The Battles of Alashiya were a series of two naval engagements and one joint land and naval operation fought between the
Hittite Navy and the
Hittite Army of the
Hittite Empire and the Alashiyan Navy and Alashiyan Army of the
Kingdom of Alashiya[1] (Cyprus); they took place between 1275 BC and 1205 BC.[2]
History
The
Hittite Empire had laid claim to the
Kingdom of Alashiya, located in modern-day
Cyprus, since the late 14th century BC.[3] In 1370 BC, the Hittites were attacked by the forces of
Lukka and
Kizzuwatna, later known in ancient history as the regions of
Lycia and
Cilicia. This attack provoked the Hittites into sending an invasion force against
Alashiya on three occasions between 1275 BC and 1205 BC.[4] The Hittite Navy engaged the Alashiyan fleet off the coast of Cyprus whilst the Hittite Army engaged Alashiyan land forces on the beach under the command of Great King
Suppiluliuma II.[5] The Battles of Alashiya were one of the earliest series of sea battles in recorded history; they resulted in a Hittite victory.[6]
Footnotes
^Knapp, A. Bernard. (1985). "J Article Alashiya, Caphtor/Keftiu, and Eastern Mediterranean Trade: Recent Studies in Cypriote Archaeology and History". Journal of Field Archaeology. 12 (2): 231–250.
doi:
10.2307/530294.
JSTOR530294.
^Hill, George (2010). A History of Cyprus. Cambridge, England.: Cambridge University Press. pp. 45–46.
ISBN9781108020626.
^Middleton, Guy D. (2017). "7:The Hittites and the Eastern Mediterranean". Understanding Collapse Ancient History and Modern Myths. Cambridge, England.: Cambridge University Press. pp. 155–181.
ISBN9781316584941.
Connolly, Peter; Gillingham, John; Lazenby, John (2016). The Hutchinson Dictionary of Ancient and Medieval Warfare. Cambridge, England: Routledge.
ISBN9781135936747.
Hill, George (2010). A History of Cyprus. Cambridge, England.: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN9781108020626.
Middleton, Guy D. (2017). "7:The Hittites and the Eastern Mediterranean". Understanding Collapse Ancient History and Modern Myths. Cambridge, England.: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN9781316584941.
Knapp, A. Bernard. (1985). "J Article Alashiya, Caphtor/Keftiu, and Eastern Mediterranean Trade: Recent Studies in Cypriote Archaeology and History". Journal of Field Archaeology. 12 (2).