Amarna letter EA 289, titled: ''"A Reckoning Demanded,"'' Moran, William L. 1987, 1992. ''The Amarna Letters.'' EA 289, ''A Reckoning Demanded'', p. 332-333. is a moderately tall, finely-inscribed

clay tablet In the Ancient Near East, clay tablets (Akkadian ) were used as a writing medium, especially for writing in cuneiform, throughout the Bronze Age and well into the Iron Age. Cuneiform characters were imprinted on a wet clay tablet with a stylu ...

letter, approximately 6.5 in tall, from

Abdi-Heba Abdi-Heba (Abdi-Kheba, Abdi-Hepat, or Abdi-Hebat) was a local chieftain of Jerusalem during the Amarna period (mid-1330s BC). Abdi-Heba's name can be translated as "servant of Hebat", a Hurrian goddess. Whether Abdi-Heba was himself of Hurrian d ...

the mayor/ruler of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, of the mid 14th century BC

Amarna letters The Amarna letters (; sometimes referred to as the Amarna correspondence or Amarna tablets, and cited with the abbreviation EA, for "El Amarna") are an archive, written on clay tablets, primarily consisting of diplomatic correspondence between t ...

. The scribe of his six letters to Egypt were penned by the "

Jerusalem scribe Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

"; EA 289 is a moderately long, and involved letter, mentioning ten named individuals, some more that three times. A total of nine locations are referenced, as well as men of the "

Hapiru Habiru (sometimes written as Hapiru, and more accurately as ʿApiru, meaning "dusty, dirty"; Sumerian: 𒊓𒄤, ''sagaz''; Akkadian: 𒄩𒁉𒊒, ''ḫabiru'' or ''ʿaperu'') is a term used in 2nd-millennium BCE texts throughout the Fertile C ...

"-("LÚ- MEŠ-Hapiru-^ki"),EA 289: Reverse, line 24.
, CDLI no. 271091 (''Chicago Digital Library Initiative'') and men of "Qilyi-^ki". The

, about 300, numbered up to EA 382, are a mid 14th century BC, about

1350 BC Events and trends * c. 1356 BC – Amenhotep IV begins the worship of Aten in Ancient Egypt, changing his name to Akhenaten and moving the capital to Akhetaten, starting the Amarna Period. * c. 1352 BC – Amenhotep III ( Eighteenth ...

and 20–25 years later, correspondence. The initial corpus of letters were found at

Akhenaten Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Echnaton, Akhenaton, ( egy, ꜣḫ-n-jtn ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning "Effective for the Aten"), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth Dy ...

's city Akhetaten, in the floor of the

Bureau of Correspondence of Pharaoh The building known as the Bureau of Correspondence of Pharaoh (also known as the Records Office) is located in the 'Central City' area of the ancient Egyptian city of Akhetaten, known as Amarna in modern times. The city was the short-lived capit ...

; others were later found, adding to the

body Body may refer to: In science * Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space * Body (biology), the physical material of an organism * Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of anima ...

of letters. Letter EA 289 (see here-(Obverse)

, is numbered VAT 1645, from the

Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin The Vorderasiatisches Museum (, ''Near East Museum'') is an archaeological museum in Berlin. It is in the basement of the south wing of the Pergamon Museum and has one of the world's largest collections of Southwest Asian art. 14 halls distrib ...

The letter

EA 289: ''"A Reckoning Demanded"''

EA 289, letter five of six. (Not a linear, line-by-line translation, and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

from French.) :(Lines 1-4)-- ay t the king, my lord: Message of '

, your servant. I f llat the feet of my lord, the k ng 7 times and 7 times. :(5-10)

Milkilu Milkilu, and more properly Milk-ilu, or Milku-ilu, with an alternate version of Ili-Milku (letter 286, by Abdi-Heba of Jerusalem), was the mayor/ruler of ''Gazru'' (Gezer) of the 1350–1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence. Adda-danu, and Yapahu ...

does not break away from the sons of

Labaya Labaya (also transliterated as Labayu or Lib'ayu) was a 14th-century BCE ruler or warlord in the central hill country of southern Canaan. He lived contemporaneously with Pharaoh Akhenaten. Labaya is mentioned in several of the Amarna Letters (abb ...

and from the sons of Arsawa, as they desire the land of the king for themselves. As for a mayor who does such a deed, why does the king not (c)all him to account? :(11-17)--Such was the deed that Milkilu and Tagi did: they took

Rubutu 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 Text corpus, correspondence, a 15-20 year Time period, period at about 1350 BC, 13 ...

