Tabal (c.f. biblical ''

Tubal Tubal ( he, תֻבָל, ''Ṯuḇāl'', ), in Genesis 10 (the "Table of Nations"), was the name of a son of Japheth, son of Noah. He is known to be the father of the Caucasian Iberians (ancestors of the Georgians) according to primary sources. La ...

'';

Assyrian Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assyrian ...

: 𒋫𒁄) was a

Luwian The Luwians were a group of Anatolian peoples who lived in central, western, and southern Anatolia, in present-day Turkey, during the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. They spoke the Luwian language, an Indo-European language of the Anatolian sub-fa ...

speaking

Neo-Hittite The states that are called Syro-Hittite, Neo-Hittite (in older literature), or Luwian-Aramean (in modern scholarly works), were Luwian and Aramean regional polities of the Iron Age, situated in southeastern parts of modern Turkey and northwestern ...

kingdom (and/or collection of kingdoms) of South Central

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

during the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

. According to archaeologist

Kurt Bittel Kurt Bittel (born 5 July 1907 in Heidenheim an der Brenz, died 30 January 1991 in Heidenheim an der Brenz) was a German prehistorian. As president of the German Archaeological Institute (''Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts'' - DAI) and excava ...

, references to Tabal first appeared after the collapse of the

Hittite Empire 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 ...

. Tabal was likely an exonym applied by the Assyrians to

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...

. While its native name is uncertain, it is possible that it was called Sura, as mentioned in the records of

Yariri The House of Astiruwa was the last known dynasty of rulers of Carchemish. The members of this dynasty are best known to us through Hieroglyphic Luwian sources. One member of the House of Astiruwa may also be referred to in Assyrian sources. Astiru ...

, ruler of

Carchemish Carchemish ( Turkish: ''Karkamış''; or ), also spelled Karkemish ( hit, ; Hieroglyphic Luwian: , /; Akkadian: ; Egyptian: ; Hebrew: ) was an important ancient capital in the northern part of the region of Syria. At times during its ...

. Originally, Tabal was likely the name of a region or collection of kingdoms. However, Tabal may have later consolidated into a single kingdom, perhaps annexing, or being annexed by, the neighboring kingdom of

Melid Melid, also known as Arslantepe, was an ancient city on the Tohma River, a tributary of the upper Euphrates rising in the Taurus Mountains. It has been identified with the modern archaeological site of Arslantepe near Malatya, Turkey. It was ...

. According to Lorenzo D'alfonso, the Tabalians may have, at least partially, descended from the

Nairi Nairi (Traditional Armenian Orthography, classical hy, Նայիրի, ''Nayiri'', Reformed Armenian Orthography, reformed: Նաիրի, ''Nairi''; , also ''Na-'i-ru'') was the Akkadian language, Akkadian name for a region inhabited by a particular ...

tribe Tuali. The

Assyria Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the A ...

n king

Shalmaneser III Shalmaneser III (''Šulmānu-ašarēdu'', "the god Shulmanu is pre-eminent") was king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from the death of his father Ashurnasirpal II in 859 BC to his own death in 824 BC. His long reign was a constant series of campai ...

records that he received gifts from their 24 kings in 837 BC and the following year. A century later, their king Burutash is mentioned in an inscription of king

Tiglath-Pileser III Tiglath-Pileser III (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , meaning "my trust belongs to the son of Ešarra"), was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 745 BC to his death in 727. One of the most prominent and historically significant Assyrian kings, Tig ...

. The kings of Tabal have left a number of inscriptions from the 9th-8th centuries BC in hieroglyphic-

in the Turkish villages of Çalapverdi and Alişar. During the reign of

Sargon II Sargon II (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , meaning "the faithful king" or "the legitimate king") was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 722 BC to his death in battle in 705. Probably the son of Tiglath-Pileser III (745–727), Sargon is general ...

, Tabal entered in an alliance with the

Mushki The Mushki (sometimes transliterated as Muški) were an Iron Age people of Anatolia who appear in sources from Assyria but not from the Hittites. Several authors have connected them with the Moschoi (Μόσχοι) of Greek sources and the Georg ...

and Carchemish to counter Assyria. Toward the end of the 8th century BC, Tabal was at least partially conquered by Assyria. In 640 BC, inspired by the

Cimmerians The Cimmerians (Akkadian: , romanized: ; Hebrew: , romanized: ; Ancient Greek: , romanized: ; Latin: ) were an ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic people originating in the Caspian steppe, part of whom subsequently migrated into West A ...

, the Tabalian king Mugallu rebelled against

Ashurbanipal Ashurbanipal (Neo-Assyrian language, Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , meaning "Ashur (god), Ashur is the creator of the heir") was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 669 BCE to his death in 631. He is generally remembered as the last great king o ...

. However, Mugallu was defeated. Some have attempted to link Tabal to the tribe of the

Tibareni The Tibareni ( ka, ტიბარენები, Tibarenebi; Greek: Τιβαρηνοί and Τιβαρανοί;) were a people residing on the coast of ancient Pontus referred to in Herodotus, Xenophon, Strabo and other classical authors. The Ti ...

