They had already invaded the Hittite homeland during Hattusili’s
reign and did so again, almost without hindrance during the reign
of Mursili’s assassin and successor Hantili.
ENTER THE KINGDOMS OFMITTANI ANDEGYPT
What made the Hurrian menace all the greater was that a group of
states with a predominantly Hurrian population had formed a
powerful political and military confederation called the kingdom of
Mittani. From their homeland in northern Mesopotamia, with
its capital at Washshuganni (precise location uncertain) Mittanian
armies had marched across northern Syria into the easternmost
parts of the Anatolian peninsula, establishing Mittanian sover-
eignty over much of this region. Sooner or later the very heartland
of the kingdom of Hatti would be overwhelmed, so it must have
seemed, by the relentless advance of Mittani’s forces, at whose
core lay a fearsome elite chariot group called themaryannu. There
was little that any of thefirst successors of Telipinu could do to
stop them.
But the news from the east was not all bad. For another major
player had entered the international arena–the kingdom of Egypt.
In the middle decades of the fifteenth century, the pharaoh
Tuthmosis III followed in the footsteps of his earlier namesake
Tuthmosis I by conducting renewed campaigns in Syria and laying
the foundations for Egyptian authority over a large part of southern
Syria and Palestine. The good news for Hatti was that the Egyptian
ventures kept Mittanian imperialist ambitions in check–which
were a more immediate threat to Hittite territory. And there was
no likelihood that the pharaoh had any ambition to extend his
conquests further afield into Anatolia, even if he had had the
military resources to do so. Thus while the Egyptians were active in
Syria, Hatti could breathe a huge sigh of relief, and one of its kings
(we’re not certain who) showed his gratitude to Tuthmosis, and
ensured his goodwill, by sending him tributary gifts. Mittani’s other
neighbours, the kings of Babylon and Assyria did likewise– no
doubt believing that Egypt had effectively put an end to Mittani’s
militaristic ambitions against them as well.
44 WARRIORS OF ANATOLIA