Zita (Hittite prince)

Zita was a Hittite prince and probably the brother of Suppiluliuma I, (Šuppiluliumaš of the letters), in the 382–letter correspondence called the Amarna letters. The letters were mostly sent to the pharaoh of Egypt from 1350-1335 BC, but other internal letters, vassal-state letters, and epics, also word texts, are part of the letter corpus. Zita had a son called Hatupiyanza.

For other uses, see Zita (disambiguation).

Zita's letter to the Egyptian pharaoh is addressed to someone at the Egyptian court.

Zita's letter to Egypt

EA 44, title: "From a Hittite prince"

In the Amarna letters, Zita is only referenced in EA 44, his own letter, (EA is for 'el Amarna'). The topic of Zita's letter is his desire for gold, and his sending of a "greeting-gift" as his payment, for a return greeting-gift of gold.

Tablet-letter: EA 44:

"Say to the lord, the king of Egypt-(named: Mizri), my father: Thus Zi[t]a, the king's son, your son.
May all go well with the lord, my father.
On an earlier embassy-(visit) of any of your messengers, they came to Hatti, and when they went back to you, then it was I–that sent greetings to you and had a present brought to you.
...
[...] Herewith [I send on] to you your messengers (coming) [from] Hatti, and I also send to my father my own messengers–along with your messengers, and I send as your greeting-gift a present of 16 men.
I myself am desirous of gold. [M]y father, send me gold. Whatever you, the lord, my father, are desirous of, write me so I can send it to you." -EA 44, lines 1-29 (lines 14-17+ are missing-(a lacuna))

See also
Hittite New Kingdom royal family tree according to Trevor Bryce
Kantuzilli[lower-alpha 1]
Tudhaliya I/II[lower-alpha 2]Nikkalmati[lower-alpha 3]
Arnuwanda I[lower-alpha 3]Asmunikal[lower-alpha 3]
Hattusili II?[lower-alpha 4]Tudhaliya III[lower-alpha 5]Daduhepa[lower-alpha 6]Zida[lower-alpha 7]
Tudhaliya the Younger[lower-alpha 8]Henti[lower-alpha 7] (1)Šuppiluliuma I[lower-alpha 8](2) Tawananna[lower-alpha 9]
Arnuwanda II[lower-alpha 7]Telipinu[lower-alpha 10]Sarri-Kusuh[lower-alpha 11][lower-alpha 12]Zannanza[lower-alpha 13]Gassulawiya[lower-alpha 14] (1)Mursili II[lower-alpha 7](2) Tanuhepa[lower-alpha 15]
Talmi-Sarruma[lower-alpha 16]Sahurunuwa[lower-alpha 11][lower-alpha 17]Muwatalli II[lower-alpha 15]Halpasulupi[lower-alpha 18]Massanauzzi[lower-alpha 19]Hattusili III[lower-alpha 20]Puduhepa[lower-alpha 21]
Ini-Tesub[lower-alpha 11][lower-alpha 22]Urhi-Tesub[lower-alpha 15]Kurunta[lower-alpha 23]Nerikkaili[lower-alpha 24]numerous daughters[lower-alpha 25] and sons[lower-alpha 26]Tudhaliya IV[lower-alpha 27]
Talmi-Tesub[lower-alpha 11][lower-alpha 28]Arnuwanda III[lower-alpha 29]Suppiluliuma II[lower-alpha 29][lower-alpha 30]
Kuzi-Tesub[lower-alpha 31]
  • (1) = 1st spouse
  • (2) = 2nd spouse
  • Small caps indicates a Great King (LUGAL.GAL) of the Land of Hatti; italic small caps indicates a Great Queen or Tawananna.
  • Dashed lines indicate adoption.
  • Solid lines indicate marriage (if horizontal) or parentage (if vertical).
References:
  • Trevor Bryce (1997). The Kingdom of the Hittites. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
  • Trevor Bryce (2005). The Kingdom of the Hittites (new edition). Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
  • Trevor Bryce (2012). The World of the Neo-Hittite Kingdoms. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
  • Jacques Freu (2007). Les débuts du nouvel empire hittite. Paris, France: L'Harmattan.
  • Volkert Haas (2006). Die hethitische Literatur. Berlin, Germany: de Gruyter.
Notes:
  1. Scholars have suggested that Tudhaliya I/II was possibly a grandson of the Hittite king Huzziya II; the first Tudhaliya is now known to be the son of Kantuzzili (Bryce 1997, p. 131 suggested Himuili, but the new edition, Bryce 2005, p. 122, indicated Kantuzzili).
  2. Bryce (1997) does not consider it clear whether Tudhaliya I/II was one king or two (p. 133); the link points to Tudhaliya II. Among those who identify distinct kings Tudhaliya I and Tudhaliya II, Freu (2007) has Kantuzzili—his son Tudhaliya I—his son Hattusili II—his son Tudhaliya II (p. 311).
  3. Bryce (1997), p. 139.
  4. The existence of Hattusili II is doubted by many scholars (Bryce 1997, pp. 153–154; Bryce 2005, p. 141). Among those who accept the existence of Hattusili II, Freu (2007), p. 311, has Tudhaliya I—his son Hattusili II—his son Tudhaliya II.
  5. Bryce (1997), p. 158.
  6. Bryce (1997), p. 172.
  7. Bryce (1997), p. 174.
  8. Bryce (1997), p. 168.
  9. Also known as Malnigal; daughter of Burnaburias II of Babylonia (Bryce 1997, p. 173).
  10. ‘Great priest’ in Kizzuwadna and king (lugal) of Aleppo (Bryce 1997, p. 174).
  11. King (lugal) of Carchemish.
  12. Bryce (1997), pp. 174, 203–204.
  13. Zannanza died on his way to Egypt to marry a pharaoh's widow, probably Ankhesenpaaten, the widow of Tutankhamun (Bryce 1997, pp. 196–198).
  14. Bryce (1997), p. 227.
  15. Bryce (1997), p. 230.
  16. Bryce (1997), p. 220.
  17. Bryce (1997), p. 222.
  18. Haas (2006), p. 91.
  19. Massanauzzi married Masturi, king of the Seha River Land (Bryce 1997, p. 313).
  20. Bryce (1997), p. 296.
  21. Puduhepa was the daughter of the Kizzuwadnan priest Pentipsarri (Bryce 1997, p. 273).
  22. Bryce (1997), pp. 346, 363.
  23. King (lugal) of Tarhuntassa (Bryce 1997, p. 296); apparently later Great King of Hatti (Bryce 1997, p. 354).
  24. Nerikkaili married a daughter of Bentesina, king of Amurru (Bryce 1997, p. 294).
  25. Two daughters of Hattusili III were married to the pharaoh Ramesses II; one was given the Egyptian name Ma(hor)nefrure. Another, Gassuwaliya, married into the royal house of Amurru. Kilushepa was married to a king of Isuwa. A daughter married into the royal family of Babylon. A sister of Tudhaliya IV married Sausgamuwa, king of Amurru after his father Bentesina. From Bryce (1997), pp. 294 and 312.
  26. Bryce (1997), p. 332.
  27. Bryce (1997), p. 363. Tudhaliya IV probably married a Babylonian princess, known by her title of Great Princess (dumu.sal gal) (Bryce 1997, pp. 294, 331).
  28. Bryce (1997), p. 363.
  29. Bryce (1997), p. 361.
  30. Last documented Great King of the Land of Hatti.
  31. King and then Great King of Carchemish (Bryce 1997, pp. 384–385).

References
  • Moran, William L. The Amarna Letters. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987, 1992. (softcover, ISBN 0-8018-6715-0)
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