 In c . 1400 BC , Hittite records mention the military activities of an Ahhiyawan warlord , Attarsiya , a possible Hittite way of writing the Greek name Atreus , who attacked Hittite vassals in western Anatolia . Later , in c . 1315 BC , an anti @-@ Hittite rebellion headed by Arzawa , a Hittite vassal state , received support from Ahhiyawa . Meanwhile , Ahhiyawa appears to be in control of a number of islands in the Aegean , an impression also supported by archaeological evidence . During the reign of the Hittite king Hattusili III ( c . 1267 – 1237 BC ) , the king of Ahhiyawa is recognized as a " Great King " and of equal status with the other contemporary great Bronze Age rulers : the kings of Egypt , Babylonia and Assyria . At that time , another anti @-@ Hittite movement , led by Piyama @-@ Radu , broke out and was supported by the king of Ahhiyawa . Piyama @-@ Radu caused major unrest in the region of Wilusa and latter invaded the island of Lesbos , which then passed into Ahhiyawan control . 
