The dating and sequence ofHittite kings is compiled by scholars from fragmentary records, supplemented by the finds inḪattuša and other administrative centers ofcuneiform tablets and more than 3,500 seal impressions providing the names, titles, and sometimes ancestry of Hittite kings and officials. Given the nature of the source evidence, reconstructions vary among scholars, and the dating or even existence, relationships and sequence of some kings is disputed at several point within Hittite history. The list below indicates instances of such debates, with references.
All dates in the list below should be considered approximate. Hittite Chronology is almost completely dependent on synchronisms withother ancient Near Eastern countries.[2] Such synchronisms are few and usually open to interpretation.Muršili I is believed to have overthrownSamsu-ditāna, the last king of theAmorite dynasty of Babylon, but the dating of this event varies widely across chronological schemes based on interpretations of therecords of observation of Venus during the reign of Samsu-ditāna's predecessor. These have resulted in several chronologies for Mesopotamia. In reference to the capture of Babylon by Muršili I, these are High (1651 BC), Middle (1595 BC), Low (1531 BC), and Ultra-Low (1499 BC),[3] with additional variants such as the lower Middle Chronology (1587 BC).[4] The distinction between these Mesopotamian chronological models disappears in the Late Bronze Age. Egyptian chronology is also subject to variant interpretations, resulting in three leading options, High (1304 BC), Middle (1290 BC), and Low (1279 BC), for the accession ofRamesses II, the contemporary of the Hittite kingsMuwatalli II andḪattušili III.[5] Assuming the preferred Low Chronology for Egypt, Ramesses II fought Muwatalli II at Kadesh in 1274 BC (Year 5), concluded a peace treaty with Ḫattušili III in 1259 BC (Year 21), and married the latter's daughterMaathorneferure in 1246 BC (Year 34).[6]
On the Hittite side there are very few precise indicators. The "Apology" of Ḫattušili III indicates that his nephew and predecessor Muršili III reigned for 7 years.[7] A text of Muršili II records an omen of the sun at the beginning of the campaign season againstAzzi-Ḫayaša, in Year 9 or 10 of the reign. It is often considered to have been asolar eclipse, with current scholarly opinion divided between one on 24 June 1312 BC (which was visible from central Anatolia but seemingly late in the year, apparently adopted in the chronologies of Amélie Kuhrt and Trevor Bryce) and one on 13 April 1308 BC (which was earlier in the year but marginally visible, from eastern Anatolia, apparently adopted in the chronology of Jacques Freu).[8]
The lists below use variations of the MesopotamianMiddle Chronology, the most generally acceptedchronology of the Ancient Near East and the chronology that accords best with Hittite evidence.[9] The variants represented below derive from three comprehensive reconstructions of the chronological sequence of rulers, by Amélie Kuhrt (1995), Trevor Bryce (2005), and Jacques Freu (2007). All regnal dates remain approximations.
| Ruler | Reign (MC, Kuhrt, Bryce)[1][10] | Reign (MC, Freu)[11] | Lineage and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ḫuzziya (I) | c. 1700 – c. 1680 BC | c. 1670 – c. 1650 BC | Father or father-in-law of Labarna;[12] existence disputed.[1] |
| Labarna I | c. 1680 – c. 1650 BC[13] | c. 1650 – c. 1625 BC | Traditional founder of the royal line; son or son-in-law of Ḫuzziya;[14] existence disputed.[1] |
| Ḫattušili I[a] | c. 1650 – c. 1620 BC | c. 1625 – c. 1600 BC | Nephew of the wife of Labarna I[15] |
| Muršili I | c. 1620 – c. 1590 BC | c. 1600 – c. 1585 BC | Grandson ofḪattušili I.[15] Sacked Babylonc. 1595 BC.[1][16] |
| Ḫantili I | c. 1590 – c. 1560 BC | c. 1585 – c. 1570 BC | Brother-in-law ofMuršili I[15] |
| Zidanta I | c. 1560 – c. 1550 BC | c. 1570 – c. 1570 BC | Son-in-law ofḪantili I[15] |
| Ammuna | c. 1550 – c. 1530 BC | c. 1570 – c. 1550 BC | Son ofZidanta I[15] |
| Ḫuzziya I (II) | c. 1530 – c. 1525 BC | c. 1550 – c. 1550 BC | Son ofAmmuna (?)[15] |
| Telipinu | c. 1560 – c. 1500 BC | c. 1550 – c. 1530 BC | Brother-in-law ofḪuzziya I[15] |
| Ruler | Reign (MC, Kuhrt, Bryce)[1][17] | Reign (MC, Freu)[18] | Lineage and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alluwamna | c. 1500 – c. ? BC | c. 1530 – c. 1515 BC | Son-in-law ofTelipinu[15] |
| Ḫantili II | c. ? – c. ? BC | c. 1515 – c. 1505 BC | Son ofAlluwamna[15] |
| Taḫurwaili | c. ? – c. ? BC | c. 1505 – c. 1500 BC | Cousin ofTelipinu;[19] placement uncertain[20] |
| Zidanta II[b] | c. ? – c. ? BC | c. 1500 – c. 1485 BC | Son of Ḫaššuili, a possible brother ofḪantili II;[21][15] |
| Ḫuzziya II (III) | c. ? – c. ? BC | c. 1485 – c. 1470 BC | Son or son-in-law ofZidanta II (?);[22] |
| Muwatalli I | c. ? – c. 1430[23]/1400 BC[24] | c. 1470 – c. 1465 BC | Unclear lineage[15] |
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