Amarna letter EA 287
Amarna letter EA 287, titled: "A Very Serious Crime,"[1] 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
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 287 (see here-(Reverse): [1]), is numbered VAT 1644, from the Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin.
Glossenkeils
Glossenkeils
used in letter 387:
Amarna letter EA 287 |
EA 287 Glossenkeil |
EA 287 Akkadian language |
translation |
---|---|---|---|
Amarna letter EA 287 |
Glossenkeil #1 line 27, Obverse |
zu-ru-uh uh |
arm |
Amarna letter EA 287 |
Glossenkeil #2 line 56, Reverse |
ša-de4-e de4 e |
countryside |
The letter
EA 287: "A Very Serious Crime"
EA 287, letter three of six. (Not a linear, line-by-line translation, and English from French.)[2] (Obverse & Reverse):
- Obverse:
- (Lines 1–3)--[Say to the kin]g, m[y] lord: [Message of Abdi-Heba, yo[ur] servant. [I fall at the feet] of my lord 7 times and 7 times.
- segue:
- (4-9)--Consider] the ent(ire) affair.1, [ Tagibrought [troop]s into [Qiltu] against me.2 [Consider] the deed that they did [to your servant].3 Arrow(s)4 [ ... ]
- ( ... lacuna )
- ( ... lacuna )
- (10-12)--[..] they brought into [Qilt]u. May the [kin]g know (that) all the lands are [at] peace (with one another), but I am at war.
- (13-13)--May the king provide for his land.
- segue:
- (14-19)--Consider the lands of Gazru, Ašqaluna, and L [akis]i.5 They have given them food, oils, and any other requirement. So may the king provide for archers and 6 send the archers against men that commit crimes against the king, my lord.
- (20-24)--If this year there are archers, then the lands and the mayors will belong to the king, my lord. But if there are no archers, then the ki[ng] will have neither lands nor mayors.
- segue:
- (25-28)--Consider Jerusalem! This neither my father nor m[y] mother gave to me. The [str]ong hand :(gloss) zu-ru-uh (arm) [of the king] gave to me.7
- segue:
- (29-31)--Consider the deed! This is the deed of Milkilu and the deed of the sons(=cohorts) of 'Apiru.
- segue:
- (32-32)--Consider, O king, my lord! I am in the right!8
- (33-42)--With regard to the Kašites, may the king make inquiry of the commissioners. Though the house is well fortified, they attempted a very serious crime. They [t]ook their tools, and I had to seek shelter by a support9 for the roof :(gloss) ga-ag-gi. A[nd so i]f he is going to send troop]s into [Jerusalem], let them come with [a garrison for] (regular) service.10 May the king provide for them; [all] of the land might be in dire straits11 on their account.
- bottom, obverse: 38–40:
- Reverse: (line 41)
- (43-49)--May the king inquire about the[m. Let there be]12 much food, much oil, much clothing until Pauru, the commissioner of the king, comes up to Jerusalem. Gone13 is Addaya together with the garrison of soldiers [that] the king [pro]vided. May the king know (that) Addaya [sa]id to me,
- segue:
- (50-52)--"[Beh]old, he has dismissed me."14 Do not abandon it, [and] send this [year] a garrison, and send right here15 the commissioner of the king.
- (53-59)--I sent [ as gift]s16 to the king, my lord, [x] prisoners, 5000...[...],17 [and] 8 porters18 for the caravans of the k[ing, my lord], but they have been taken in the countryside: a-de4-e of Ayyaluna. May the king, my lord, know (that) I am unable to send a caravan to the king, my lord. For you information!
- segue:
- (60-63)--As the king has placed his name in Jerusalem forever, he cannot abandon it—the land of Jerusalem.19
- (64-70)--Say to the scribe of the king, my lord: Message of 'Abdi-Heba, your servant. I fall at (your) feet. I am your servant. Present eloquent words to the king, my lord: I am a soldier of the king. I am always yours.20
- (71-78)--And please make the Kašites responsible for the evil deed.21 I was almost killed by the Kašites [i]n my own house. May the king [make an inquiry] in the[ir] regard. [May the kin]g, my lord, [provide] for them. 7 times and 7 times my the king, my lord, [provide] for me.22(complete, EA 287, many minor, restored lacunae, lines 1–78)
Akkadian text
The Akkadian language text: (starting at line 1, obverse, and line 39, reverse)[3]
Akkadian:
- Obverse:
- (Line 1)--[ ]--(To 1.-King-Lord-mine,..Speak!)
