The events described in the letter have been interpreted as part of a proxy war between the Hittites and the
Ahhiyawa. Though the letter itself does not mention the Ahhiyawa, other texts such as the
Tawagalawa letter reveal that Piyamaradu was allied with them and that
Atpa had served as the Ahhiyawa-appointed governor of
Milawata. Because of this, the mention of an attack on Wilusa has sometimes been interpreted as evidence for a historical
Trojan War. Although this interpretation remains a viable hypothesis, it is not favored by current scholarship since the section divider seems to suggest that Piyamaradu's activities were a separate topic from the attack on Wilusa. Thus, the text does not provide reason to think that the Hittites were responding to an Ahhiya-backed siege as opposed to an internal uprising or the kingdom itself refusing Hittite authority. Hittitologist
Trevor Bryce cautions that "Overall, the letter is of very dubious value in terms of any possible bearing it may have on the Trojan War tradition." However, the letter does provide important geographic evidence supporting the identification of Wilusa with the archaeological site of
Troy. From other texts, scholars have generally concluded that the modern day
Karabel Pass served as the southern border of the Seha River Land. Since the Manapa-Tarhunta letter suggests that the kingdom included
Lazpa, this would place its northern border in the area of the
Troad. Given that the letter also suggests that Seha and Wilusa were neighbors, this information would restrict possible locations for Wilusa to an area in which Troy is the only major fortified city. These arguments are generally accepted by scholars, though they are not regarded as beyond question. In particular, Max Gander has argued that the text need not be read as suggesting that Seha ruled over Lazpa, and that it could have been located as far south as the
Meander River. ==See also==