300 km south of Cairo, near the settlement of Amarna, in 1887. the royal archive of the 18th dynasty of Egypt / 1580-1090 was accidentally discovered. BC/, which was of great importance for the study of the history of not only Egypt but also many countries and peoples of Asia Minor.
The discovered Egyptian royal archive consisted of about 300 clay tablets and contained the diplomatic correspondence of the pharaohs Amenhotep III /1455-1419/ and Amenhotep IV /1419-1400/ with the monarchs of Mitani /Hurri-Mitanni/, Babylon, Assyria, Hatti and the monarchs of other countries. Studies have found that starting from the 18th century BC. e., – the Armenian / Aryan / state of Mitani1 played an important role in the political and economic life of Western Asia.
It was an important trade crossroads for neighboring countries. At the time of their power, the kings of Mitani ruled over Syria-Palestine, which bordered powerful Egypt.
Egypt also wanted to become the master of the region of Syria-Palestine, which is of great strategic importance. As a result, mutual military campaigns were launched.
The Egyptian pharaohs boast in their letters that they invaded the country of Mitani / also Naharina, Nairi /, reached the banks of the Euphrates, destroyed, burned, and returned with great booty.
Very often repeated invasions show that luck did not always accompany the Egyptians, otherwise, the invasions on the Armenian Highlands would not have been so frequent.
About the Armenian/Aryan state of Mitani / Mittani, Mitanni, Khurri-Mitani / formed in the south of the Armenian Highlands in the 15th-14th centuries. BC, see details in the work of A. Teryan, Mitani: The Ancient Armenian State, Yerevan, 2006 /in Armenian, Summary in Russian/
Thutmose IV /1465-1455/, following his ancestors, undertakes new invasions on Mitani, but it all ends with an agreement on peace and friendship concluded with King Artatam I. According to the agreement, Karkemysh, Aleppo, and Alalakh remained under the rule of Mitani, and the southern parts of Palestine and Syria retreated to Egypt.
Thutmose IV is convinced that it is much more profitable for him and his country to have the country of Mitani as an ally and relative. To more firmly consolidate the agreement, he sends matchmakers-diplomats to Artatam I, asking for his daughter as his wife. The matchmakers visit the court of Artatam seven times, who finally gives his consent, and the princess becomes the queen of Egypt named Mutemuye.
Amarna’s letters show that the daughter of Artatam I, the mother of the next Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III /1455-1419/. This pharaoh also married one of the princesses of the Mitani country. Until the 10th year of his reign / about 1445 BC. e. / Amenhotep III sent diplomats-matchmakers to the next king of Mitani, Sutarn I, asking for his daughter’s hand, Gila Hepa.
It is known that only after the sixth visit to the palace of Sutarna, did the diplomats manage to obtain the permission of the king. Gilu Hepa, accompanied by 317 women, leaves for Egypt.
Amenhotep III also had another wife named Tia /Tea/ of Hurrian origin / probably after the death of Gilu Hepa, since there is no more information about her in the letters /. Tia was not of royal lineage.
From the written sources found in her tomb, it turned out that Tia’s parents were from the country of Nairi. Tia was called “the elder wife of the king” and had great influence in the Egyptian palace.
She had the fame of a smart wife and helped her husband in ruling the country. Despite these advantages, due to non-royal origin, the priests often demanded that the pharaoh divorce her. However, Amenhotep III always refused them, answering that Tia was the wife of a powerful pharaoh.
The well-known archaeologist, Egyptologist Flinders Petrie, who studied in detail the position of the Mitani princesses in the Egyptian court, wrote, “Tia’s face … differed from the type previously common in Egypt …, Nefertiti’s appearance has many similar facial features with Tia, so many that they probably both belong one nation>2.
- Flinders Petrie, A history of Egypt during the XVII and XVIIIdinasties, II, 1924
Amenhotep III had a long reign, and from the letters of Amarna, it becomes clear that despite his advanced age, he again wanted to take one of the princesses of Mitani as his wife. This time the bride was the daughter of King Tushrata-Tadu Hepa / Tatu Hepa /, who would later be known by the name of Nefertiti.
The pharaoh sends his diplomats to matchmaking. The diplomats brought with them a letter from the pharaoh, where it was written: 3.
However, the king of Mitni Tushrata does not agree, and as a result of which lengthy negotiations begin.
The king of Mitani asks the pharaoh for a large amount of gold, which he needed to protect himself from external enemies. However, the pharaoh is in no hurry to send the demanded gold and writes <… what I send you is insignificant, and if you agree to give me the wife I desire, the gifts should / come much more />. During one of the visits, the bride is introduced to the diplomat-in-law Manet.
Mana likes the princess and with a reply letter from Tushrata, where he again asks for gold, returns to Egypt. The information of the diplomats about the bride probably satisfied the pharaoh, for Manet, with new gifts and a new letter, again goes to the Armenian country to accompany the princess to Egypt.