- (2)--[ ]--('message thus' Abdi-Heba, "The Servant-yours", at..)
- (3)--[ _ _ qātu]--( _ _ feet(pl), My-Lord, 7 times and 7 times,.. I bow!..)
- segue
- (4)--[ )
- (5)--[ meš
- segue
- (6)--šu]
- (7)--URUDU-gag-ú-tag-ga : [ __ __ ]
- (8)--[ __ __ ] a-wa-tu [ __ __ ]
- (9)--[ lacuna ]
- (10)--[ lacuna ]
- (11)--ana URU-[Qi-eL]-Ti-ki ešeru idû ŠÀRRU--(into CityQiltu, brought!.. Know, king)
- (12)----(all lands(pl) "in peace"! .. For me: 'Warfare'!)
- (13)--šu--(and "provide" king for Land-his!.. )
- segue
- (14)--Gazru, Land CityAshkelon)
- (15)--,.. 'the case' for them:..)
- (16)--NÍG-HI.A(pl) I'3-HI.A(pl) ù mimmû gl (AL)(gloss) ma-ah-șí-ra-mu(mahāṣu)--(("provide")-food(pl), oils(pl) and everything('possessions') "and"(gloss) "to fight!")
- (17)--ù šakānu ŠÀRRU, ana ERIM-pi-ṭa-ti ú(=ú)--(and 'provide' King, for "Army-Archers" (=and))
- (18)--MEŠ--(send(issue) "Army-Archers" "to" Men(pl))
- (19)----(who 'conducted' "evil(deeds)" at King-Lord-Mine! ...)
- (20)----(If 'to happen' in YEAR-this...)
- Reverse:
- (Line 39)--10[ERIN2]- ]
- (40)--[ ]10
- (41)--šu-nu11ta-șa-qa11 [ ... ]
- (42)--KUR-HI.šu-nu# [ ù ]
- (43)--12li-iš-al-mi12 -ú]
- (44)--ma-ad NÌG-HI.A ma-ad Ì-HI.A ma-ad TÚG-HI.A-ti—(much food(pl), much oils(pl), much clothing(pl))
- (45)--a-di e-tel-li 1. Pa-Ú-Ru [lú]-maškim2 LUGAL ri—('before'(until) "youth?"/'young-man' 1.-Pa-Ú-Ru(Pawura) man-commissioner, [of the] king..)
- (46)--a-na KUR-URU-Ǘ-Ru-SA10-lim-ki 13pa-ța-a-ri13—(to LAND-cityUru-Salimki-(Jerusalem) ... Gone...)
- (47)--[ 1. ..A ]-—([1. "A"]-Da-Ya 'with'(plus) men(pl)-garrison men-[of]-soldiers)
- (48)--[
- (49)--[iq--Ya
- segue
- (50)--ši
- (51)--[ mu ] an-ni-ta mu-še-ra-an-ni LÚ ma-ṣar-ta
See also
- Abdi-Heba
- Addaya
- Pawura
- Glossenkeil (Amarna letters)
- Amarna letters–phrases and quotations
External links
- Photo, EA 287: Reverse
- Photo, EA 287: Obverse & Reverse, CDLI no. 271090 (Chicago Digital Library Initiative)
References
- ^ Moran, William L. 1987, 1992. The Amarna Letters. EA 287, A Very Serious Crime, p. 327–330.
- ^ Moran, William L. 1987, 1992. The Amarna Letters. EA 287, A Very Serious Crime, p. 327–330.
- ^ Akkadian language characters & Photo, EA 28771: Reverse & Obverse Archived 2015-05-18 at the Wayback Machine, CDLI no. 271090 (Chicago Digital Library Initiative)
- ISBN 0-8018-6715-0)
- Parpola, 1971. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Parpola, Simo, Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, c 1997, Tablet I thru Tablet XII, Index of Names, Sign List, and Glossary-(pp. 119–145), 165 pages.