. And now as for

-(^URUUru-Salim^ki), if this land belongs to the king, why is it ''((not)) of concern''¹ to the king like Hazzatu? :(18-24)--Ginti-kirmil belongs to Tagi, and men of Gintu are the garrison in Bitsanu.² Are we to act like

when he was giving the land of Šakmu to the

? :(25-36)--Milkilu has written to Tagi and the sons ((of Labaya)), "Be ''the both of you a protection.''³ Grant all their demands to the men of Qiltu, and let us isolate Jerusalem."⁴ Addaya has taken the garrison that you sent in the charge of Haya, the son of Miyare; he has stationed it in his own house in Hazzatu and has sent 20 men to Egypt-(Miṣri). May the king, my lord, know (that) no garrison of the king is with me. :(37-44)--Accordingly, as truly as the king lives, his ''irpi-'' official,⁵ Pu'uru, has left me and is in Hazzatu. (May the king '' call (this) to mind when be arrives.)''⁶ And so may the king send 50 men as a garrison to protect the land. The entire land of the king has deser ed :(45-46)--Send Ye((eh))enhamu that he may know about the land of the king, y lord :(47-51)--To the scribe of the king, y lord: Mssage of 'Abdi-Heba,

our Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of "we" * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a Politics of Jamaica#Regulator ...

servant, Offer eloq

ent Ents are a species of beings in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy world Middle-earth who closely resemble trees; their leader is Treebeard of Fangorn forest. Their name is derived from an Old English word for giant. The Ents appear in ''The Lord of ...

words to the king: ''I am always, utterly yours.''⁷ I am your servant.--(text complete Obverse & Reverse, EA 289, minor, restored lacunae, (and a small corner of

missing), lines 1-51)

List of Individuals, Places, or Peoples in EA 289

A list of the people of EA 289, cities, towns, or countries, and equivalent 'groups of peoples': Individuals: *--Line 2--1.-ARAD-Hi-Ba-(

) *--5--1.-Mil-Ki- Lim-(

) *--6--La-AB-A-Ya-(

) *--7--Ar-SÀ-Wa *--11–1.-Mil-Ki- Lim *--11–1.-Ta- Gi-(

Tagi (Ginti mayor) Tagi was the ruler/mayor of ancient Ginti–(Gintikirmil), of the 14th century BC Amarna letters. Tagi's name is a Hurrian hypocoristicon for the word ''beautiful''. Tagi was the father-in-law of Milkilu, mayor of ancient Gazru-(modern Gezer) ...

) *--19–1.-Ta- Gi *--21–1.La-AB-A-Ya *--25–1.-Mil-Ki- Lim *--25—Ta- Gi *--31–1.-Ha-Ya **--31—DUMU-Mi-iYa-Re-E-( Miyare) *--32–1.-Ad-Da-Ya-(

Addaya Addaya was an Egyptian commissioner during the period of the Amarna letters correspondence (1350–1335 BC). The majority of the Amarna letters were written to the pharaoh of Egypt during a 15-20 year(?) time period. ''Addaya'' is only referenced ...

) *--38–1.-Pu-Ú-Ru-(

Pawura 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 ''"irp ...

) *--45–1.-Yi-((..))-En-Ha-Mu-(

Yanhamu Yanhamu, also Yenhamu, and Enhamu, was an Egyptian commissioner of the 1350- 1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence. Yanhamu is referenced in 16 of the 60–letter ''"Rib-Hadda of Gubla"''-(Byblos) sub-corpus, and also 12 additional letters. ...

) *--48–1.-ARAD-Hi-Ba Placenames or Peoples: *--13--^URU-Ru-Bu-Tá-(

) *--14--^URU- Ǘ- Ru- Sa- Lim-^ki-(

)
–(Uru-Salem) *--17--^URU- Ha- Za- TI--^ki-( Hazor)(Tel Hazor) *--18—KUR-^URU-GÍN-Ti-Ki-iR-Mi-iL-^ki *--19--^URU-GÍN-Yi-^ki *--23—KUR-Ša-aK-Mi-(

Shechem Shechem ( ), also spelled Sichem ( ; he, שְׁכֶם, ''Šəḵem''; ; grc, Συχέμ, Sykhém; Samaritan Hebrew: , ), was a Canaanite and Israelite city mentioned in the Amarna Letters, later appearing in the Hebrew Bible as the first cap ...

