The Hurrians in Turkey

This article is one in the Cultural History of Turkey series. For the description of any cultures or tribes please read that article.

Very little known about the Hurrians. So far there is not much wealth of findings. Most of the constructed history of the Hurrians is drawn from the documents found in the libraries of other peoples of those times, such as the Hittites, Akkadians, Sumerians, and Egyptians. So the dates and other details given below should be considered with caution. Nevertheless, various archaeologists suggest different views. Based on some of the these views it can be surmised that, around 2400 BC the Hurrian speaking people migrated into the areas to the east and north of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and northern Mesopotamia. Although the Hurrians’ origin is not known it is assumed that their homeland was located somewhere in the Transcaucasian region. During the period of the Akkadian King Naran-sir (2200 BC) they established communities throughout the region from Anatolia in the west to the Zagros Mountains in the east – earliest tablet found in the Hurrian language documents the construction of a temple in the city of Urkesh in the south of Mardin circa 2300 BC. In the following two centuries the Hurrians created some small kingdoms. By 2000 BC they were the rulers of northern Mesopotamia. The Hurrians spread in an area covering South Eastern Anatolia, North Mesopotamia, and North Syria.

One of the controversies is centered around the relationship between the Indo-Aryan people and Hurrians. One view is that the Hurrians were Indo-Aryan people. The other view is that the Indo-Aryan people also migrated from the Transcaucasian region and settled in the same regions where the Hurrians settled so that the Hurrians were influenced by the Indo-Aryan people and adopted Indo-Aryan linguistic features. Yet another view is that there were the Indo-Aryan people who were on the move to Iran and India and there was a cultural interaction during this migration.

In the next few centuries the Hurrians became weaker and retreated against the other migrating tribes, such as Amorites. With the migration of new Hurrian tribes to the region, however, they regained strength and founded the Mittani2 Kingdom, circa 1600 BC3, also known as the kingdom Hanigalbat4 in the Akkadian text. The name of the Mittani capital was Wassukkanni.

Years between 1400 – 1350 BC were the period when they were the second powerful kingdom after Egyptians, mainly due to the weakness of Hittite empire in these 50 years. Finally they disappeared from history around 1270 BC.

Some of the Well known Hurrian Kings (in chronological order)

  • Kirta
  • Suttarna
  • Parrattarna
  • Parsatatar
  • Saustatar
  • Parrattarna II
  • Artatama I
  • Suttarna II
  • Artasumara
  • Tushratta
  • Artatama II
  • Suttarna III
  • Sattiwaza
  • Sattuara I
  • Wasasatta
  • Sattuara II

Based on the sources from different places including the Hittite capital, Hattusa, and sites such as Tell el-Amarna, Boğazköy, and Mari, archaeologists put together plausible scenarios for the succession of the Hurrian Kings. According to one of them, Kirta was presumed to be the first king of the Hurrians. Other than that not much known about his accomplishments. Suttarna I was the son of Kirta. Parrattarna brought the borders of Mittani to the Mediterranean coasts. Saustatar, one of the most important kings of the Hurrians, achieved the unification of the Mittani kingdom. However, in their waning years they were invaded by the Assyrians. Sattuara’s1 son tried defend his country against the Assyrians but since he did not get help from the Hittites his struggle was futile and did not prevent the kingdom’s demise. According to another interpretation the Hurrians eventually fell victim to population upheavals in Anatolia.

Language/Customs/Rituals/Arts

The term “Hurrians” seems to denote more a linguistic unity of the tribes scattered in the northern Mesopotamia than a historic identity. In fact, from the Cuneiform tablets found in the sites Tell el-Amarna, Boğazköy, and Mari, it can be attested that the Hurrian, which was also known as Mittanian and Subarnean, is a unique language in that area and does not have any genetic relationship to the languages of its time, such as the Hittite and Sumerian2.

The Hurrians, being scattered into a wide geographic area between Mediterranean and Zagros Mountains and being co-existed with and or assimilated by the cultures they came into contact with in the time span of more than a millennium, had their fair share of Anatolian art, architecture, and culture. Although some palaces and temples are known to be built by them, the grandiose structures are rare. Most of the art pieces the Hurrians created might be considered as minor art. Statuettes, reliefs, figurines, amulets, beads, and vessels were found in various places the Hurrians lived. Colored glass and faience were used in making these art pieces, the so called “Nuzi3 Ware4”, painted pottery from the Mittanian period. The area that the Hurrians produced some high quality work was glyptic art.

Religion was very important part of the Hurrian culture. So much so that they exported their religion to originally more secular and militarily more dominant Hittites. Towards the end of their existence the Hittites adopted the Hurrian religion. The Hurrians had a rich pantheon. They had many rituals and religious ceremonies. Some rituals show resemblance to the rituals of other older and well known civilizations of Mesopotamia and surrounding areas, such as the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Syrians, which shows that Hurrians possibly adopted these rituals from them. Some of the deities were weather-god and the king of the gods, Tessup.

One peculiar magic/religious tradition of the Hurrians was the creation of ritual pits in the ground that were symbolic access to the underworld deities. Offerings were placed and blood of sacrifices was shed into them. This ritual, like many other religious customs, was borrowed by the Hittites.

Military

Although the Hurrians were not militarily strong and dominant people in Asia Minor, there were a few areas where they excelled and made name for themselves. For example, the two-wheeled chariots played an important role in the expansion of the Mittani Kingdom. Breeding and training horses were also important, possibly to be used with the chariots. Additionally, they were known for making other military hardware, such as composite bows and siege rams. This last point can be attested by the suggestion of the use of “the Hurrian ram” by a Hittite king when his generals fail to take a city.

Sources

  1. “The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations,” Prepared by the members of staff at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara, Turkey.
  2. Akurgal, Ekrem, “Anadolu Kültür Tarihi,” TÜBİTAK Popüler Bilim Kitaplari, April 2008, ISBN 978-975-403-107-2
  3. Wilhelm, Gernot, “The Hurrians,” translated from German by Jennifer Barnes with a chapter by Diana L. Stein, printed and published in England by Aris & Phillips Ltd, Teddington House, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 8PQ, England.
  4. Buccellati, Giorgio and Kelly-Buccelati (Editors), Marilyn, “Urkesh and the Hurrians, Studies in Honor of Lyod Cotsen,” Bibliotheca Mesopotamica, Volume 26, Urkesh/Mozan Studies 3, Undena Publications, Malibu 1998.
  5. Steinkeller, Piotr, The Historical Background of Urkesh and the Hurrian Beginnings in Northern Mesopotamia,” Harvard University, Cambridge.
  6. Hoffner, Harry, A, Jr., “Hurrian Civilization from a Hittite Perspective,” The Oriental Institute, Chicago.

Further Reading

  1. Speiser, E. A., “Introduction to Hurrian,” published by the American Schools of Oriental Research. 1941, The Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research, Vol XX, for 1940 – 1941, Edited for the Trustees by Millar Burrows and E. A. Speiser.

This article is one in the Cultural History of Turkey series. For the description of any cultures or tribes please read that article.