Shaushtatar was the son and successor of
Parshatatar. By the time he ascended the throne ca. the 15th century BC, his father had installed Hurrian client kings in a number of cities, making it easier for Shaushtatar to make Mittani a
Mesopotamian power.
Invasion of Assyria Now freed from the constant threat undergone by Mitanni of the
Egyptians, Shaushtatar turned his attention toward
Assyria. He invaded Assyria and sacked and looted its capital,
Assur.
Later Battles After his invasion of Assyria, Shaushtatar turned his army westward across the
Euphrates, along the way gathering beneath his sway all the northern
Syrian states as he brought his army to the
Mediterranean coast. He succeeded in extending the boundaries of Mitanni to include the areas of
Alalakh,
Nuzi,
Assur, and
Kizzuwatna. He was looking to extend Mitanni's power further south, perhaps into
Palestine. However, much of southern Syria still lay within the Egyptian sphere of influence, which had long been a threat to Mitanni. There was a consequence into Shaushtatar's expansion into Palestine: war with Egypt. Despite Mitanni's advantage that Palestine had a significant Hurrian population at the time, the war would be difficult to win. During the planning stages, however, Shaushtatar died, and his son
Artatama I would negotiate with the pharaoh
Amenhotep II over an alliance. ==References==