Tudḫaliya is the name of several Hittite kings or royals. It is not clear how many kings bore that name, and numbering schemes vary from source to source.
Tudḫaliya (sometimes called Tudḫaliya I) is deduced from his early placement in a later offering list as a hypothetical pre-Empire king who might have reigned in the early 17th century BC.[1]
Tudḫaliya I (sometimes considered identical with the following, as Tudḫaliya I/II [2]), ruled in the mid-15th century BC, son of Kantuzzili.[3]
Tudḫaliya II (sometimes considered identical with the preceding, as Tudḫaliya I/II [4] or renumbered as Tudḫaliya I [5]), ruled at the start of the 14th century BC, father-in-law of Arnuwanda I.[6]
Some biblical scholars suggested that Tidal, king of Nations (Goyim), who is mentioned in the Book of Genesis 14 as having joined Chedorlaomer in attacking rebels in Canaan is based on one of the Tudhaliyas.[14] In modern academia, Tidal is considered to be a literary figure, not a historical figure. The discussion about Tidal relates to the Battle of Siddim in the Bible; the exact geographical location of Tidal is disputed. 'Tidal, king of Goyim', may also be related to the island kingdoms in Mediterranean Sea.[15]
^Forlanini 1993 conjectures that this king corresponds to the great-grandfather of Hattusili I, but later abandoned this idea; Bryce 2005: 406, n. 3 doubts this interpretation; Freu 2007a: 37-39 and Freu 2007b: 30-32 consider this a possible reference to Tudḫaliya I below.
^Gard Granerød (26 March 2010). Abraham and Melchizedek: Scribal Activity of Second Temple Times in Genesis 14 and Psalm 110. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 118-121. ISBN 978-3-11-022346-0.
Bibliography
Beckman, Gary (2000), "Hittite Chronology," Akkadica 119-120 (2000) 19–32.
Breyer, Francis (2010), "Hethitologische Bemerkungen zum Keilschrift "Zipfel" aus Qantir/Pi-Ramesse," Ägypten und Levante 20 (2010) 43-48.
Bryce, Trevor (2005), The Kingdom of the Hittites, Oxford.
Forlanini, Massimo (1993), Atti. del II Congresso Internazionale di Hittitologia, Pavia.
Freu, Jacques, and Michel Mazoyer (2007a), Des origins à la fin de l’ancien royaume hittite, Paris.
Freu, Jacques, and Michel Mazoyer (2007b), Les débuts du nouvel empire hittite, Paris.
Zsolt, Simon (2009), "Die ANKARA-Silberschale und das Ende des hethitischen Reiches," Zeitschrift für Assyriologie 99 (2009) 247-269. online