Kussara (
Kushshar) was a kingdom of the
Bronze Age in
Anatolia. The kingdom, though apparently important at one time, is mostly remembered as the origin of the dynasty that would form the Old
Hittite Kingdom. The Kussaran king
Pithana, with his son
Anitta, forerunners of the later Hittite kings, conquered
Kanesh (Nesa) and its important trade centrum in roughly 1780 BC. The seat of the Kussaran dynasty was then moved to Kanesh, though Kussara appears to have retained ceremonial importance. Anitta took the title of 'Great King' when he defeated the polities of
Zalpuwa and
Hattum. Pithana and Anitta are the only two recorded kings of Kussara, and their exploits are known chiefly from the so-called 'Anitta Text,' one of the earliest inscriptions in the
Hittite language yet discovered. A further king,
Labarna I is accepted as a king of Kussara by most scholars.
Hattusili I, recognized as one of the first
Hittite kings, referred to himself as 'man of Kussara,' but moved his capital from there to
Hattusa (from which he likely took his name). It is clear, however, that even after the capital was moved, Kussara retained some importance, as it was there that Hattusili would call a council on his own succession.