Amarna letter EA 286

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EA 288, from Abdi-Heba, letter 4 of 6 from Jerusalem.
(very high-resolution expandable photo) Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin 019.jpg
EA 288, from Abdi-Heba, letter 4 of 6 from Jerusalem.
(very high-resolution expandable photo)

Amarna letter EA 286, titled: "A Throne Granted, Not Inherited," [1] is a tall, finely-inscribed clay tablet letter, approximately 8 in tall, and 3.5 in wide, from Abdi-Heba the mayor/ruler of Jerusalem, of the mid 14th century BC Amarna letters. The scribe of his six letters to Egypt were penned by the "Jerusalem scribe"; EA 286 is a moderately long, and involved letter.

Contents

Unlike similar length letters by the Jerusalem scribe, namely EA 287, EA 288, and shorter EA 289, EA 286 is damaged over the entire surface by erosion, probably from moisture. Other small sections of the clay tablet letter are missing entirely, with text supplied by the story's context.

The Amarna letters, about 300, numbered up to EA 382, are a mid 14th century BC, about 1350 BC and 20–25 years later, correspondence. The initial corpus of letters were found at Akhenaten's city Akhetaten, in the floor of the Bureau of Correspondence of Pharaoh; others were later found, adding to the body of letters.

Letter EA 286 (see here-(Obverse & Reverse): ), is numbered VAT 1642, from the Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin.

The letter

EA 286: "A Throne Granted, Not Inherited"

EA 286, letter two of six. (Not a linear, line-by-line translation, and English from French.) [1] (Obverse & reverse):

Obverse (see here: )

(Lines 1-4)--Say [t]o the king, my lord: Message of Abdi-Heba, your servant. I fall at the feet of my lord, the king, 7 times and 7 times.
(5-15)--What have I done to the king, my lord? They denounce me : ú-ša-a-ru [2] (I am slandered) before the king, my lord,1"Abdi-Heba has rebelled against the king, his lord."Seeing that, as far as I am concerned, neither my father nor my mother put me in this place, but the strong arm of the king2brought me into my father's house, why should I of all people commit a crime against the king, my lord?
(16-21)--As truly as the king, my lord, lives,3I say to the commissioner of the king, [my] lord,"Why do you love the 'Apiru but hate the mayors?Accordingly, I am slandered before the king, my lord.
(22-31)--Because I say4"Lost are the lands of the king, my lord,"accordingly I am slandered before the king, my lord. May the king, my lord, know that (though) the king, my lord stationed a garrison (here), Enhamu has takeni[t al]laway. [ ... ]

Reverse, (see here: )

(32-43)--[Now], O king, my lord, [there is n]o garrison, [and so] may the king provide for his land. May the king[pro]videfor his land! All the [la]nds of the king, my lord, have deserted. Ili-Milku has caused the loss of all the land of the king, and so may the king, my lord, provide for his land. For my part, I say,"I would go in to the king, my lord, and visit the king, my lord,"but the war against me is severe, and so I am not able to go in to the king, my lord.
(44-52)--And may it seem good in the sight of the king, [and] may he send a garrison so I may go in and visit the king, my lord.In truth,5the king, my lord, lives: whenever the commissioners have come out, I would say (to them),"Lost are the lands of the king," but they did not listen to me. Lost are all the mayors; there is not a mayor remaining to the king, my lord.
(53-60)--May the king turn his attention to the archers so that archers of the king, my lord, come forth. The king has no lands. (That) 'Apiru 6has plundered all the lands of the king. If there are archers this year, the lands of the king, my lord, will remain. But if there are no archers, lost are the lands of the king, my lord.
(61-64)--[T]o the scribe of the king, my lord: Message of Abdi-Heba, your [ser]vant. Present eloquent words to the king, my lord. Lost are all the lands of the king, my lord.