) *--24—LÚ-MEŠ-Ha-Pí-Ri-^ki-(

) *--28—LÚ-MEŠ-Qí-iL-Yi-^ki-(Qiltu-(

Keilah Keilah (), meaning Citadel, was a city in the lowlands of Kingdom of Judah, Judah (). It is now a ruin, known as ''Kh. Qeila'', near the modern village of Qila, Hebron, Qila, east of Beit Jibrin, Beit Gubrin, and about west of Kharas.Amit (n.d. ...

)) *--29--^URU- Ǘ- Ru- Sa- Lim *--33--^URU- Ha- Za-Yi-^ki *--34—KUR-Mi-iṢ-Ri-^ki-(

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

)(Miṣri)(

Mizraim Mizraim (; cf. Arabic مصر, ''Miṣr'') is the Hebrew and Aramaic name for the land of Egypt, with the dual suffix ''-āyim'', perhaps referring to the "two Egypts": Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Mizraim is the dual form of matzor, meaning a "moun ...

) *--40--^URU- Ha- Za-Ti

Akkadian text

The

Akkadian language Akkadian (, Akkadian: )John Huehnergard & Christopher Woods, "Akkadian and Eblaite", ''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World's Ancient Languages''. Ed. Roger D. Woodard (2004, Cambridge) Pages 218-280 is an extinct East Semitic language th ...

text: Akkadian: Tablet Obverse: :(Line 1)-- A na Šarru(ŠÀR-ri) bēlu- ia abû-(To King-Lord-mine- speaking" :(2)--umma 1.(diš)- ARAD-Hi-Ba 1. ARAD-ka-ma--('message thus'

, servant-

ours One Union of Regional Staff (OURS) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. The union was formed in early 2010 by the merger of the Derbyshire Group Staff Union and the Cheshire Group Staff Union. It organises former Derbyshire Building Societ ...

) :(3)-- a na 2.-šēpu(pl) bēlu- ia ma ātu-(at 2-feet(pl), my-Lord, I b w m bowing..)) :(4)--7 ta-a-an ù 7 ta-a-an--(7 times and 7 times (again).)

segue A segue (; ) is a smooth transition from one topic or section to the next. The term is derived from Italian ''segue'', which literally means "follows". In music In music, ''segue'' is a direction to the performer. It means ''continue (the next ...

: :(5)--(amāru)( a mur(=

AMAR Amar may refer to: People Given name * Amar (British singer) (born 1982), British Indian singer born Amar Dhanjal * Amar (Lebanese singer) (born 1986), born Amar Mahmoud Al Tahech * Amar Bose (1929–2013), Founder of Bose Corporation * Amar Gup ...

)) 1.-

lā patāru--(Look!..Milkilu not "separating") :(6)--ištu māru(sons/compatriots)-(pl)

ù štu-(from accomplices (of) Labaya and from) :(7)--māru(sons)(pl) Arsawa a na erēšu--(accomplices(pl) (of) Arsawa to "desiring"(requesting)) :(8)--mātu Šarru(ŠÀR-ri)(LUGAL-ri) a na šašu--(Land (of the) King for themselves;..) :(9)--LÚ-hazzanu ša epišu-annû--((a)-Mayor which/that "Deed This",..) :(10)--amminu ŠÀR-ri lā ?xx?--(..Why?.. King not concerned?..)

: :(11)--(amāru)( a mur(=

)) 1.-Milkilu and 1.- Tagi--(Look!.. Milkilu and Tagi) :(12)--epišu ša epēšu annû--("deed" which performed this:....) :(13)--Enuma leqû ^{URU
Uru or URU may refer to:

Language
* Uru dialect of Central Kilimanjaro, a Bantu language of Tanzania
* Uru language, the extinct language of the Uros, an Amerindian people
* Uru of Ch'imu, an extinct language of the Uros, an Amerindian people
...}-

-^ki--("Now-(at-this-time)" "conquered"

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...