Also known are the names of diplomats Tushrata – Kelia, Ar-Teshshub, and Asali /clerk/, who also often visit Egypt, like Mane, preparing the marriage of the pharaoh with Tadu Hepa. Tushrata prepares a dowry for her daughter, for which time was needed, and decides that Mane should wait 6 months in the capital of Vashshughan until the dowry is ready.
Quotations from H. khachatryan’s book, History of Armenia during the cuneiform era, Yerevan, 1933;
Flinders Petrie, A history of Egypt during the XVII and XVIIIdinasties, II, 1924
Nefertiti’s dowry was created from the taxes of the cities of Harmokhe and Mashriani, several hundred women were also sent, and one cult chapel for national gods. The cities and princes under the rule of Tushrat also participated in the preparation of the dowry.
A detailed list of Nefertiti’s dowry has been preserved in the collection of Amarna letters. These are gold, silver, and bronze items, vessels, precious fabrics for clothes, embroidered items, gold-embroidered mantle-gold-woven mantle, earrings with precious diamonds, ornamented bracelets for wrists and shins, jewelry, cups, boxes, bottles with fragrant oils, bronze dishes, gold, and silver figurines.
There are also silver-plated carriages with their horses, weapons, and armor, bronze helmets, silver-plated gilded bows decorated with gold and diamonds, and other weapons. For the old man of the pharaoh, some kind of magical balm was sent, which was supposed to lengthen his life.
The well-known archaeologist, Egyptologist Flinders Petrie, who studied in detail the position of the Mitani princesses in the Egyptian court, wrote, “Tia’s face … differed from the type previously common in Egypt …, Nefertiti’s appearance has many similar facial features with Tia, so many that they probably both belong one nation>2.
- Flinders Petrie, A history of Egypt during the XVII and XVIIIdinasties, II, 1924
Amenhotep III had a long reign, and from the letters of Amarna, it becomes clear that despite his advanced age, he again wanted to take one of the princesses of Mitani as his wife. This time the bride was the daughter of King Tushrata-Tadu Hepa / Tatu Hepa /, who would later be known by the name of Nefertiti.
Nefertiti
The pharaoh sends his diplomats to matchmaking. The diplomats brought with them a letter from the pharaoh, where it was written: 3.
However, the king of Mitni Tushrata does not agree, and as a result of which lengthy negotiations begin.
The king of Mitani asks the pharaoh for a large amount of gold, which he needed to protect himself from external enemies. However, the pharaoh is in no hurry to send the demanded gold and writes <… what I send you is insignificant, and if you agree to give me the wife I desire, the gifts should / come much more />. During one of the visits, the bride is introduced to the diplomat-in-law Manet.
Manet likes the princess and with a reply letter from Tushrata, where he again asks for gold, returns to Egypt. The information of the diplomats about the bride probably satisfied the pharaoh, for Manet, with new gifts and a new letter, again goes to the Armenian country to accompany the princess to Egypt.
Also known are the names of diplomats Tushrata – Kelia, Ar-Teshshub, and Asali /clerk/, who also often visit Egypt, like Manet, preparing the marriage of the pharaoh with Tadu Hepa. Tushrata prepares a dowry for her daughter, for which time was needed, and decides that Manet should wait 6 months in the capital of Vashshughan until the dowry is ready.
Quotations from H. khachatryan’s book, History of Armenia during the cuneiform era, Yerevan, 1933;
Flinders Petrie, A history of Egypt during the XVII and XVIIIdinasties, II, 1924
Nefertiti’s dowry was created from the taxes of the cities of Harmokhe and Mashriani, several hundred women were also sent, and one cult chapel for national gods. The cities and princes under the rule of Tushrat also participated in the preparation of the dowry.
A detailed list of Nefertiti’s dowry has been preserved in the collection of Amarna letters. These are gold, silver, and bronze items, vessels, precious fabrics for clothes, embroidered items, gold-embroidered mantle-gold-woven mantle, earrings with precious diamonds, ornamented bracelets for wrists and shins, jewelry, cups, boxes, bottles with fragrant oils, bronze dishes, gold, and silver figurines.
There are also silver-plated carriages with their horses, weapons, and armor, bronze helmets, silver-plated gilded bows decorated with gold and diamonds, and other weapons. For the old man of the pharaoh, some kind of magical balm was sent, which was supposed to lengthen his life.
A figurine of Ishtar /Shavushka/ – the patroness of the goddess Ninwe, who was supposed to heal the pharaoh during his illness, was also sent. After lengthy preparations, when the matchmakers visited Tushrata’s palace six times, the king escorts his daughter to Egypt, giving her a blessing.
The princess reaches Egypt and is received royal honors. The Egyptians were delighted with her beauty and called her Nefertiti, which meant the beauty had come. However, Pharaoh Amenhotep III soon dies, and a very young son of Amenhotep III and Tii, named Amenhotep IV / 1419-1400 /, ascends the throne.