Akkadian text

The Akkadian language text: (starting at line 1) [3]

Akkadian:

Obverse:
(Line 1)--[ A ]na 1. diš ŠÀRRU Bēlu-ia qa b û--(To 1.-King-Lord-mine,..Speak!)
(2)--um ma 1. diš Abdi-Hiba ARAD-ka-ma--('message thus' 1.-Abdi-Heba, "The Servant-yours",.. )
(3)--a na 2 diš šēpu-meš Bēlu-ia ŠÀR RU--(at 2 feet(pl), My-Lord, King, )
(4)--7 diš ta-a-an ù 7 diš ta-a-an [2] ma qāt u!--(7 times and 7 times again, I bow!... )ú-ša-a-ru--("
(5)--Ma nn u ep ēš u a na ŠÀRRU Bēlu-ia--("What (done)'did I do' to King-Lord-Mine?".. )
(6)--a lu ka-ar-și-ya :(gloss) eaten stomach"('my parts are eaten') :(gloss) "I am slandered!".. )
(7)--i na nu ŠÀRRU Bēlu-ia 1. diš Abdi-Hi-Ba--(.. before (the) King-Lord-Mine!" 1.-Abdi-Heba)
(8)--pa r u a na ŠÀR RI Bēlu-šu--("rebelled" 'against' King, His Lord!..)
segue:
(9)--Am āru! a ku l ā -a b u--(Look!.. I(myself),.. not Father.. )
(10)--ù l ā MUNUS u mm u :(gloss) šak ā nu--(nor (not) Mother :(gloss) "was emplaced!".. )
(11)--i na ru an n u--("into" 'region'/site-this,.. )
(12)--zu-ru-uh ŠÀR RI KAL.GA(=dannu)--("arm" (of) King 'strong')
(13)--e šē r u a na É(=bītu) -a b u--("put straight"(enthroned) into HOUSE (of) Father.)
(14)--Am mi n i a na e šu--(Who?.. "against" conducted(deed)?.. )
(15)--:(gloss) ar nu a na ŠÀRRU Bēlu-ri--(:(gloss) 'evil crime' against King, Lord-(ri).?.. )
(16)--A di ŠÀRRU Bēlu-ia til la--(As King-Lord-Mine "lives"(and breaths)..)
(17)--Q a a na -MAŠKIM2 ŠÀRRU Bēlu-ia--("Say" to 'Man-Commissioner' (of) King-Lord-Mine.. )
(18)--Am mi n i r m u--(..Why "do you love".. )
(19)---HA RI ù -MEŠ-Ha-zi-[-ia nu ti ]--(..(the) Man-HAPIRU?.. and (the) MEN-Governors.. )
(20)--ta-za-ia-ru ù ki n ān nu--("Hate"('fight battles' and defeat('wrap up')))
(21)--ú-ša-a'3-ru [2] i na nu--("I am slandered" before King-Lord-Mine)
(22)--e ma yi?qa :.. "hal ā q u--('Now'(Because) I say: "Lost.. )
(23)--KUR-HI.A ŠÀRRU Bēlu-ia ki n ān nu--(..(the) Land(s)(pl), King-Lord-Mine: "Defeated"!.. )
(24)--ú-ša-wa-ru [2] a na ŠÀRRU Bēlu-ia--(.."I am slandered" before King-Lord-Mine!.. )
(25)--ù t u ŠÀRRU Bēlu-ia--(..But (I) "side" (with) King-Lord-Mine!... )
(26)--e ma ša nu ŠÀRRU Bēlu-ia--("Now-(at-this-time)" (the)-'stationed'(emplaced) King-Lord-Mine,.. )
(27)---MEŠ-ma-ṣar-ta le q û--(garrison-(men(pl)) taken(defeated).. )
(28)--[ gáb-]bi 1. diš YA N HA MU--(..all (by) 1.-Yanhamu.. )
(29)--[ ... (lacuna) ]
(30)--[ ... (lacuna) ]
Reverse:

See also

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Amarna letter EA 245


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Amarna letter EA 325

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Amarna letter EA 100

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Amarna letter EA 256

Amarna letter EA 256, in short EA 256, catalogued under the title Oaths and Denials, is one of a total of about 350 so-called Amarna letters, belonging to an official correspondence dating to the mid-14th century BC. The initial corpus of letters were found at Akhenaten's city Akhetaten, on the floor of the Bureau of Correspondence of Pharaoh; others were later found, adding to the body of letters.

Amarna letter EA 323

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Amarna letter EA 205

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Amarna letter EA 288


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Amarna letter EA 147

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References

  1. 1 2 Moran, William L. 1987, 1992. The Amarna Letters. EA 286, A Throne Granted, Not Inherited, pp. 326-327.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Moran, EA 286, n. 1: "I am slandered"
  3. Akkadian language characters & Photo, EA 286: Reverse & Obverse [ permanent dead link ], CDLI no. 271088 (Chicago Digital Library Initiative)