Assyrian King Tukulti-Ninurta (known in Greek legends…

Tudhaliya IV, the younger son of King Hattusili III of the Hittite Empire, was likely born in his father's court in Hattusa, after his brother and crown prince Nerikkaili but still while their father was governing on his brother Muwatalli II's behalf.

He had been a good friend of his cousin Kurunta, who, in the struggle for the throne between Mursili III and Hattusili, had given his loyalty to his uncle, Hattusili, over his father, Mursili, and Hattusili had ordered that they stay on good terms.

After Hattusili as King had drawn up a treaty with "Ulmi-Tessup" that confirmed Kurunta's vassal kingship over Tarhuntassa, his father's former capital, mentioned in the so-called Tawagalawa Letter, Hattusili had elevated Tudhaliya over his older brother to be his crown prince.

However, most of the territory under Tarhuntassa's nominal sway has fallen into the hands of Lukkan warriors acting with support from Ahhiyawa.

Kurunta apparently has spent all of Hattusili's reign slowly reconquering the lost territory.

Tudhaliya, after succeeding to the kingship in 1237 BCE, draws up a treaty, recorded on a bronze tablet, confirming the links between him and Kurunta.

At the time the treaty is sealed, it is clear that Kurunta is still actively reconquering the west, where the city Parha (Classical Perge in Pamphylia) is expected to fall into his hands.

For modern scholarship, this treaty is very important, as it has been used to resolve many of the disputes about west Anatolian geography.

Further, it is in a state of near perfect preservation, making it a rare and valuable artifact.

The so-called Elamite Middle Period, an era of increasing power and prosperity which began around 1500 BCE, sees a surge of spectacular architecture and sculpture at such Elamite centers as Dur-Untash which means 'town of Untash' (present-day Chogha Zanbil, near Susa), built by Untash-Napirisha.

Built mainly to honor the great god Inshushinak, its original name was Dur Untash, but it is unlikely that many people, besides priests and servants, ever live here.

The complex is protected by three concentric walls which define the main areas of the 'town'.

The inner area is wholly taken up with a great ziggurat dedicated to the main god, which was built over an earlier square temple with storage rooms also built by Untash-Napirisha.

The middle area holds eleven temples for lesser gods.

It is believed that twenty-two temples were originally planned, but the king dies before they can be finished, and his successors discontinue the building work.

In the outer area are royal palaces, a funerary palace containing five subterranean royal tombs.

Some scholars speculate, based on the large number of temples and sanctuaries at Chogha Zanbil, that Untash-Napirisha attempted to create a new religious center (possibly intended to replace Susa) which would unite the gods of both highland and lowland Elam at one site.

Petroleum exploration in the region today threatens the very foundations of the site, as various seismic tests have been undertaken to explore for reserves of petroleum.

Digging for oil has been undertaken as close as three hundred meters away from the ziggurat, which is considered to be the best preserved example in the world.

Tikulti-Ninurta I begins construction in 1241 BCE on the temple of Ishtar, an internalized ziggurat that features an off-axis doorway to the cult room and two flights of interior stairs leading to a niche for the cult statue.

Ramesses fortifies the western coast road of Egypt against Libyan invaders and constructs several large temples, most notably that at Abu Simbel in Nubia, where the four colossal statues of Ramesses II that form the facade of his rock-cut temple of Re Harakte, immense and imbued with awesome strength, exemplify the arc of the sculptural representations of Egypt’s kings in this epoch.

The plan of the impressive temple is similar to that of Egyptian freestanding temples except that the structure is carved out of a cliff face and the enormous statues of the king replace the pylons.

Tukulti-Ninurta I succeeds Shalmaneser I, his father, as king of Assyria in 1233 BCE.

The Assyrian victory shakes the Hittite state to its foundations as its king Tudhaliya IV is placed in a difficult situation since he faces several internal revolts against his reign, one of which may well have been an attempted coup d'etat led by Kurunta, a son of Muwatalli II and younger brother of the deposed Hittite king Mursili III.

Tudhaliya IV will ultimately overcome all these challenges to his authority and retain the kingship of Hatti.

The Temple of Ishtar, constructed by Tukulti-Ninurta I from 1241 to 1207, is an internalized ziggurat that features an off-axis doorway to the cult room and two flights of interior stairs leading to a niche for the cult statue.

There are again numerous deportations from Hanilgalbat (Mitanni) to Assur under Tukulti-Ninurta I (who reigns from about 1243 BCE to 1207 BCE), probably in connection with the construction of a new palace.

As the royal inscriptions mention an invasion of Hanilgalbat by a Hittite king, there may have been a new rebellion, or at least native support of a Hittite invasion.

The Assyrian towns may have been sacked at this time, as destruction levels have been found in some excavations that cannot be dated with precision, however.

The Assyrian expansion into Syria continues under the command of king Tukulti-Ninurta I and precipitates a crisis between Hatti which controls the Nairi lands which Assyria coveted.

The Hittites consider the Assyrian advance to be a clear attack on the frontiers of their empire and go into battle under their king, Tudhaliya IV, Hattusili's son and successor.

Tukulti-Ninurta wins a major victory against the Hittites at the Battle of Nihriya, the culminating point of the hostilities between Hittites and Assyrians for control over the remnants of the former empire of Mitanni.

The conflict between both great powers took place in the neighborhood of Nihriya in the Tigris region, with the Assyrians gaining a decisive victory that allows Assyria to annex the local Nairi region into their Empire and oust 40 native rulers who had resisted their advance into this territory.

The exact date of the conflict is not certain; it perhaps occurs around 1230.

Although Assyrian sources state that, after the battle, they captured 28,800 Hittite prisoners (although this may be an exaggeration), there are no significant consequences for Hittites in the long term, since Assyria henceforth turns its attention to the conquest of Babylonia, a project in which it will invest too many resources to permit expanding its western border.

Tukulti-Ninurta I eventually defeats Kashtiliash IV, the Kassite king, and captures the rival city of Babylon to ensure full Assyrian supremacy over Mesopotamia.

Kashtiliash IV is captured and deported to Assyria.