(''Tibarenoi'' in Greek, ''Thobeles'' in Josephus) who lived near 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, Roma ...

. According to Toumanoff, the Tabal(

, Tibal, Tibar) were proto-Georgians(Kartvelians) who later migrated with the

north to the Pontic region, which contributed to the formation of the eastern Georgian

Kingdom of Iberia In Greco-Roman geography, Iberia (Ancient Greek: ''Iberia''; la, Hiberia) was an exonym for the Georgians, Georgian kingdom of Kartli ( ka, ქართლი), known after its Kartli, core province, which during Classical Antiquity and the E ...

and the ancient Greeks also referred to them as the

and Moschi. The Tibareni are mentioned in the works of

Hecataeus of Miletus Hecataeus of Miletus (; el, Ἑκαταῖος ὁ Μιλήσιος; c. 550 BC – c. 476 BC), son of Hegesander, was an early Greek historian and geographer. Biography Hailing from a very wealthy family, he lived in Miletus, then under Per ...

Herodotus Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known f ...

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; grc, wikt:Ξενοφῶν, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Anci ...

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

, and

Apollonius of Rhodes Apollonius of Rhodes ( grc, Ἀπολλώνιος Ῥόδιος ''Apollṓnios Rhódios''; la, Apollonius Rhodius; fl. first half of 3rd century BC) was an ancient Greek author, best known for the ''Argonautica'', an epic poem about Jason and t ...

, who stated they were

Scythians The Scythians or Scyths, and sometimes also referred to as the Classical Scythians and the Pontic Scythians, were an Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern * : "In modern scholarship the name 'Sakas' is reserved f ...

. On this ground, the Georgian historian

Ivane Javakhishvili Ivane Alexandres dze Javakhishvili ( ka, ივანე ჯავახიშვილი; 23 April 1876 – 18 November 1940) was a Georgian historian and linguist whose voluminous works heavily influenced the modern scholarship of the history ...

(1950) considered Tabal,

, Jabal and Jubal to be an early

Kartvelian Kartvelian may refer to: * Anything coming from or related to Georgia (country) * Kartvelian languages * Kartvelian alphabet, see Georgian alphabet * Kartvelian studies * Georgians {{disambig Language and nationality disambiguation pages ...

tribal designation. The known rulers of Tabal are: * Tuwati I (Assyrian Tuatti), c. 837 BC * Kikki, son of Tuwati I, c. 837 BCTrevor Bryce: ''The World of the Neo-Hittite Kingdoms: A Political and Military History''. Oxford, New York 2012, p. 141-145, p. 306. * Tuwati II, mid 8th century BC *

Wasusarma Wasusarma (Assyrian Wassurme or Uassurme, ''hieroglyphic Luwian wa/i''4''-su-SARMA-ma-sa'') was a neo-Hittite king from Tabal, who ruled from around 740/38–730 BCE. He carried the titles of great king and hero, like his father Tuwati II (m ...

(Assyrian Wassurme), son of Tuwati II, c. 740 - 730 BC * Hulli, 730 - 726 BCTrevor Bryce: ''The World of the Neo-Hittite Kingdoms; A Political and Military History''. Oxford, New York 2012, p. 141-145, p. 307. *

Ambaris Ambaris was the sixth attested ruler of the kingdom of Tabal in Anatolia, in what is now Turkey. He ruled from 721-713 BC and under his rule the kingdom annexed the neighboring kingdom of Hilakku, forming the kingdom of Bit-Burutash.Trevor Bryce: '' ...

, son of Hulli, c. 721 - 713 BC * Hidi c. 690 BC''Tübinger Bibelatlas / Tübingen Bible Atlas''. Siegfried Mittmann, Götz Schmitt (eds.), Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2001, Map B IV 13. * Iškallu c. 679 BC * Mugallu/Mukalli c. 670, 663, 651 BCChristian Marek, Peter Frei: ''Geschichte Kleinasiens in der Antike''. Munich 2010, p. 802. * ''x''-ussi, son of Mugallu (ca. 650/640 BC)

Bibliography

. ''Historical-Ethnological problems of Georgia, the Caucasus and the Near East''. Tbilisi, 1950, pp. 130–135 (in Georgian) *

Simon Janashia Simon Janashia ( ka, სიმონ ჯანაშია; July 13, 1900 – November 5, 1947) was a Georgian historian and public figure. He was a professor of history and one of the founding members of the Georgian Academy of Sciences. Janash ...

. ''Works'', vol. III. Tbilisi, 1959, pp. 2–74 (in Georgian) * Nana Khazaradze. ''The Ethnopolitical entities of Eastern Asia Minor in the first half of the 1st millennium BC''. Tbilisi, 1978, pp. 3–139 (in Georgian, Russian and English)

Bibliography

References

See also