The Karkisa on the Web

The first mentions of the Karkisa occur during the reigns of Ramses II of Egypt and Muwatullis of the Hittite Empire. Both of these emperors mention the Karkisa. Ramses mentions the Karkisa in his inscriptions regarding the battle of Kadesh. In both the Bulletin and the Poem about the battle of Kadesh, the Karkisa are mentioned as a tribe that has joined forces with the Hittites (Lichthiem 1974: 62-71). The name Karkisa appears only in lists and no particular detail is given to the tribe.

The Hittite record of the Karkisa reinforces the idea that the Hittites and Karkisa were allied at the time. In the annals of Mursilis, he mentions a person whom he sent to the people of Karkisa. Muwatullis paid the Karkisa to protect this man from his own brothers. The man then sided with an enemy of Muwatullis, and was recaptured. He now begs for vassalage from the Hittite emperor (Goetze 1933). In this story the Karkisa are represented as an ally of the Hittites, which fits their description by Ramses II.

The geographical location of the Karkisa people is based on their relation to the land of the Lukka. Redford (1993: 249) places the Karkisa in southwest Asia Minor, and Barnett places them in the same area. Barnett mentions specifically that the Karkisa are associated with the Hittite area of Caria, which is on the south-western tip of Anatolia (Barnett 1975: 361).

Primary Sources

Onomasticon of Amenemope
Gardiner, A.H.
1947 Ancient Egyptian Onomastica, vol.1. London: Oxford University Press.
Mentions the Karkisa in relation to the Lukka.

Eighth Year Annals of Mursilis
Goetze, A.
   1933   Die Annelen des Mursilis. Mitteilungen der Vorderasiatisch-Aegyptischen
             Gesellschaft, 38 Band, Heft VI 23.
             A short story that incidentally involves the Karkisa.

Ramses II Monumental Inscription, Battle of Kadesh Bulletin. p.61
Ramses II Monumental Inscription, Battle of Kadesh Poem, p. 65-70
Lichtheim, M.
1974 Ancient Egyptian Literature vol. II. Berkely: University of California Press.
The Karkisa mentioned in lists of the allies of the Hittites.

Secondary Sources

Barnett, R. D.
   1975   The Sea Peoples. Pp. 362-366 in The Cambridge Ancient History, vol.
              II, part 2, ed. J. B. Bury, S. A. Cook, F. E. Adcock. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
             Refers to the specific location of the Karkisa.

Redford, D.B.
1992 Egypt, Canaan and Israel in Ancient Times. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
The Karkisa mentioned as enemies of Ramses III.