In Greek mythology, Atreus the king of Mycenae was the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, the two most prominent commanders in the Trojan War. Is there any evidence that this powerful king really existed? Some researchers have argued that he can be found in ancient Hittite documents. Is this really the case?
Firstly, let us examine who exactly Atreus of Mycenae supposedly was. He appears in a variety of ancient Greek sources, including Homer’s famous Iliad from the seventh century BCE.
In these sources, Atreus is said to have become the king of Mycenae after being exiled from his home territory for trying to seize the throne of Olympia. Mycenae was a prominent city-state in the Peloponnese, close to Argos. Homer describes it as “well built” and “rich in gold.”
Atreus’s sons were Agamemnon and Menelaus. By the time the Trojan War took place, Agamemnon had succeeded his father as the king of Mycenae. He was the leader of the Greek forces during that war, showing that he was an exceptionally powerful king. Therefore, it stands to reason that Agamemnon’s father Atreus was likewise a powerful king.
The traditional date of the Trojan War places it in the Late Bronze Age. For this reason, scholars have generally looked to that era in their attempts to find confirmation of the Homeric characters. As it happens, there are many Hittite documents from the Late Bronze Age which shed a lot of light on this period.
Many of these documents are actually diplomatic letters discussing crises that were occurring within the Hittite Empire, or that were affecting the Hittites. One of these letters mentions a figure named Attarsiya. Scholars have noted that his name is superficially quite similar to Atreus.
For this reason, some researchers have argued that this Hittite document suggests that Atreus of Mycenae really existed. In fact, the similarities go further than just their names. The Hittites recorded Attarsiya as the leader of the Ahhiyawa. There is a general consensus among scholars that the Ahhiyawa were the Mycenaean Greeks.
This would mean that Attarsiya was a prominent leader of the Mycenaean Greeks, which is very similar to the role of Atreus of Mycenae in Greek legend. Furthermore, the Hittite letter describes Attarsiya as engaging on military campaigns in western Anatolia, confirming that he was powerful.
Does this evidence from the Hittites really show that Atreus of Mycenae existed?Unfortunately, there are several key problems with the argument that Atreus and Attarsiya were the same person.
For one thing, as we saw, the Hittites described Attarsiya himself as engaging in military campaigns in western Anatolia. There is nothing within Greek legend that suggests that Atreus did anything like this. The only potential connection would be if we associated this with the Trojan War, in which Atreus’ sons were the leaders.
Could we argue that the Hittites referred to Atreus as the leader of these military exploits because his sons, Agamemnon and Menelaus, were representing their father? The problem with this explanation is that the Greek sources make it clear that Atreus was already dead long before the Trojan War broke out.
So Hittite sources would surely not have viewed Agamemnon and Menelaus as representatives of their father Atreus.
An even bigger problem with this theory is that Attarsiya lived long before the time of the Trojan War. Based on the date of the Hittite text that mentions him, we know that he lived around 1400 BCE. In contrast, the traditional date of the Trojan War is about 1200 BCE, with some scholars placing it even later than that.
Just because Atreus of Mycenae was almost certainly not the Attarsiya of this Hittite letter, this does not mean that Atreus did not exist. It is entirely possible that he was a real person.
As already mentioned, the Greek sources do not tell us that Atreus engaged in warfare in Anatolia. Therefore, there is no reason to expect him to appear in Hittite documents. Furthermore, if the Trojan War occurred well after the fall of the Hittites, as some scholars argue, then the Hittites obviously could not have written about him.
In summary, it is entirely unconvincing to try to connect Atreus to Attarsiya. Nevertheless, the issue of whether or not Atreus of Mycenae really existed remains an open question.
