Amarna letter EA 290

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Amarna letter EA 288, from Abdi-Heba, letter 4 of 6 from Jerusalem.
(very high-resolution expandable photo)
(See EA 290 here-(Obverse & Reverse, and All the Sides !!): ), Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin 019.jpg
Amarna letter EA 288, from Abdi-Heba, letter 4 of 6 from Jerusalem.
(very high-resolution expandable photo)
(See EA 290 here-(Obverse & Reverse, and All the Sides !!): ),

Amarna letter EA 290, titled: "Three Against One", [1] is one of the two shorter letters, of six, from Abdi-Heba the governing man of Jerusalem. In the Jerusalem letters, Jerusalem is "Uru-Salem" ("City-Peace").

Contents

Amarna letter EA 290, like Amarna letter EA 285 (The Soldier-Ruler of Jerusalem) are short "texts" compared to the long involved letters of EA 286, EA 287, EA 288, & EA 289.

The short letter of EA 290, summarizes the local discord of neighboring city-states and their rulers, and the problem with the warring Habiru ('Apiru). The letter is wider than it is tall, approximately 6.1 cm tall x 7.3 cm wide. It has some damage (lacunae), but not enough to obscure the short letter's story/

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 290 (also see here-(Obverse & Reverse): ), is numbered VAT 1646, from the Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin.

The letter

EA 290: "Three Against One"

EA 290, letter six of six. (Not a linear, line-by-line translation, and English from French.) [2] (Obverse & Reverse):

Obverse: (See here: )

(Lines 1-4)[Sa]y [t]o the king, my lord: Message of 'Abdi-Heba, your servant. I fall at the feet [of the kin]g, my lord, 7 times and 7 times. (i.e. "Over-and-over again")
(5-13)Here is the deedagainst the land1that Milkilu and Shuardata did: against the land of the king, my lord, theyordered2troops from Gazru, troops from Gimtu, and troops from Qiltu. They seized Rubutu. The land of the king deserted to the Hapiru.

Reverse & Left Side: (See here: ) (Or here: )

(14)
(15-21)And now, besides this, a town belonging to Jerusalem, Bit d NIN-URTA by name, a city of the king, has gone over to the side of the men of Qiltu. May the king give heed to 'Abdi-Heba, your servant, and send archers to restore the land of the king to the king.
(22-30)If there are no archers, the land of the king will desert to the Hapiru. This deedagainst the land3was [a]t the order of Milki[lu and a]t the order4 of [Shuard]atu,[together w]ith Gint[i] .5So may the king provide for [his] land.(complete, EA 290, with restored minor lacunae, lines 1-30)


The Habiru/'Apiru

AreasOfHabiruActivityInAmarnaLettersLBIIA.svg

The mention of the Habiru shows the conflict of the time, as the takeover of city-states or regions by the Habiru. The map shows various cities and regions, and their respective dealings with the Habiru. (There are only 3 letters from Labaya of Šakmu/Shechem.) The next closest mention of the Habiru is from the Jerusalem letters of Abdi-Heba, directly south at Jerusalem, letters EA 286, 287, 288, 289, and EA 290.

Spellings for Habiru in the Amarna letters

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdi-Heba</span> Chieftain of Jerusalem during the Late Bronze Age

Abdi-Heba was a local chieftain of Jerusalem during the Amarna period. Abdi-Heba's name can be translated as "servant of Hebat", a Hurrian goddess. Whether Abdi-Heba was himself of Hurrian descent is unknown, as is the relationship between the general populace of pre-Israelite Jerusalem and the Hurrians. Egyptian documents have him deny he was a mayor (ḫazānu) and assert he is a soldier (we'w), the implication being he was the son of a local chief sent to Egypt to receive military training there.

Šuwardata (Shuwardata), also Šuardatu, is understood by most scholars to be the king of the Canaanite city of Gath, although some have suggested that he was the 'mayor' of Qiltu, during the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence. Šuwardata was the author of 8 letters to the Egyptian pharaoh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pawura</span>

Pawura, and also: Pauru, Piwure, Puuru/Puwuru was an Egyptian official of the 1350–1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence. As mentioned in letter no. 171, he was also an Egyptian "archer–commander". In letter no. 289 he is called an "irpi–official". In Egyptian his name means 'the Great One', (Pa-wr/Pa-ur)(letter EA 287:45-"1.-Pa-Ú-Ru")

Milkilu, and more properly Milk-ilu, or Milku-ilu, with an alternate version of Ili-Milku, was the mayor/ruler of Gazru (Gezer) of the 1350–1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence. Adda-danu, and Yapahu were also mayors of Gazru.

