ARTATĀMA (Ar-ta-ta-a-ma), king of Mitanni; 1. probably the son and successor of King Sauš(sa)tat(t)ar, father of Šuttarna II, and grandfather of Artaššumara and Tušratta. He gave a daughter (whose name is not known to us) in marriage to Pharaoh Thutmose IV of Egypt (ca. 1412-03 B.C.). 2. King of Ḫurri, rival of the Mitannian king Tušratta; he signed a treaty with Šuppiluliuma I of Ḫatti. It is not proved that he was another grandson of the older Artatama and thus Tušratta’s brother (see references in A. Kammenhuber, Die Arier im vorderen Orient, Heidelberg, 1968, pp. 69, 70; M. Mayrhofer, Die Arier im vorderen Orient—ein Mythos?, Vienna, 1974, pp. 22-23). Like the other (throne-)names in the Mitanni dynasty, the name has a convincing (Indo-)Aryan etymon: *Ṛta-dhāman- “whose abode is Ṛta;” cf. Vedic ṛtá-dhāman-, ṛtásya dhāman-, (Av. ašā . . . . . dāman-; see Mayrhofer, op. cit., p. 23, with references).
(M. Mayrhofer)
Originally Published: December 15, 1986
Last Updated: August 15, 2011
This article is available in print.
Vol. II, Fasc. 6, p. 653
