TheLukka lands (sometimesLuqqa lands) were an ancient region of Anatolia. They are known fromHittite andEgyptian texts, which viewed them as hostile. It is commonly accepted that theBronze Age toponym Lukka is cognate with theLycia ofclassical antiquity.
Lukka was located in southwesternAnatolia. However, its exact extent is a matter of debate.Trevor Bryce has argued that the Lukka lands covered a large area including the regions later known asLycaonia,Pisidia andLycia.[1] Other researchers, such as Ilya Yakubovich, have argued that Lukka was limited to Lycia and that "the Hittite kings did not regard Lukka as a state and...that this land was politically decentralized."[2] Researcher Rostislav Oreshko argues that there were two centers of Lukkan power - one in the traditional location near Lycia and another located in the eastern part of theTroad - and that most of the Hittite records concern the latter.[3]
TheAmarna letters mention Lukkan raids against the island kingdom ofAlashiya in the mid-1300s BC,[1] about the same time as Hittite texts praying to theSun goddess of Arinna mention the Lukka lands along with Arawanna, Kalaspa andPitassa as independent lands that had ceased paying tribute.[2] They are mentioned prominently in the Hittite treaty withAlaksandu circa 1280 BC:
"Concerning army and chariotry, the agreement with you will be as follows: if My Sun campaigns in the direction of those lands – either towards Gargisa, (orMasa), or Lukka, or Warsiyalla – you too will campaign with me, together with your infantry and chariotry. Or if I dispatch an officer in the direction of these lands to go on a campaign, you will campaign there with (him) too."[3]
Soldiers from the Lukka lands fought on the Hittite side in the famousBattle of Kadesh (c. 1274 BC) against the Egyptian PharaohRamesses II. A century later, the Lukka had turned against the Hittites. The Hittite kingSuppiluliuma II tried in vain to defeat the Lukka. They contributed to the collapse of theHittite Empire.[citation needed] The Lukka are also known from texts inAncient Egypt as one of the tribes of theSea Peoples, who invaded Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean in the 12th century BC.[1][2]
| Bronze Age | |
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| Iron Age | |
| Classical Age | |
