Madduwatta

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He was a king of Arzawa, in Anatolia, about 14th or 13th century BC.

[edit] Life

Perhaps, Madduwatta (or Madyattes, in Hellenized rendering) was first a local king of a Lukka city-state at coast of southwestern Asia Minor. He faced a struggle, in the Lukka Lands (posterior Caria and Doris), against a "man from Ahhiya" (land of Achaeans?, in Peloponnesos), named Attarisiya (or Atreus, in Hellenized rendering) and lost his rule. Tudhaliya II, great king of Hittite Empire, gave Madduwatta asylum, and even gave him (back?) the mountainous kingdom Zippasla (i.e. Sippylos, the mountainous part of Lydia?) with the Siyanti River Land (Maeandrus river?); but, on condition that Madduwatta use it as a base to invade Arzawa (classical enemy of Hittite Empire).

When Madduwatta did this, Kupanta-Kurunta, king of Arzawa, destroyed his army (again) and occupied Zippasla. Once more, Tudhaliya II defeated Madduwatta's enemy and restored Madduwatta to his throne. And then, Madduwatta's previous enemy Attarisiya attacked Zippasla, with 100 chariots (famously). This time, Madduwatta did not even defend himself, but fled a third time to the Hittites. Tudhaliya II sent a third army under Kisnapali (or Cythnobales, in Hellenized redering) (a Hittite general) to the land to drive Attarissiya out. This time, the Hittite army was ordered to stay.

Madduwatta, apparently, then decided he was never again going to suffer such indignities. When Dalawa (classical Tlos, Lycian Tlawa ) and Hinduwa (compare classical Hindus river, in soutwestern Asia Minor) rebelled, Madduwatta suggested that Kisnapali take Hinduwa while Madduwatta take Dalawa. But while Kisnapili was on his way to Hinduwa, Madduwatta allied with Dalawa, and with its help ambushed and killed Kisnapali. Independent once more, Madduwatta married the Arzawan king's daughter, and soon took that kingdom too.

When Tudhaliya II ordered Madduwatta to put down a revolt in Hapalla (or Caballa, a kingdom, in central Asia Minor), he did - but then Madduwatta forced Hapalla, too, to switch loyalty to his own side. He then bullied Pitassa (the posterior Pisidia) into his kingdom, even closer to the Hittite heartland. Under Tudhaliya's successor Arnuwanda I, Madduwatta even allied with his old foe Attarisiya and invaded Alasiya (Salamis, Cyprus).

So, Madduwatta had conquered the whole of western Anatolia.

[edit] Bibliography and references

The main source is the "Indictment of Madduwattas" by Arnuwanda, Tudhaliya's heir. (Beckman pp. 153-160). (The "Indictment" was first assigned to the end of the Hittite kingdom, a mistake that persists to this day in certain places.)