MUWATALLIS
II
![](642px-Felsrelief-Sirkeli.jpg)
Depiction
of Muwatalli II on a relief at Sirkeli Höyük
Other
names : Muwatallis II / Muwatalli II
Title King of the Hittites
Preceded by : Mursili
II
Succeeded by : Mursilish
III / Mursili III
Spouse : Tanu-Hepa
Children : Mursili III and Ulmi-Teshup
Parent(s) : Mursili II
Queen : Gassulawiya
Relatives : Hattusili III (brother) and Tudhaliya IV (nephew)
Muwatalli
II (also Muwatallis, or Muwatallish) was a king of the New Kingdom
of the Hittite empire c. 1295–1282 (middle chronology) and
1295–1272 BC in the short chronology.
Biography
:
He was the eldest son of Mursili II and Queen Gassulawiya, and he
had several siblings.
He
is best known for relocating the Hittite capital to Tarhuntassa,
appointing his brother Hattusili as governor in Hattusa, and fighting
Ramesses II in the Battle of Kadesh.
A
copy of a treaty has been recovered between him and Alaksandu, ruler
of Wilusa (Troy), one of the Arzawa lands.
Egyptologists
[citation needed] suspect that some time prior to Ramesses II's
accession to the Egyptian throne, Muwattalli had reached an informal
peace treaty or understanding with Seti I over Kadesh to avoid a
clash between the two powers over control of Syria. In it, Seti
effectively ceded Kadesh to the Hittite king in order to focus on
domestic issues in Egypt.
Muwatalli
had a wife named Tanu-Hepa and at least two children. One was Urhi-Teshup,
who became king as Mursili III until his uncle Hattusili III deposed
him. Another was Kurunta who became the vassal ruler of Tarhuntassa
during the reign of Hattusili III. Another person named Ulmi-Teshup
is suggested to be a third son of Muwatalli II, but it is quite
likely that Ulmi-Teshup and Kurunta are the same person.
Tudhaliya
IV and Egyptian Queen Maathorneferure were the nephew and niece
of Muwatalli.
Muwatalli's
namesake, Muwatalli I, was a pre-Empire king of the early 14th century,
the predecessor of Tudhaliya I.
Move
to Tarhuntassa :
At the start of Muwatalli II's reign the capital of Hatti was Hattusa,
located in the northern region of Anatolia. Not long after he came
into power, he made the decision to move the capital to a new location,
which he named Tarhuntassa. There is no documentation stating the
reason why the capital was moved, but scholars, based on later texts
written by his brother Hattusili III and the campaigns Muwatalli
II fought, have come up with two possible reasons.
The
first theory is that Muwatlli II moved the capital because of the
border skirmishes between the Hittites and the Kaska, and later
the rebellion by Piyamaradu. These disputes were on the northern
border, and the capital of Hattusa is located near the northern
border. After stabilizing the northern border, he moved the capital
farther south, to the new location of Tarhuntassa. This new location
was not only farther away from the troublesome northern border,
but it was also strategically better for the upcoming fight against
Egypt over Syria.
The
second theory of why Muwatalli II moved his capital south is for
religious reasons. Itamar Singer, in his essay “The Failed
Reforms of Akhenaten and Muwatalli” states that the reason
for the move had deeper roots in a religious reform, although he
does acknowledge the political advantages of the move. The main
evidence for this is how the depiction of the Storm God on his royal
seals changes significantly after the expulsion of Danuhepa. Muwatalli
II introduces a new motif for seals that is followed by all the
Hittite kings that rule after him: the Umarmungsszene (German) (the
protective embrace of the deity). This style is identifiable because
it shows the king being embraced by one (or more) gods. In Muwatalli
II's seals, he is being embraced by the Storm God of Lightning (Pihassassa)
instead of the traditional Storm God of Heaven (Teshub).
Sirkeli
relief :
![](Sirkeli_H%FCy%FCk_04_2004_hethitisches_Felsrelief_am_Ceyhan.jpg)
On
the west bank of the Ceyhan river near the village of Sirkeli (Sirkeli
Höyük), a late Hittite rock relief reminds of the presence
of the Hittites in the Çukurova (Cilician Plain). It shows
the Hittite Great King Muwatalli II (1290–1272 BC).
The relief of Muwatalli II is located near Sirkeli Höyük,
which is one of the largest settlement mounds in Plain Cilicia.
The settlement is situated on the left bank of the Ceyhan River,
known in ancient times as Puruna or Pyramos.
