Labarna I was the traditional first king of the
Hittites
The Hittites () were an Anatolian people who played an important role in establishing first a kingdom in Kussara (before 1750 BC), then the Kanesh or Nesha kingdom (c. 1750–1650 BC), and next an empire centered on Hattusa in north-centra ...
, c. early 17th century BC (
middle chronology
The chronology of the ancient Near East is a framework of dates for various events, rulers and dynasties. Historical inscriptions and texts customarily record events in terms of a succession of officials or rulers: "in the year X of king Y". Com ...
), the most accepted chronology nowadays. He was the traditional founder of the Hittite Old Kingdom (fl. c. 1680(?)-1650 BCE). His wife was
Tawannanna.
The existence of Labarna I is questioned by some modern scholars. ''Labarna'' was also a title of early Hittite rulers, such as
Hattusili I Ḫattušili (''Ḫattušiliš'' in the inflected nominative case) was the regnal name of three Hittite kings:
* Ḫattušili I (Labarna II)
* Ḫattušili II
* Ḫattušili III
It was also the name of two Neo-Hittite kings:
* Ḫattušili I (Laba ...
. Given the relatively few contemporaneous references to Labarna I personally, some scholars have suggested that pioneering
Hittitologist
Hittitology is the study of the Hittites, an ancient Anatolian people that established an empire around Hattusa in the 2nd millennium BCE. It combines aspects of the archaeology, history, philology, and art history of the Hittite civilisation.
...
s may have erred in assuming that Labarna was the personal name of a king. According to this theory, the first ''Labarna'' (in the sense of a title) was Hattusili I, who is normally regarded as the second ''Labarna''.
''Tabarna'', a variant of ''Labarna'', is mentioned often in Hattian, Hittite, Hurrian and Akkadian texts from the Hittite archives.
Biography
Labarna was not the first in line to the throne.
PU-Sarruma designated Labarna as his successor after his own sons revolted against him. Upon
PU-Sarruma's death, Labarna and
Papahdilmah, one of
PU-Sarruma's sons, contended for the throne, with Labarna emerging victorious.
What little is known about him is culled mainly from the
Telepinu Proclamation Telipinu (or Telepinu) Proclamation is a Hittite edict, written during the reign of King Telipinu, c. 1525-1500 BCE. The text is classified as CTH 19 in the Catalogue of Hittite Texts.
The edict is significant because it made possible to reconst ...
, which states that he overwhelmed his enemies and "made them borders of the sea",
§3 a statement which may refer to conquests as far as the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast in the south, and the Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
in the north.
Labarna installed his sons as governors in several cities including Tuwanuwa, Hupisna, Landa, and Lusna (the identities of these cities are uncertain, but thought to perhaps be Tyana
Tyana ( grc, Τύανα), earlier known as Tuwana ( Hieroglyphic Luwian: ; Akkadian: ) and Tuwanuwa ( Hittite: ) was an ancient city in the Anatolian region of Cappadocia, in modern Kemerhisar, Niğde Province, Central Anatolia, Turkey. It w ...
, Heraclea Cybistra
Heraclea Cybistra ( grc, Ἡράκλεια Κύβιστρα), or simply Heraclea or Herakleia (Ἡράκλεια), also transliterated as Heracleia, was a town of ancient Cappadocia or Cilicia; located at the site of modern Ereğli in Konya Prov ...
, Laranda, and Lystra). Through his conquests, he was responsible for laying the groundwork for the Hittite empire that was to come.
See also
* History of the Hittites
References
External links
Reign of Labarna I
Hittite kings
16th-century BC rulers
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