Cilicia (Kazziwatna) in today's southern Turkey is a busy place in the ancient Bronze Age. The land is bountiful, the climate sublime, and hidden coves give shelter. Not only is Cilicia a major center of trade and commerce, it's also a den of pirates.
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Cilicia is inhabited since the Neolithic period, as people turn to agriculture and gradually become more settled. The climate is favorable for grain crops, livestock and fruits such as grapes.
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The grape vine, with its abundant fruits and leaves for food and drink, is one of the seven ancient plants named in the Bible (which are wheat, barley, pomegranate, grape vine, figs, olives and dates).
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The region is known as two parts. Uru Adaniya (flat Cilicia) is a water-fed plain. Tarza (rough Cilicia) occupies the mountainous west. In the 2nd millenium BCE, the time of the Hittite and Hurrian empires, Cilicia is called Kizzawatna.
Cities in Kizzawatna known to exist by the time of the ancient Greeks include Tarzu (Tarsus), Ingira (Anchiale), Danuna-Adana, Pahri, Anazarbus (Kundu) and Azatiwataya (Karatepe).
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In the 17th century BCE the Hittite kings have free travel up and down the Pyramus (Ceyhan) River in Kizzawatna. They have control of the region, and fight with Syrians / Hurrians for the prime piece of real estate.
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After 1595 BCE the Hurrians gain control of the land and Cilicia / Kizzawatna is liberated from Hittite domination. The first king of free Kizzawatna, Išputahšu is documented as a "great king" in cuneiform and Hittite hieroglyphs.
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In the 15th century BCE King Pilliya of Kizzawtna establishes treaties with neighboring Kingdoms. Early treaties usually relate to land borders, dispute resolutions and oaths of alliance against a common enemy. The first peace treaty is between the Hittites and Egypt c. 1258 BCE.
Kizzawatna is famous as the birthplace of celebrated Hittite Queen Puduhepa. As a temple priestess she meets a warrior general coming back from the Battle of Kadesh (1274 BCE). They fall madly in love.
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She returns with him to Hattusa, the Hittite capital. He later takes the throne as King Hattusili III, with Puduhepa at his side. She becomes one of the most influential women of the ancient world.
Around 1200 BCE the Iron Age begins as the Bronze Age collapses. Hittites and other civilizations are wiped out by a series of misfortunes, disasters and invading sea peoples. Sherden sea peoples are documented attacking the Egyptian coast as early as 1400 BCE.
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The coastal empire of Kizzawatna is reduced to ruins. Later Romans re-discover the region's bounty, and name it Cilicia. Due to seaway trade routes a trend of piracy establishes itself in the area.
The rocky hills, caverns and sheltered coves are perfect hideaways and retreats. Pirates in the Bronze Age are famous for raiding attacks on coastal towns.
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As trade prospers they also harass the trading routes of ancient Greece and other nations. From Roman ships they are reported to seize cargoes of grain, olive oil, saffron, gold and trade goods.
Sometimes the pirates are other traders. Piracy for power leads to trade wars between city-states and nations. Inland the The Cilician Gates, a narrow rocky pass in the mountains, is one of the few routes to the fertile valleys and prosperous trade centers of Anatolia. Whoever controls trade controls the ancient world.
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After the end of the Neo-Assyrian Empire in c. 610 BCE, Cilicia breaks away from Syria and emerges as an independent state. The Cilician Kingdom soon grows in power to rival Babylonia.
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