Addaya was an Egyptian commissioner during the period of the Amarna letters correspondence. The majority of the Amarna letters were written to the pharaoh of Egypt during a 15-20 year(?) time period.

Rubutu was a city, or city-state located in ancient northern Israel, between the city of Gazru-(modern Gezer), and Jerusalem during the time of the Amarna letters correspondence, a 15-20 year period at about 1350-1335 BC. Some scholars place Rubutu near present-day Arrabah in the northern West Bank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarna letter EA 364</span> Ancient clay tablet with cuneiform writing

Amarna letter EA 364, titled Justified War, is a clay tablet letter from Ayyab, ruler of Aštartu, to Pharaoh Akhenaten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarna letter EA 144</span>

Amarna letter EA 144, titled: "Zimreddi of Sidon," is a square-shaped, mostly flat clay tablet letter written on both sides and the bottom edge. It is from a vassal state in Canaan, and is written by the 'mayor' of Sidon, the author of Amarna letter EA 144, and Amarna letter EA 145. Zimreddi is also referred to in a few other Amarna letters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarna letter EA 271</span>

Amarna letter EA 271, titled: "The Power of the 'Apiru," is a moderately short, tallish, rectangular clay tablet letter, approximately 3 in wide x 4 in tall, from Milkilu the mayor/ruler of Gazru (Gezer), of the mid 14th century BC Amarna letters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarna letter EA 270</span>

Amarna letter EA 270, titled: "Extortion," is an ovate-shaped, medium-sized, tall letter, approximately 3 in wide x 4 in tall, from Milkilu the mayor/ruler of Gazru (Gezer), of the mid 14th century BC Amarna letters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarna letter EA 287</span>

Amarna letter EA 287, titled: "A Very Serious Crime," is a tall, finely-inscribed clay tablet letter, approximately 8 in tall, 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 287 is a moderately long, and involved letter. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarna letter EA 289</span>

Amarna letter EA 289, titled: "A Reckoning Demanded," is a moderately tall, finely-inscribed clay tablet letter, approximately 6.5 in tall, 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 289 is a moderately long, and involved letter, mentioning ten named individuals, some more than three times. A total of nine locations are referenced, as well as men of the "Hapiru"-("LÚ-MEŠ-Hapiru-ki"), and men of "Qilyi-ki".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarna letter EA 286</span>

Amarna letter EA 286, titled: "A Throne Granted, Not Inherited," 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarna letter EA 100</span>

Amarna letter EA 100, titled: "The City of Irqata to the King" is a short-, to moderate-length clay tablet Amarna letter from the city-state of Irqata,, written to the Pharaoh of Egypt. Only one other city sent a clay tablet Amarna letter to the Pharaoh, namely Tunip, letter EA 59, titled: "From the Citizens of Tunip".

Amarna letter EA 366 is from the king of Gath to the king of Egypt. The letter reports of the king having smote down the uprising of the Habiru.

Amarna letter EA 254, titled: "Neither Rebel nor Delinquent (2)", is a moderate length, tall, and mostly flat rectangular clay tablet Amarna letter,. The letter is from Labaya of city-state Šakmu . It is an undamaged letter, in pristine condition, with cuneiform script on almost all surfaces: Obverse, Bottom, Reverse, and Left Side. Letter EA 254 is numbered VAT 335, from the Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarna letter EA 288</span>


Amarna letter EA 288, titled Benign Neglect, is a tall, finely-inscribed clay tablet letter, approximately 7.5 in tall x 4.5 in wide, broken into two pieces, 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 288 is a moderately long, and involved letter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarna letter EA 156</span>

Amarna letter EA 156, titled: "Aziru of Amurru", is a very short letter from Aziru, the leader of the region of Amurru. EA 156 is the first letter in a series of 16 letters regarding Aziru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarna letter EA 299</span>

Amarna letter EA 299, titled: "A Plea for Help", is a fairly short clay tablet Amarna letter from "governor" Yapahu of city-state Gazru. The clay tablet surface has been partially eroded, but the cuneiform is still mostly legible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarna letter EA 75</span>

Amarna letter EA 75, titled: "Political Chaos", is a short to moderate length letter from Rib-Hadda, who wrote the largest number of Amarna letters in a sub-corpus, from the city-state of Byblos; Byblos contained an Ancient Egyptian colony, and was aligned with a few neighboring townsites.

References

  1. Moran, William L. 1987, 1992. The Amarna Letters. EA 290, "Benign Neglect", pp. 333-334.
  2. Moran, William L. 1987, 1992. The Amarna Letters. EA 290, "Three Against One", p. 333-334.