Bloch, Yigal (Jerusalem/Israel) – Studies in Middle Assyrian Chronology and Its Implications for the History of the Ancient Near East in the 13th Century B.C.E.

This PhD thesis centers on proposing a more precise reconstruction, than has been available hereto, for the chronology of Assyria in the 13th-12th centuries BCE. Furthermore, the implications of the newly-reconstructed absolute chronology of Assyria for the chronology of other major powers of the Ancient Near East in the 13th century BCE (Babylonia, Hatti, Egypt) are explored. It is argued that Ramesses II must have ascended to the throne of Egypt in 1290 B.C.E. and concluded the peace treaty with Hattusili III of Hatti in 1269 B.C.E. On the other hand, it is argued that Shalmaneser I of Assyria completed his takeover of northeastern Syria (Hanigalbat) only in 1263 B.C.E. In other words, the takeover of northeastern Syria by Shalmaneser I, which brought him into a position of constituting a potential threat to the territorial integrity of the Hittite empire, could not have been part of the factors that motivated Hattusili III to seek peace with Egypt. [table “6” not found /]