| Niqmepa | |
|---|---|
| King of Ugarit | |
 Text of Law in Akkadian by King Niqmepa with dynastic seal. Ras Shamra. Louvre Museum. | |
| King of Ugarit | |
| Reign | 1320 BC – 1270 BC |
| Predecessor | Arhalba |
| Successor | Ammittamru II |
| Died | c. 1270 BC Ugarit |
| Spouse | Ahatmilku |
| Issue | Ammittamru II |
Niqmepa (died c. 1270 BC) was the fifth-from-last King of Ugarit, a city-state in northwestern Syria. [1]
He was the son of Niqmaddu II, and the brother and successor of Arhalba. [2]
Niqmepa was installed by the Hittite king Mursili II after forcing the former king, his brother Arhalba to abdicate the throne in favour of him, [2] [3] and was forced to sign a new treaty declaring explicitly that Ugarit was a vassal state of the Hittites. [2] The treaty reveals that Niqmepa had a harem, and states that his woman and children will be held responsible if he fails to honor his obligations. [4] At the same time Ugarit lost control of the territory of Shiyannu to the east, which halved the area controlled by Niqmepa. The secession was confirmed by Mursili II and Shiyannu was placed under the direct control of Carchemish, which was ruled by descendants of Hittite kings as "viceroys". However, because of the loss of Shiyannu, and by request from Niqmepa, the tribute of Ugarit was reduced by a third. During Niqmepa's reign Ugarit became entirely encircled by areas under Hittite control. [2]
Niqmepa married princess Ahatmilku, of the Amurru kingdom to the south. [4]
After a long reign of about 50 years as the vassal of four successive Hittite kings, Niqmepa was succeeded by his son, the lesser known Ammittamru II. [2]
The Hittites were an Anatolian people who played an important role in establishing first a kingdom in Kussara, then the Kanesh or Nesha kingdom, and next an empire centered on Hattusa in north-central Anatolia. This empire reached its height during the mid-14th century BC under Šuppiluliuma I, when it encompassed an area that included most of Anatolia as well as parts of the northern Levant and Upper Mesopotamia.
Babylonia was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia. It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. 1894 BC. During the reign of Hammurabi and afterwards, Babylonia was called "the country of Akkad", a deliberate archaism in reference to the previous glory of the Akkadian Empire. It was often involved in rivalry with the older state of Assyria to the north and Elam to the east in Ancient Iran. Babylonia briefly became the major power in the region after Hammurabi created a short-lived empire, succeeding the earlier Akkadian Empire, Third Dynasty of Ur, and Old Assyrian Empire. The Babylonian Empire rapidly fell apart after the death of Hammurabi and reverted to a small kingdom.
Mitanni, c. 1550–1260 BC, earlier called Ḫabigalbat in old Babylonian texts, c. 1600 BC; Hanigalbat or Hani-Rabbat in Assyrian records, or Naharin in Egyptian texts, was a Hurrian-speaking state with Indo-Aryan linguistic influences in northern Syria and southeast Anatolia. Since no histories or royal annals/chronicles have yet been found in its excavated sites, knowledge about Mitanni is sparse compared to the other powers in the area, and dependent on what its neighbours commented in their texts.
Yamhad was an ancient Semitic-speaking kingdom centered on Ḥalab (Aleppo) in Syria. The kingdom emerged at the end of the 19th century BC and was ruled by the Yamhad dynasty, who counted on both military and diplomacy to expand their realm. From the beginning of its establishment, the kingdom withstood the aggressions of its neighbors Mari, Qatna and the Old Assyrian Empire, and was turned into the most powerful Syrian kingdom of its era through the actions of its king Yarim-Lim I. By the middle of the 18th century BC, most of Syria minus the south came under the authority of Yamhad, either as a direct possession or through vassalage, and for nearly a century and a half, Yamhad dominated northern, northwestern and eastern Syria, and had influence over small kingdoms in Mesopotamia at the borders of Elam. The kingdom was eventually destroyed by the Hittites, then annexed by Mitanni in the 16th century BC.
