Part 24 (2/2)
97 B.-”To the King my Son my Lord thus _Abdasratu_(198) thy servant, the dust of thy feet. At the feet of the King my Lord seven times and seven times I bow. Behold I am the King's servant, and a dog who is his neighbor (or his 'friend'?); and all the land of the Amorites is his. I often said to _Pakhanati_(199) my _Paka_ (Egyptian resident), 'Let him gather soldiers to defend the people of this King.' Now all (cursed?) as King, the King of the Phnician (_Kharri_) soldiers ... _Kharri_: the King shall ask if I do not guard the city of _Simyra_ (and) the city _Ullaza_. Lo my _Paka_ is in her: I proclaim the Sun-King; and I have (given orders?) to obey. The city _Simyra_ is a neighbor,(200) and all the lands are the King's-my Sun, my Lord; I watch for him: and I know that the King my Lord is very glorious; and _Pakhanati_ my _Paka_ is established to judge therein.”
COPY OF A PROCLAMATION AGAINST AZIRU, SENT TO EGYPT BY KHANNI, WHEN SENT AGAIN TO SYRIA
92 B.-”To the Chief of the Amorite city by letter thus (says) your Lord. A chief of the city of _Gebal_ has said thus in his pet.i.tion: 'Send him away from my gate (he says); he is robbing me and disputes with me in my chief city.'(201) And I have heard this and much beside which they have said to me as I now speak to say.
”Thou hast sent to the King thy Lord (saying thus), 'I am thy servant as all former guardians(202) who have been in this city.' And you do well to say thus. (But) I hear so to say a ruler of ours whose pet.i.tion (is), 'Send him away from my gate, (he is) out of his city.' And in the city _Zituna_ (Sidon) he abides, and has subjected himself among chiefs who are governors; and, though certainly knowing what is said, thou dost not confess the persecution of these chiefs. If thou art, as is a.s.sured, a servant of the King, how is his cutting off lawful in the sight of the King your Lord? Thus this ruler beseeches me, 'Let a supplicant be protected, for he is disputing my chief city with me.' And if you do as is a.s.serted, and not according to all the messages that I send against these things, you are hindering the King traitorously. So will be understood all that has been said.
”And now a certain Chief hears of a gathering with the Chief of the city of _Ciidsa_ (Kadesh on Orontes, the capital of the southern Hitt.i.tes); devising hostilities, ready to fight, you have made alliance. And if so, why dost thou so? Why should a chief foregather with a chief save that he is on his side? But if you cause what is a.s.sured to be done, and you respect the orders to yourself and to him, I say nothing more as to the messages you formerly made (and) as to what was pretended by you in them.
But thou art not on the side of the King thy Lord.
”Lo! this is the message, that their fortress burns in flames through (your burning?) and thou ragest against everything grievously. But if thou dost service to the King thy Lord, what is it that I will not do to interceding with the King? If then thou ragest against everything, I make G.o.d my witness; and if you persist, G.o.d is my witness, that messages of war (will be) in your midst, and by the might of the King thou diest, and as many as are with thee.
”But do service to the King thy Lord and live. And thou thyself knowest that the King does not deem needful a subjection of the land of Canaan.(203) So he is wroth. And as I sent, truly was commanded me of the King my Lord this year and not ... in another year. My son (this) contumacy in the sight of the King thy Lord is vain.
”And now the King thy Lord is anxious as to thee this year. If it is difficult for thee to come, then send thy son. And thou beholdest a King at whose commands many lands tremble: and dost not thou (fear?): thus truly is ordered this year concerning us; failing to go to the presence of the King thy Lord, send thy son to the King thy Lord as a hostage, and let him not delay at all.
”And now the King thy Lord hears, for I send to the King. Thus truly has the King commanded me-Khanni-a second time a messenger of the King. Truly it is to fetch to his hands men who are the foes of his house. Behold now I have been sent, as they are troublous; and moreover thou shalt bind them, and shalt not leave one among them. Now I am desired by the King thy Lord to name the men who are foes of the King in the letter from Khanni the King's messenger; and once more I am obeying the King thy Lord; and thou shalt not leave one among them. A chain of bronze exceeding heavy shall shackle their feet. Behold the men thou shalt fetch to the King thy Lord. _Sarru_ with all his sons; _Tuia_; _Lieia_ with all his sons: _Pisyari_(204) with all his sons: the son-in-law of _Mania_ with all his sons, with his wives, the women of his household: the chief of _Pabaha_,(205) whose wickedness is abhorred, who made the trumpet to be blown: _Dasarti: Paluma: Numahe_-a fugitive in the land of the Amorites.
