Back Tudhalias el Jove Catalan Tudḫaliya III. German Τουδαλίγιας Γ΄ Greek Tudhaliya el Joven Spanish Tudhalia III.a Basque Tudhaliya III French Tudhaliyas III Galician תודחליה השלישי HE (III.) Tudhalijasz Hungarian Թուդխալիա III Armenian
| Tudhaliya III | |
|---|---|
| Reign | c. 1380–c. 1350 BC |
| Predecessor | Arnuwanda I |
| Successor | Šuppiluliuma I |
| Spouse | Šatandu-Ḫeba, Tadu-Ḫeba |
| Issue | Tudḫaliya the Younger Ḫenti |
| Father | Arnuwanda I |
| Mother | Ašmu-Nikkal |
Tudḫaliya III (sometimes designated Tudḫaliya II), with the additional Hurrian name Tašmi-Šarri,[1] was a Hittite great king in Anatolia during the Late Bronze in the 14th century BC, in c. 1380–1350 BC.[2][3]: 230, 252 He was the son and successor of Arnuwanda I[4] and the predecessor, father-in-law, and adoptive father of Šuppiluliuma I.[5]
The numbering of Hittite kings named Tudḫaliya varies between scholars because of debate over the identity (or not) between the first two bearers of the name.[6] Accordingly, some scholars designate Tudḫaliya III as "Tudḫaliya II" and apply the designation "Tudḫaliya III" to his son Tudḫaliya the Younger instead. While Tudḫaliya the Younger appears to have been the designated heir of Tudḫaliya III, it is not clear if he ever reigned before being eliminated by his brother-in-law Šuppiluliuma I.[7]
Texts from the reign of Tudḫaliya III's grandson Muršili II and great-grandson Ḫattušili III portray the Hittite Kingdom on the brink of collapse under concentric attacks from the outside during his reign, and there is some evidence for such setbacks, although the dire situation might have been exaggerated for rhetorical purposes.[8]
- ^ Freu 2007b: 155, 161-162; Taracha 2016: 490.
- ^ Freu 2007b: 311, the beginning of the reign adjusted following Taracha 2016: 490-491 on dendrochronological evidence for the changeover between Arnuwanda I and Tudḫaliya III.
- ^ Kuhrt, Amélie (2020). The Ancient Near East: c.3000–330 BC, Volume One. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-75548-4.
- ^ Bryce 2005: 145.
- ^ Freu 2007b: 198-201; Stavi 2011: 228-230; Taracha 2016: 492-493, who believes there was a formal adoption of Šuppiluliuma by Tudḫaliya III.
- ^ Bryce 2005: 122-123, inclining towards a single person, whom he designates Tudḫaliya I/II; Freu 2007b: 18-45, considers Tudḫaliya I and Tudḫaliya II separate kings, grandfather and grandson, separated by the short reign of Ḫattušili II.
- ^ Beckman 2000: 24; Bryce 2005: 154-155.
- ^ Weeden 2022: 571-573.