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 The move to Tarhuntassa 

At the start of Muwatalli II’s reign the capital of Hatti was Hattusa, located in the northern region of Anatolia. Not long after he came into power, he made the decision to move the capital to a new location, which he named Tarhuntassa. There is no documentation stating the reason why the capital was moved, but scholars, based on later texts written by his brother Hattusili III and the campaigns Muwatalli II fought, have come up with two possible reasons.

The first theory is that Muwatlli II moved the capital because of the border skirmishes between the Hittites and the Kaska, and later the rebellion by Piyamaradu.[1] These disputes were on the northern border, and the capital of Hattusa is located near the northern border. After stabilizing the northern border, he moved the capital farther south, to the new location of Tarhuntassa. This new location was not only farther away from the troublesome northern border, but it was also strategically better for the upcoming fight against Egypt over Syria.[2]

The second theory of why Muwatalli II moved is capital south is for religious reasons. Itamar Singer, in his essay “The Failed Reforms of Akhenaten and Muwatalli” states that the reason for the move had deeper roots in a religious reform, although he does acknowledge the political advantages of the move.[3] The main evidence for this is how the depiction of the Storm God on his royal seals changes significantly after the expulsion of Danuhepa. Muwatalli II introduces a new motif for seals that is followed by all the Hittite kings that rule after him: the Umarmungsszene. This style is identifiable because it shows the king being embraced by one (or more) gods. In Muwatalli II’s seals, he is being embraced by his personal god, The Storm God of Lightning.

[1] Bryce, Trevor. The Kingdom of the Hittites. New ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005 pg. 224-227.

[2] Bryce, Trevor. The Kingdom of the Hittites. New ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005 pg. 230-233.

[3] Singer, Itamar. “The Failed Reforms of Akhenaten and Muwatalli.” BMSAES 6 (October 2006): 37-58