kingdom · Anatolia and the Levant

Kingdom of Amurru

1400 BCE – 1190 BCE (approx.) · capital Sumur

Amurru, a kingdom on the Syrian-Lebanese coast built by adventurers in the Amarna age, which changed sides between Egypt and the Hittites.

Origins

Amurru was the mountainous land behind the coast between Byblos and Ugarit, home to fugitives and landless groups. In the 14th century BCE Abdi-Ashirta united them into a kingdom at the expense of Egyptian vassals, and his son Aziru captured Simyra and made it his capital, despite angry letters from Rib-Hadda of Byblos.

Rule and society

Aziru defected from the Egyptian Empire New Kingdom to the Hittite Empire and signed a treaty with Suppiluliuma I. His successors ruled as Hittite vassals with family ties to the Hittite court; a treaty with Shaushgamuwa ordered him to stop Ahhiyawan ships from trading with Assyria.

Decline and legacy

Bentesina was deposed for siding with Egypt after Kadesh but restored by Hattusili III. Around 1190 BCE Amurru was overrun in the attacks by the Sea Peoples recorded at Medinet Habu, and the kingdom disappeared.

Connections (3)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Amurru. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-amurru
MLA
“Kingdom of Amurru.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-amurru. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Amurru.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-amurru.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Amurru’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-amurru (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