Chronology at the Crossroads
By Bernard Newgrosh
Contents
PART ONE
GEOPOLITICAL PROBLEMS IN THE ORTHODOX CHRONOLOGY
Chapter 1 - The Imperial Hittites and their neighbours
The Orthodox Chronology
Conventional Assumptions p22
Key Arguments that render the Orthodox Chronology obsolete:
Assyrian and Hittite inscriptions describe different worlds:
The Carchemish conundrum p23
The Phoenix of Mitanni p29
Internal Contradictions:
Contradictory Hittite texts p33
Impossible Hurrian kings p36
Difficult choices for the historian
Ahlamu armies p38
An isolated Assyrian letter p41
Failed Trade sanctions p46
A chronologically based problem:
The Enigma of Emar p50
Chapter 2 - Ashur-uballit: a question of identity
Part One: Ashur-uballit as Conqueror p54
Part Two: Problems from the Amarna Letters p70
Chapter 3 - The eclipse of Mittani: current concepts in Hurrian history
Hurrian Political Geography p87
The Floating Trio p89
Capital Relocation p91
Shaushtatar and Thutmose III p96
Shaushtatar and Tudhaliya II p100
A Thesis in Crisis: Geopolitical and Art Historical Problems in the OC p104
PART TWO
THE KEY TO CHRONOLOGY. THE CONSTRUCTION AND EDITING OF THE ASSYRIAN KING LIST.
Chapter 4 - Assyrian Chronometers
The Mesopotamian count of years p109
The limmu list: an idealised chronological principle p113
Variant limmu lists p121.
The Assyrian King List (AKL) p128
Variant reign-lengths p133
Chapter 5 - Problem Areas in Assyrian Chronometry
The ‘crown jewels’ of Assyrian chronology p136
Multiple eponymy p148
The eponym Canon Reassessed p153
Summary and Conclusions p160
Chapter 6 - Concurrent Dynasties in early Mesopotamia
The AKL and Mesopotamian tradition p162
Concurrent Dynasties and Dark Ages p165
Concurrent Dynasties in the AKL p169
The Reade Hypothesis p175
Chapter 7 - Middle Assyrian concurrent Dynasties
Ashur-nadin-apli and Ashur-nasir-apli. p183
The King who never was. p191
Ashur-rabi II, founder of a dynasty. p194
Chapter 8 - The evolution of the Assyrian King List and its second Redaction
The officers of Assyria p202
The Lugal and his Ensi p208
The Second Era of Redaction p213
Chapter 9 - The Era of the Final Redaction and the Transformation
The Third Redaction p220
A final Transformation p228
The reunification of rule p234
The End of the Middle Assyrian Period p238
Chapter 10 – A non-linear King List and the Implications for Chronology
Pitru and the Aramaeans p241
Evidence for concurrent dynasties p244
The AKL as the key to chronology p248
PART THREE
WESTERN ASIA IN THE NEW CHRONOLOGY
Chapter 11 - The struggle for recognition: the Amarna Ashur-uballit
Eight Answers p253
Amarna Assyrianisms & artefacts p261
Regal Epithets p264
The historical era of Ashur-uballit II p269
Nine conclusions p274
Chapter 12 – Absolute and Relative Chronology
The basis of absolute chronology p275
The Tawananna eclipse p277
Other Late Bronze Age astronomical dates p280
Assyro-Hittite relative chronology p283
New Chronology Assyrian dates p285
New Chronology Hittite dates p288
Chapter 13 - The struggle for supremacy: Hatti and Assyria in the L B Age
1. The Babylonian Alliance (c.1,000 – 950 BC) p293
A Mysterious Intervention
The Chronology of Tiglath-pileser I’s Campaigns p295
The Year 983 BC and Aftermath p297
Breakthrough in the West p300
The Ahlamu Problem p303
2. The Era of Diplomacy (c. 900 – 885 BC)
The Bipartite Peace Treaty p309
Two Great Powers (only)
The Aftermath
3. The Era of Confrontation (c. 900 – 885 BC)
Prelude to Conflict p316
The Unique Confrontation p318
The Military Silence p320
4. The Fall of Empire
Unanswered Questions p322
The chain-reaction in history p329
The telescoping of history p331
5. The ‘Archaic Period’.
Ari-Teshub p334
Karkamis A4b p336
The Hittite Federation p339
6. The Re-dating of Texts
The Conquest of Cyprus p342
A Historical Re-dating of Texts p345
The International Correspondence Archive p347I
Chapter 14 - The Struggle for survival: the Hurrians in the Late Bronze Age
Principles of a revised chronology p349
Middle Hittite Kings p350
The Eclipse of Mittani p355
Assyro-Hittite relations without a buffer state p359
Hurrian Revival p362
Capital Relocation p365