”And knowest thou not that the glory of the King is as the Sun in heaven; his soldiers and his chariots are many. From the sh.o.r.e lands to the land of Gutium,(206) from the rising of the Sun to the going down of the same, there is much salutation.”
The attack on Sidon was thus apparently the fact which opened the eyes of Amenophis. It appears to have preceded the final success, when the wealthy city of Gebal was taken by Aziru.
The War In Phnicia
LETTERS FROM CITIES NEAR GEBAL
No. 42 B. M.-”This letter is the letter of the city _Irkata_(207) to the King. O our Lord, thus (says) the city of _Irkata_, and her men, her (flock? or lords?). At the feet of the King our Lord seven times seven times they bow. To the King our Lord thus (saith) the city of _Irkata_.
Knowing the heart of the King our Lord we have guarded the city of _Irkata_ for him ... Behold the King our Lord orders _Abbikha_ ... he speaks to us thus, O King ... to guard it. The city of _Irkata_ answers ... the man ruling for the King.... 'It is well. Let us save ... the city of _Irkata_. It is well to save (a city?) faithful to the King.' ...
Behold many fight ... the people ... are frightened ... Thirty horses and chariots enter the city of _Irkata_. Lo! has arrived ... a letter of the King as to arriving ... thy land they reach. The men of the city ...
(belonging) to the King have made ... to fight with us for the King our Lord. You send your chief to us that he may be our protector. Let the King our Lord hear the message of these his servants, and appoint us provision for his servant, and thou shalt exult over our foes and thou shalt prevail. The message of command of the King thou shalt not deny us. Our destroyer was troubled at the coming of the King's order to us. Mightily he has fought against us, exceeding much.”
128 B.-”To _Yankhamu_ by letter thus (says) _Yapaaddu_.(208) Why is it spoken? Lo! from the city of _Simyra_ a destruction by _Aziru_ of all the lands, in length from the city of _Gebal_ to the city of _Ugariti_;(209) and the destruction of this the city _Sigata_,(210) and of the city _Ambi_.(211) Behold ... the slave has (broken?) the s.h.i.+ps ... in the city _Ambi_ and in the city _Sigata_, and in all which dispute for the lands with the city of _Simyra_: and shall we not arise to enter the city _Simyra_,(212) or what shall we ourselves do? But send this news to your great city (or palace).(213) It is regretted that the ... is unfortunate.”
44 B. M.-This letter seems to be an appeal by the cities of Phnicia on behalf of Ribadda, the brave King of Gebal, during the time of his resistance to Aziru, which failed because no help was given to him from Egypt, where Aziru was still thought faithful. The spokesman Khaia is perhaps the same Egyptian mentioned in Aziru's letters.
”Thus (saith) our confederacy to the King and the men of _Sidon_ and the men of _Beruta_ (_Beirut_). Whose are these cities-are not they the King's? Place a chief one chief in the midst of the city, and shall not he judge the s.h.i.+ps of the land of the _Amorites_? and to slay _Abdasherah_ the King shall set him up against them. Does not the King mourn for three cities and the s.h.i.+ps of the men of _Misi_?(214) and you march not to the land of the _Amorites_, and _Abdasherah_ has gone forth to war; and judge for thine own self, and hear the message of thy faithful servant.
Moreover, who has fought as a son for the King-is it not _Khaia_? Will you gather us s.h.i.+ps of men of _Misi_ for the land of the _Amorites_ and to slay _Abdasherah_? Lo! there is no message as to them and no memorial: they have shut the road-they have closed the way. In order to give pa.s.sage to the land of _Mitana_(215) he has left the fleet which he has built. Was not this a plot against me of the men of _Arada_?(216) But if behold they are with you, seize the s.h.i.+ps of the men of the city of _Arada_ which they have made in the land of Egypt. Again behold _Khaiya_ laments ... for you do not ... and as for us we ... by the land of the _Amorites_.”
45 B. M., a broken letter with pa.s.sages of interest as follows:
”Moreover, now this city of _Gula_(217) is afflicted. The region behold of the city of _Gula_ is for the King my Lord. Cannot you do what we desire?
But he has done as his heart (desired) with all the lands of the King.
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