Kietis and the Western Extension of Hiyawa
The historical geography of Hiyawa has several problems, one of them is the entangled question of its unknown western extension and the unknown affiliation of the Neo-Hittite king mentioned in the Cebelireis Dağı inscription. With a possible exception, local inscriptions of Hiyawa are concentrated in a small territory. However, there is some evidence that Hiyawa could have included a much more western territory as well (see esp. Lemaire 2006). Unfortunately, most of these arguments are inconclusive, as it will be discussed in the talk. The most important piece of this alleged evidence is the Cebelireis Dağı inscription referring to a local ruler WRYK (but without naming his realm), who might have been a member of the Hiyawa dynasty, based on his name. However, this is precisely the inscription that is located far away from the assured Hiyawa inscriptions, close to Alanya. In this talk, I will argue that fresh evidence and a possible solution are provided by the region called K(i)etis known from Classical sources. K(i)etis is located between Anemurium (Anamur) and the Calycadnus (Gök Su). The origin of this toponym is unknown, but it has clearly nothing to do with Qode, contrary to the usual and frequent claim, on geographical and linguistic grounds (contra Bányai 2022, see already Simon 2011). Instead, it is transparently based on an epichoric stem Kiethat can regularly continue the Luwian term Hiyawa. If this is correct, then we have the first solid piece of evidence for a more western extension of Hiyawa, at least in a given period. Although this still does not cover the region of the Cebelireis Dağı inscription, it sets the westernmost area of Hiyawa radically closer to it than previously attested. Nevertheless, this reconstruction should also be reconciled with Pirindu and Hilakku both chronologically and geographically, which will be also addressed in the talk.
Bibliography Bányai, M. (2022): Qode – Kietis – Kataonien – Kappadokien – Kittim – ein Erklärungsversuch. Ugarit- Forschungen 52: 7-29. Lemaire, A. (2006): La maison de Mopsos en Cilicie et en Pamphylie à l’époque du fer (XIIe–VIe s. av. J.-C.). Res Antiquae 3: 99-107. Simon, Zs. (2011): The Identification of Qode. Reconsidering the Evidence. In: J. Mynářová (ed.): Egypt and the Near East – the Crossroads. Proceedings of an International Conference on the Relations of Egypt and the Near East in the Bronze Age. Prague, September 1-3, 2010. Prague, 249-269.