Rubutu^ki,..) :(14)-- ù eninna ^{URU
Uru or URU may refer to:

Language
* Uru dialect of Central Kilimanjaro, a Bantu language of Tanzania
* Uru language, the extinct language of the Uros, an Amerindian people
* Uru of Ch'imu, an extinct language of the Uros, an Amerindian people
...}-

-^ki--(and "now-when" city-state Jerusalem^ki,) :(15)--šumma bašu mātu annû--(If 'to exist' Land this..?..) :(16)-- a na Šarru(ŠÀR-ri), ammini enuma--(for King,..When "now-(at-this-time)") :(17)--^{URU
Uru or URU may refer to:

Language
* Uru dialect of Central Kilimanjaro, a Bantu language of Tanzania
* Uru language, the extinct language of the Uros, an Amerindian people
* Uru of Ch'imu, an extinct language of the Uros, an Amerindian people
...}- Hazor-^ki a na Šarru(ŠÀR-ri) šakānu--(city-state Hazor 'for/when' (the) King emplaced?!..)

: :(18)--(amāru)( a mur(=

)) mātu ^{URU
Uru or URU may refer to:

Language
* Uru dialect of Central Kilimanjaro, a Bantu language of Tanzania
* Uru language, the extinct language of the Uros, an Amerindian people
* Uru of Ch'imu, an extinct language of the Uros, an Amerindian people
...}-Ginti-Kirmil-^ki--(Look!.. Land City-state Ginti-Kirmil) :(19)-- a na 1.- Tagi ù LÚ- MEŠ-^{URU
Uru or URU may refer to:

Language
* Uru dialect of Central Kilimanjaro, a Bantu language of Tanzania
* Uru language, the extinct language of the Uros, an Amerindian people
* Uru of Ch'imu, an extinct language of the Uros, an Amerindian people
...}-GÍNyi-^ki--(of Tagi, and "Men(pl)-GÍNyi-^ki",..) :(20)--maṣșartu i na bītu bašu--((a) 'garrison' "house-seat" 'exists',..) :(21)-- ù lū(lū- ú) napaṣu enūma--(and, "May it Be-'to crush' ", Now,..) :(22)--___ __1.-

..--(space(pl)..Labaya..!) Tablet bottom: :(23)-- Ú

kur The ancient Mesopotamian underworld, most often known in Sumerian as Kur, Irkalla, Kukku, Arali, or Kigal and in Akkadian as Erṣetu, although it had many names in both languages, was a dark, dreary cavern located deep below the ground, where ...

-Ša-aK- Mi i-tin- u--(But,..land Šakmu-(Shechem) sided) :(24)-- a na LÚ. MEŠ- Hapí ri^ki--(to (the) Men(pl)-

Habiru Habiru (sometimes written as Hapiru, and more accurately as ʿApiru, meaning "dusty, dirty"; Sumerian: 𒊓𒄤, ''sagaz''; Akkadian: 𒄩𒁉𒊒, ''ḫabiru'' or ''ʿaperu'') is a term used in 2nd-millennium BCE texts throughout the Fertile C ...

^ki) Tablet Reverse: Note: The endings of lines 1-4 are the missing corner of the clay tablet letter, and the words-(

lacuna Lacuna (plural lacunas or lacunae) may refer to: Related to the meaning "gap" * Lacuna (manuscripts), a gap in a manuscript, inscription, text, painting, or musical work **Great Lacuna, a lacuna of eight leaves where there was heroic Old Norse po ...

s) are replaced by context, and the common style of the 'introductions' of the Amarna letters. Of note, only the obverse of letter EA 289 uses the

s of ''Look!'',

''amāru''. An equivalent use is on the start of the reverse of EA 365, for the entire end-story of EA 365. The "segue"-use there is "And Look!",...''"But, Look..."'', using " u" "amāru"; (only text on a short line, bottom of tablet reverse, very start of the flat reverse side).

External links

Photo, EA 289: Obverse
line drawing (cuneiform), Line drawing of EA 289, CDLI
Photo, EA 289: Obverse & Reverse
CDLI no. 271091 (''Chicago Digital Library Initiative'')
CDLI listing of all EA Amarna letters, 1-382

References

* Moran, William L. ''The Amarna Letters.'' Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987, 1992. (softcover, {{ISBN, 0-8018-6715-0) * Parpola, 1971. ''The Standard Babylonian

Epic of Gilgamesh The ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' () is an epic poetry, epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia, and is regarded as the earliest surviving notable literature and the second oldest religious text, after the Pyramid Texts. The literary history of Gilgamesh ...

'', Parpola, Simo,

Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project The Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project is an international scholarly project aimed at collecting and publishing ancient Assyrian texts and studies based on them. Its headquarters are in Helsinki in Finland. State Archives of Assyria State Archives ...