Manapa-Tarhunta letter

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Manapa-Tarhunta letter (

client king of the Seha River Land. In the letter, Manapa-Tarhunta discusses Hittite attempts to reassert control over northwest Anatolia. The letter is particularly notable for its mention of Wilusa, generally identified with Troy
.

Content

The letter identifies its author as

Mursili II ascended the Hittite throne in 1321 BC, and that he was removed from power by Muwatalli II, who ruled from 1295 to 1272 BC. While the addressee is not explicitly named, scholars generally agree that it was Muwatalli II.[1]

The letter begins by assuring Muwattalli, "[At the moment] everything is fine". In the next section, it reports that Hittite troops arrived in Seha and then headed onward to attack Wilusa. However, Manapa-Tarhunta himself was unable to take part in this expedition due to a severe illness.[2]

After a paragraph divider, the letter turns to its main topic, the defection of a group of craftsmen. We learn that the Seha River Land had been attacked by a warlord named

Lazpa had defected from Manapa-Tarhunta to Atpa. However, after the arrival of a Hittite regiment, King Kupanta-Kurunta of neighbouring Mira was able to negotiate the return of the craftsmen.[3]

Interpretation

The events described in the letter have been interpreted as part of a proxy war between the Hittites and the

Milawata.[4][5]

Because of this, the mention of an attack on Wilusa has sometimes been interpreted as evidence for a historical

Trevor Bryce cautions that "Overall, the letter is of very dubious value in terms of any possible bearing it may have on the Trojan War tradition."[6][5]

However, the letter does provide important geographic evidence supporting the identification of Wilusa with the archaeological site of

Lazpa, this would place its northern border in the area of the Troad. Given that the letter also suggests that Seha and Wilusa were neighbors, this information would restrict possible locations for Wilusa to an area in which Troy is the only major fortified city. These arguments are generally accepted by scholars, though they are not regarded as beyond question. In particular, Max Gander has argued that the text need not be read as suggesting that Seha ruled over Lazpa, and that it could have been located as far south as the Meander River. [7][8]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-1589832688
    .
  2. ISBN 978-1589832688
    .
  3. ISBN 978-1589832688
    .
  4. ISBN 978-1589832688
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-0-415-34959-8
    .
  6. ISBN 978-1589832688
    .
  7. ^ Max Gander (2014), An Alternative View on the Location of Arzawa. Hittitology today: Studies on Hittite and Neo-Hittite Anatolia in Honor of Emmanuel Laroche’s 100th Birthday. Alice Mouton, ed. p. 163-190
  8. ISBN 978-0-415-34959-8
    .

Literature

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Manapa-Tarhunta_letter&oldid=1215199279"