The
inscription of the king mentions also the name of his father Mursili
II: “Muwattalli, Great King, the Hero, son of Mursili, Great
King, the Hero”. He wears a long robe and, in his left hand,
he holds the kalmus (lituus). The appearance of King Muwattalli
is consistent with the way the Sun God of Heaven (Nepisas Istanu,
or Simige) was portrayed in Hittite iconography; so this indicates
deification.
A
second, very similar relief is a few meters away, but it was partially
destroyed in antiquity. The nature of the damage indicates a deliberate
destruction, so that the name of this figure could not be read.
This
figure is probably Urhi-Teššup, whose throne name was
Muršili (III). He became the king of Hatti after the death
of his father Muwatalli II, but was overthrown 7 years later by
his uncle Hattušili III.
These
reliefs were probably directly visible to the people entering the
ancient town, and dominated the landscape. But because the course
of the river kept changing over the centuries, currently the reliefs
are not so easily visible to visitors.
During
the Hittite period, Sirkeli Höyük may have been the cult
town of Kummanni.
Battle
of Kadesh :
Overview :
![](Aleppo_treaty_-_Hittites.jpg)
The
Aleppo Treaty: treaty between Muwattalli II king of Hatti, and Talmi-Sharruma
king of Aleppo, written in Akkadian. Found in Bogazkoy, ancient
Hattusa, dated c. 1300 BC. British Museum
Muwatalli II is best known as the Hittite ruler who fought Ramesses
II to a standstill at the Battle of Kadesh. Among his allies was
Talmi-Sharruma, grandson of Suppiluliumas I, who was the king of
Aleppo.
Although
both sides claimed victory in this war, scholars generally believe
that the battle ended badly for both sides, especially Ramesses
II. This is because both sides suffered heavy losses and their military
strength was reduced. What makes this battle unique is not how it
ended, but that out of all the battles that Ramses II fought during
his reign, he gave special attention to this battle. This is evident
by the fact that he produced two official versions of the battle:
the Literary Record, sometimes referred to as the Poem, and the
Pictorial Record, which includes the Bulletin, a short record of
the battle and carved images. These two depictions of the battle
are found inscribed in five different Egyptian temples, including
the Ramesseum. The second thing that makes this battle noteworthy
is the tactics that Muwatalli II used against the Egyptian Army.
The
general outline of the battle is this: Muwatlli II gathered his
troops in northern Syria and sent out scouts and spies to ascertain
the location of Ramesses II army. The spies reached Ramesses II
and the division of Amun, when he was first approaching Kadesh.
The spies, pretending to be deserters, gained the ear of Ramses
II. They used this to convince him that the Hittite army was over
hundred miles away in Aleppo. Sometime later, other Hittite scouts
were caught, and Ramesses II discovered the ruse: Muwatalli II was
right outside of Kadesh with his forces.
The
battle began when the Hittite forces attacked the Egyptian army
that was marching towards Kadesh. Ramses II, at his camp in Kadesh,
had gone ahead of his other divisions and only had one division
of his army with him. While the division to the south of Ramses
II was being attacked by one attachment of Hittite charioteers,
Muwatalli II had sent a second division of charioteers to attack
Ramses II camp. Ramses II forces managed to fend off the Hittite
attack and “win” the battle on the following day.
![](Ramses_II_en_Qadesh,_relieve_de_Abu_Simbel.jpg)
One
of the carvings showing Ramesses II at the Battle of Kadesh
Egyptian account :
The two accounts that Ramses II created of the battle depict it
as an epic struggle against the Hittite army, where Ramses II shows
off his prowess as a brilliant military leader. In the shorter Bulletin,
Muwatalli II is frequently described as “the vile Chief of
Khatti.” Ramses II admits to having heard the false reports
of Muwatalli II's whereabouts, but when he discovers where Muwatalli
II's forces really are, he claims that “His majesty slaughtered
them in their places; they sprawled before his horses; and his majesty
was alone, no other was with him.” In the longer Poem, Ramesses
II again calls Muwatalli II the “vile foe of Khatti”
but in this version he also depicts Muwatalli II as being afraid
of him, saying “the vile Chief of Khattii stood in the midst
of the army that was with him and did not come out to fight for
fear of his majesty” and “the wretched Chief of Khatti
stood among his troops and chariots… stood turning, shrinking,
afraid.” The Poem and Bulletin both end with Ramesses II winning
a stunning victory over Muwatalli II and the Poem ends with Muwatalli
signing a peace treaty with Ramesses II out of fear.
Despite
the enthusiastic depiction of the battle by Ramesses II, scholars
have concluded that the battle was a disaster for Ramesses II. This
is because after the battle, Muwatalli II continued to expand into
Syria and the
Egyptian
expansion was stopped in the area of Palestine.
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muwatalli_II