A vassal state is any state that has a mutual obligation to a superior state or empire, in a status similar to that of a vassal in the feudal system in medieval Europe. Vassal states were common among the empires of the Near East, dating back to the era of the Egyptian, Hittite and Mitanni conflict, as well as ancient China. The use of vassal states continued through the Middle Ages, with the last empire to use such states being the Ottoman Empire.
Suppiluliuma I or Suppiluliumas I was king of the Hittites. He achieved fame as a great warrior and statesman, successfully challenging the then-dominant Egyptian Empire for control of the lands between the Mediterranean and the Euphrates.
Muwatalli II was a king of the New Kingdom of the Hittite empire c. 1295–1282 and 1295–1272 BC in the short chronology.
Hattusili III was king of the Hittite empire c. 1275–1245 BC or 1267–1237 BC.
Mursili III, also known as Urhi-Teshub, was a king of the Hittites who assumed the throne of the Hittite empire at Tarhuntassa upon his father's death. He was a cousin of Tudhaliya IV and Queen Maathorneferure. He ruled ca. 1282–1275 BC or 1272–1265 BC.
Mursili II was a king of the Hittite Empire c. 1330–1295 BC or 1321–1295 BC.
Adad-nārārī I, rendered in all but two inscriptions ideographically as mdadad-ZAB+DAḪ, meaning "Adad (is) my helper," was a king of Assyria during the Middle Assyrian Empire. He is the earliest Assyrian king whose annals survive in any detail. Adad-nārārī I achieved major military victories that further strengthened Assyria. In his inscriptions from Assur he calls himself son of Arik-den-ili, the same filiations being recorded in the Nassouhi kinglist. He is recorded as a son of Enlil-nirari in the Khorsabad kinglist and the SDAS kinglist, probably in error.
Hayasa-Azzi or Azzi-Hayasa was a Late Bronze Age confederation in the Armenian Highlands and/or Pontic region of Asia Minor. The Hayasa-Azzi confederation was in conflict with the Hittite Empire in the 14th century BC, leading up to the collapse of Hatti around 1190 BC. It has long been thought that Hayasa-Azzi may have played a significant role in the ethnogenesis of Armenians.
Tudhaliya III was a king of the Hittite Empire. In academic literature, this name can refer to two separate individuals. One is known under the Hurrian name Tasmi-Sarri. He could also be referred to as Tudhaliya II or Tudhaliya III.
Niqmaddu II was the second ruler and king of Ugarit, an ancient Syrian citystate in northwestern Syria, reigning c. 1350–1315 BC and succeeding his less known father, Ammittamru I. He took his name from the earlier Amorite ruler Niqmaddu, meaning "Addu has vindicated" to strengthen the supposed origins of his Ugaritic dynasty is the Amorites.
Ar-Halba was the third known ruler of Ugarit, an Ancient Syrian city state in northwestern Syria, reigning for no less than two years, possibly from 1315 to 1313 BC. He succeeded king Niqmaddu II.
The Battle of Niḫriya was the culminating point of the hostilities between the Hittites and the Assyrians for control over the remnants of the former empire of Mitanni.
Sarra-El also written Šarran was a prince of Yamhad who might have regained the throne after the assassination of the Hittite king Mursili I.
Hammurabi III was the king of Yamhad (Halab) succeeding Yarim-Lim III.
The Yamhad dynasty was an ancient Amorite royal family founded in c. 1810 BC by Sumu-Epuh of Yamhad who had his capital in the city of Aleppo. Started as a local dynasty, the family expanded its influence through the actions of its energetic ruler Yarim-Lim I who turned it into the most influential family in the Levant through both diplomatic and military tools. At its height the dynasty controlled most of northern Syria and the modern Turkish province of Hatay with a cadet branch ruling in the city of Alalakh.
