hieroglyphic” script was also introduced. It was used primarily for display on seals and rock monuments, and the language it represents appears to be a dialect of Luwian, not Hittite.

A few kilometers from the capital there is an outdoor shrine known as Yazılıkaya

Yazılıkaya appears to be the mortuary shrine of Tudhaliya IV, one of the last Hittite “Great Kings”.