Opothleyahola

King Tarkasnawa of Mira, in the Karabel relief, circa 1350 BC

Tarkasnawa was ruler of the Kingdom of Mira, and one of the last independent kings of Arzawa, a Bronze Age confederation of kingdoms in western Anatolia. He was probably the son of King Alantalli, and a contemporary of the later king Tudḫaliya IV.[1]

Tarkasnawa appears in the Karabel relief, where his name is inscribed in Luwian hieroglyphs. The inscription, next to the figure of the king, reads:

(King) Tarkasnawa, king of <the land> Mira,

[son] of BIRD-li(?), king of the land Mira, grandson

of [ ... ], king of the land Mir.[1]

He is also known from various seals, one of them in which his name was formerly read "Tarkondemos".[1] This is a bilingual seal, combining a cuneiform inscription on the rim and the corresponding Hittite hieroglyphs around the figure in royal dress, giving the name of the ruler: Tarkasnawa.[1] This bilingual inscription provided the first clues for deciphering Hittite hieroglyphs.

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