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| The '''Hurrians''' were |
The '''Hurrians''' were an Alarodian language speaking people of the ], who apparently entered ] from the north before ] and established themselves as rulers of small kingdoms in northern Mesopotamia and ]. The largest and most influential Hurrian nation was the kingdom of ], which lasted from ] until its destruction by ] in ]. | ||
| Several other ancient peoples of the region, incluidng the ]im, ], ] and ] have all been described at one time or another as Hurrian peoples. Recently (and especially after the discovery of the ]) there has been growing support for the theory that the ], who were for a time believed to be the ancient ], may have been a ] people, too. | Several other ancient peoples of the region, incluidng the ]im, ], ] and ] have all been described at one time or another as Hurrian peoples. Recently (and especially after the discovery of the ]) there has been growing support for the theory that the ], who were for a time believed to be the ancient ], may have been a ] people, too. | ||
Revision as of 04:18, 20 April 2004
The Hurrians were an Alarodian language speaking people of the Ancient Near East, who apparently entered Mesopotamia from the north before 2500 BC and established themselves as rulers of small kingdoms in northern Mesopotamia and Syria. The largest and most influential Hurrian nation was the kingdom of Mitanni, which lasted from 1450 BC until its destruction by Assyria in 1270 BC.
Several other ancient peoples of the region, incluidng the Kesedim, Subarians, Kassites and Lulubi have all been described at one time or another as Hurrian peoples. Recently (and especially after the discovery of the Tikunani Prism) there has been growing support for the theory that the Habiru, who were for a time believed to be the ancient Hebrews, may have been a Hurrian people, too.
History
Their origin, like most aspects of their society, is still a mystery. The Hurrians spoke an agglutinative language, conventionally called Hurrian, which was unrelated to neighboring Semitic or Indo-European languages, but related to Urartian - a language spoken in northeastern Anatolia.
By about 2400 BC, the Hurrians had expanded southward from the the Zagros Mountains or perhaps from highlands of Anatolia beyond. In the following centuries, Hurrian names occur sporadically in northern Mesopotamia and the area of Kirkuk. Their presence was attested at Nuzi and Urkesh and other sites. They eventually infiltrated and occupied a broad arc of fertile farmland stretching from the Khabur River valley to the foothills of the Zagros Mountains.
Around 1775 BC, in the reign of Hammurabi, Hurrians are recorded as entering Babylonian Empire in the region of Chagar Bazar. By 1725 BC they are found also in places of north Syria, such as Alalakh, where they constitute 30 percent of the population.
The Hurrians apparently became a major political power after being dominated by an elite of foreign rules. These foreigners spoke Indo-European languages, cremated their dead, and introduced the use of the horse and chariot in the battlefield — a situation that has obvious similarities to the events in northern India at about the same time. While this foreign aristocracy eventually abandoned their language in favor of those of their Hurrian subjects, they retained Indo-European names, complete with references to Vedic gods.
Under these "foreign" rulers, the Hurrians expanded considerably towards the south and west. By 1540–1520 BC a number of Hurrian-dominated states were forming in northern Mesopotamia especially in the region of Khanigalbat, centered on the upper Tigris River to the north of Assyria. By 1530 BC the state of Mitanni, still with a mostly-Hurrian population and foreign-named aristocracy, was founded between the Euphrates and Balikh Rivers. Mitanni rapidly became the chief instance of Hurrian power and culture, and soon sominated central Mesopotamia and the Upper Tigris, including Assyria. This kingdom collapsed around 1270 BC.
Material culture
The Hurrians were masterful ceramists; their pottery is a common find in Mesopotamia and in the lands West of the Eufrates, and was appreciated in distant Egypt, by the time of the New Kingdom.
Impact and connections
Tolstov identified the Hurrians as the founders of Khwarezmia, which he exlained as meaning Hurri-Land. Hurrian speakers formed the majority population of the kingdom of the Mitanni, though they appear to have been governed by a class of foreign nobility. Their literature had a deep influence on the Hittites, and the Indo-European Hittite language exhibits many Hurrian loanwords, including most of the religious vocabulary. Hesiod's theogony seems to owe significant episodes to Hurrian paragons.
See also
External links
- Vyacheslav V. Ivanov, "Comparative Notes on Hurro-Urartian, Northern Caucasian" gives the lay reader an idea of the difficulties and disagreements faced by linguists working in this area
- A bibliography ion Hurrian
- A bibliography ion Urartian
- The Hurran kingdom of Mitanni