The new pharaoh directly informs King Tushrat about the death of his father and asks him to continue the relationship that has begun with his father, with him, since he decided to accept Nefertiti into his harem as “the senior princess, the princess of all women and the ruler of the south and west.” Fortunately, a beautiful and charming portrait of Nefertiti has come down to us.
A sculptural portrait of Nefertiti was discovered in Amarna. It depicts a charming woman with delicate features, a long neck, and dreamy eyes. One of the researchers Bezold, speaking of Nefertiti’s dowry, then writes: “State decrees, government principles above all, however, religious ideas should take the same path.”
Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, despite his young age, was a personality and the transformations he carried out radically changed the centuries-old customs of Egypt and gave rise to sharp clashes. The new pharaoh denies all the old gods and affirms the monotheism-Aten-.
Amenhotep IV also decided to change his name and called himself Akhenaten, which means “Shield of the Aten” or “Glory of the Aton”. Akhenaten spared only the sun god RA /=AR/, who according to his description and signs corresponded to the new god. Akhenaten believed that the Sun God is one for all, and he created and created the human race.
Akhenaten, we note, devoted himself to preaching a new religion, wrote many odes, and built a new capital called Akhetaton, which meant “City of the god Aten”. He also built temples, the walls of which he ordered to decorate with portraits of his beloved wife, Nefertiti, and three daughters. Most of the odes he wrote, Akhenaten dedicated to Nefertiti. In these odes, he praises her charm and beauty.
I love your sweet breath
Every day I admire your beauty
My desire to hear your charming voice,
What sounds like the rustling of the north breeze.
In this religious revolution, the role of sun worship of the Mitani princesses was great, who took with them to Egypt the cult of the Sun-God, the cult of their ancestors-sun-worshipping Armenian Aryans. Professor Petrie wrote about this V. Lyubimov, Art of the Ancient World, Moscow, 1980, p. 89 Breasted, Ancient Times, Boston, 1935, p. 116-117; M. Gavukchyan, Origin of the names Armen-Hai and Urartu, Beirut, 1973, p. 373 /in Armenian/
From the letters, it becomes clear that the relationship between Akhenaten and Tushrata did not develop very friendly. The new pharaoh does not send the gifts promised by Amenhotep III. Tushrata wanted to get two golden sculptures of his daughter, which they showed him to the diplomats in finished form.
As a response, Amenhotep IV sends gilded wooden sculptures, which was insulting to Tushrat. Subsequent correspondence and events show that the relationship became much colder and broke. It was a time when Mitani was weakened, and Egypt, for political purposes, did not want to continue a friendship with a weakening country.
Akhenaten and Nefertiti did not have a son, for this reason, when the pharaoh died at the age of 30, the throne passed to his sons-in-law, first Semnekhkar, then Tutankhamen. After the death of her husband, having lived for several years, Nefertiti died at the age of 37.
Thus, for almost three generations, the kinship ties of the royal families of Mitani and Egypt continued. In a short period, brides came to Egypt – Mutemuye – the daughter of Artatam I, Gilu Hepa – the daughter of Sutarn I, Tia – the daughter of prince Yua, and Tadu Hepa / Nefertiti / – the daughter of Tushrat I. The daughters of the Armenian country had great fame in the Egyptian palace6.
They became famous for their exceptional mind, and charming beauty7 and were smart advisers and helpers for their pharaoh husbands.
Hundreds of women nannies undoubtedly went to Egypt with the Armenian princesses, serving other palace women, who introduced their customs, customs, and religious views in Egypt.
- For comparison, we note that the wife of the Hittite king Hattusili III / 13th century BC / Pudo khep – Hurrian / Mitani-Armenian / origin, also had a great influence in the Hittite palace.
She was the daughter of the Hurrian priest of Kitsvatna /Armenian Cilicia/, she was an educated, developed, and influential queen . Her influence was also great in matters of religion and culture.
Hattusili III trusted his wife Pudo Hepa so much that he often allowed a document drawn up on his behalf to be sealed only with the seal of Pudo Hepa; History of the Ancient East, Moscow, 1988, II, p. 151
It can thus be concluded that among the peoples living south of the Armenian Highlands, the expression huri-peri /beauty /, which was common in the old days and is now used, has a connection with the name huri /huri =hur=har=hai/ and charming Armenian women.
In the history of Egypt, it is precisely the era of the new kingdom that differs, which begins with the accession to the throne of the pharaohs of the 18th dynasty. This era is considered the period of prosperity and prosperity of Egypt. It can be assumed that these successes were also due to family and friendly ties between the kings of Mitani and the Egyptian pharaohs.
Author: Anzhela Teryan Graduated from the Faculty of History of the Yerevan State University, a senior researcher at the State Museum of the History of Yerevan. An article from Angela Teryan’s book
