Atreus and Attarsiya: A Bronze Age Identity Puzzle

A new analysis explores the possibility that the Greek king Atreus, father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, is the same figure as Attarsiya, a warlord mentioned in Hittite texts. The theory, first proposed by Emil Forrer in 1924, suggests that the Hittite term Ahhiyawa corresponds to Achaia, the Greek name for the Mycenaeans. Attarsiya is described in the Madduwatta Indictment as a king from Ahhiyawa who raided western Anatolia with 1,000 infantry and 100 chariots. The Tawagalawa Letter, written by Hittite king Hattusili III, addresses the king of Ahhiyawa as 'my brother,' indicating equal status with the Hittite and Egyptian empires. However, alternative theories propose that Ahhiya was the island of Chios, based on linguistic analysis by Markus Egetmeyer, or that it was located in southwestern Anatolia. The identification of Attarsiya with Atreus remains speculative, as the Trojan War's date is uncertain and the evidence is fragmentary. The article reviews the mythological story of Atreus, including the curse on his family, and the historical context of Hittite-Mycenaean relations.