Kizzuwatna

The Kizzuwatna was an Anatolian kingdom of thousand-year-old IIe front J. - C. It was the name given to the area located at the foot of the Monts Taurus (Turkey auj.) close to the Pamphylie at the West. It corresponded almost to the Cilicie and the Cataonie. The country was centered around the rivers Ceyhan and Seyhan and the Kummani capital was a high place of the worship of God Teshub (God of the Anatolian Storm). At the 2nd millenium, under the name of Kizzuwatna, its population is mainly made up of Louvite S and Hourrites.

The oldest possible trace of this kingdom is that described in annals of King Sargon of Akkad (-2334/-2279), which claims to have reached the Taurus Mounts, but no archaeological trace comes to affirm the presence of Akkadien S in this area. Kizzuwatna was for the period of vassal the Hittite Ancient Empire of the latter, but took again its independence when their empire towards -1500 collapsed. The first King which one is informed bears the name louvite of Ishputahshu (or Išputaššu, v. -1530/-1500) wire of Pariyawatri. In order to face the expansionism of the Mitanni Hourrite, it signed a treaty of alliance with the Emperor of Hittites Telebinu (or Telibinu , - 1525/-1500). Treaty that its successor Paddatishu (or Paddatišu) continued to honor. But this coalition could not face the Mitanni which ends up annexing the area under the reign of King Pilliya. Pilliya towards -1460 then passed alliance with the King of Alalakh, Idrimi. The fact that starting from this king the sovereigns of Kizzuwatna bore names Hourrite S or Indo-aryens could be the sign of a dynastic change. At that time Kizzuwatna extended between the Hatti and the Mitanni after the annexation from the kingdom from Adaniya (around current Adana). These two great powers of the area which disputed its domination. After the reign of Shunashshura I {{er}} (or Šunaššura), the kingdom fell down under the cut hittite. Towards -1440, the following King, Talzu chooses the camps of Mitanni by subjecting to Shaushtatar I (v. -1440 - v. -1410), but his/her son and successor, Shunashshura II (or Šunaššura II) quarreled with the King of Mitanni and joined, again, the camp of Hittites of the Emperor Tudhaliya I (-1430/-1420), with which it signed a treaty towards -1420. The successor of this last, Arnouwanda I (-1420/-1400), as of its arrived at the capacity attached to his empire Kizzuwatna and placed the kingdom under the supervision of Princes Hittites. This Hittite domination will perdurera until the collapse of their empire. It remained however, because of its prestigious last, one of vassal privileged of Hittites, as well as the Arzawa or the Hanigalbat.

Kizzuwatna was one of the principal areas of the Hittite Empire since the dynasty founded by Tudhaliya I {{er}} was perhaps originating in this country. It is by its intermediary that the religious elements hourrites devienrent dominating with the Hatti under the reigns of Hattushili III (-1264/-1234) and Tudhaliya IV, as testifies to it the importance to the queen-mother of this period, Puduhepa, originating in Kizzuwatna and old pretress of the temple in Ishtar in Lawazantiya. A corpus of the religious texts, called the ritual ones of Kizzuwatna, was discovered with Hattousa the Hittite capital.

After the fall of the Hittite Empire towards -1200, Kizzuwatna disappears. The Hittite empire is then parcelled out in small kingdoms which one describes as " néo-hittite". These small kingdoms perdurent in Anatolian South-east and the provinces of Syria of North. Small towns or small areas are constituted in city-States: Alalakh, Karkemish, Alep, Commagène (Kummuhu), the That (area of Tarsus, the Tabal (around Kummani), etc These States give up the wedge-shaped Hittite writing with the profit of the hieroglyphic writing. The language used is then the Louvite. Thereafter, in -715, the area of Kizzuwatna or Cilicie, will be annexed by the Assyrian , then it will become at the 6th century a satrapie Empire Perse achéménide. A delegation of Cilicie is reproduced on reliefs in Persépolis. Then the province will pass under domination of the Séleucide S. Before being conquered by the Romains. Cilicie was also known to have been a base of the pirates who prevailed in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Romain Pompée (-106/-48) will put a term at this " domination" and the area will become a Romaine province. One will distinguish then: Cilicie " raboteuse" , vis-a-vis Cyprus, richest Cilicie " Pédias" (i.e. plane) and the last, Cilicie " trachée".

Kings of Kizzuwatna

  • Pariyawatri
  • Ishputahshu (v.1530-v.1500 Av.J.C)
  • Paddatishu
  • Pilliya (v.1500 or v.1460)
  • Shunashshura Ier (v.1480)
  • Talzu
  • Shunashshura II (v.1420)

Sources and Bibliography

  • Gary Mr. Beckman, Hittite Diplomatic Texts , Scholars Near, Atlanta, 1996;
  • Albrecht Götze, Kizzuwatna and the problem off Hittite geography , Yale university close, New Haven, 1940;
  • Volkert Haas, Hurritische und luwische Riten aus Kizzuwatna , Butzon & Bercker, Kevelaer, 1974.

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