Origins & Early Life

Mursili I (also known as Mursilis; sometimes transcribed as Murshili; died c. 1590 BC) was a king of the Hittites c. 1620–1590 BC, as per the middle chronology, the most accepted chronology in our times (or alternatively c. 1556–1526 BC, short chronology), and was likely a grandson of his predecessor, Hattusili I.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His sister was Ḫarapšili and his wife was queen Kali. Mursili came to the throne as a minor. Having reached adulthood, he renewed Hattusili I's warfare in northern Syria. He invaded Yamhad and its capital, Aleppo, which had eluded Hattusili I. He then led an unprecedented march of 2,000 km southeast into the heart of Mesopotamia, where around 1595 BC he sacked the city of Babylon.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Mursili I's motivation for attacking Babylon remains unclear, though William Broad has proposed that the reason was obtaining grain because the clouds from the Minoan eruption decreased the Hittites' harvests. The raid on Babylon could not have been intended to exercise sovereignty over the region; it was simply too far from Anatolia and the Hittites' center of power. It is thought, however, that the raid on Babylon...

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