Editing Troy (section)

=== Troy VI–VII in Hittite records ===

{{further|Wilusa|Ahhiyawa}}

Troy&nbsp;VI–VII is believed to be the city referred to as ''Wilusa'' and ''Taruisa'' in [[Hittite language|Hittite]] records. These correspondences were first proposed in 1924 by [[Emil Forrer|E.&nbsp;Forrer]] on the basis of linguistic similarities, since "''Taruisa''" is a plausible correspondent of the [[Greek language|Greek]] name "''Troia''" and "''Wilusa''" likewise for the Greek "''Wilios''" (later "''Ilios''"). Subsequent research on Hittite geography has made these identifications more secure, though not all scholars regard them as firmly established. Texts concerning Wilusa are of particular relevance to later legends since they suggest that Wilusa was within the sphere of influence of Mycenaean Greece, which the Hittites referred to as ''[[Ahhiyawa]]''.<ref name=Beckman-Bryce-Cline-2012>{{cite book |last1=Beckman |first1=Gary |last2=Bryce |first2=Trevor |last3=Cline |first3=Eric |year=2012 |title=The Ahhiyawa Texts |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-1589832688}}</ref>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 1–6}}<ref name=Bryce-2005/>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 86, 181–182}}

Wilusa first appears in [[Hittites|Hittite]] records around 1400&nbsp;BC, when it was one of the twenty-two states of the [[Assuwa|Assuwa Confederation]] which unsuccessfully attempted to oppose the [[Hittite Empire]]. Circumstantial evidence raises the possibility that the rebellion was supported by the Ahhiyawa.<ref name= Jablonka-2011-Steadman-McMahon/><ref name=Bryce-2005/>{{rp|style=ama|p= 59}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Cline |first=Eric |author-link=Eric H. Cline |year=2014 |title=1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed |location= |publisher=Princeton University Press |pages=33–35 |isbn=978-0691168388}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Beckman |first1=Gary |last2=Bryce |first2=Trevor |last3=Cline |first3=Eric |year=2012 |title=The Ahhiyawa Texts |publisher=Brill |chapter=Epilogue: Mycenaean-Hittite Interconnections in the Late Bronze Age Revisited |isbn=978-1589832688}}</ref> By the late 1300s BC, Wilusa had become politically aligned with the Hittites. Texts from this period mention two kings named [[Kukkunni]] and [[Alaksandu]] who maintained peaceful relations with the Hittites even as other states in the area did not. Wilusan soldiers may have served in the Hittite army during the [[Battle of Kadesh]]. A bit later, Wilusa seems to have experienced the political turmoil suffered by many of its neighbors. References in the [[Manapa-Tarhunta letter]] and [[Tawagalawa letter]] suggest that a Wilusan king either rebelled or was deposed. This turmoil may have been related to the exploits of [[Piyamaradu]], a Western Anatolian warlord who toppled other pro-Hittite rulers while acting on behalf the Ahhiyawa. However, Piyamaradu is never explicitly identified as the culprit and certain features of the text suggest that he was not.<ref name=Bryce-2005/>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 107–111, 182–185}}<ref name=Beckman-Bryce-Cline-2012/>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 133–134, 174–177}} The final reference to Wilusa in the historical record appears in the [[Milawata letter]], in which the Hittite king [[Tudhaliya IV]] expresses his intention to reinstall a deposed Wilusan king named [[Walmu]].<ref name=Bryce-2005/>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 112, 183}}<ref name=Beckman-Bryce-Cline-2012/>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 278–279, 123, 131–133}}

In popular writing, these anecdotes have been interpreted as evidence for a historical kernel in myths of the Trojan War. However, scholars have not found historical evidence for any particular event from the legends, and the Hittite documents do not suggest that Wilusa-Troy was ever attacked by Greeks-Ahhiyawa themselves. Noted Hittiteologist [[Trevor Bryce]] cautions that our current understanding of Wilusa's history does not provide evidence for there having been an actual Trojan War since "the less material one has, the more easily it can be manipulated to fit whatever conclusion one wishes to come up with".<ref name=Bryce-2005/>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 183–184, 186}}