Amarna letter EA 299, titled: ''"A Plea for Help"'', is a fairly short

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 ...

Amarna letter 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 ...

from ''"governor"''

Yapahu Yapahu was a mayor/ruler of the city/city-state of ''Gazru'' (modern Gezer) of the 1350- 1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence. Two other mayors of Gazru during the Amarna letters period, were Adda-danu and Milkilu. Yapahu is the author of five ...

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 ...

Gazru. The clay tablet surface has been partially eroded, but the

cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo-syllabic script that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Middle East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. It is named for the characteristic wedge-sha ...

is still mostly legible. The tablet is medium in color (lt tan—medium lt chocolate: (see here

) and is about 12 cm tall, and a wide tablet, about 8.5 cm. The tablet is located in the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, no. 29832. The

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 ...

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

1360 BC The 1360s BC is a decade which lasted from 1369 BC to 1360 BC. Events and trends * Significant people * 1368 BC—Death of Erichthonius, mythical King of Dardania. * 1366 BC—Birth of Princess Tadukhipa to Tusratta, King of Mitanni and his ...

and 30–35 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.

The letter

EA 299: ''"A Plea for Help"''

EA 299, letter number three of four from

of Gazru. (Not a linear, line-by-line translation.) ''Obverse'' (See here

(or High Def

:Paragraph I :(Lines 1-11)—To the king, my lord, my god, the Sun, the Sun om the sky: Message of

, the ruler of Gazru, your servant, the dirt at your feet, the groom of your horses. Truly I fall at the feet of the king, my lord, my god, my Sun, the Sun from the sky, 7 times and 7 times, on the stomach and on the back. :Paragraph II :(12-21)—I have listened to the words of the

messenger ''MESSENGER'' was a NASA robotic space probe that orbited the planet Mercury between 2011 and 2015, studying Mercury's chemical composition, geology, and magnetic field. The name is a backronym for "Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geoche ...

of the king, my lord, very carefully. May the king, my lord, the Sun from the sky, take thought for his land. Since the

'Apiru 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 ...

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 ...

) are stronger than we, may the king, my lord, (g)ive¹ me his help,.. ''Bottom Edge & Reverse'' (See here

:(22-26)—..and may ''the king,'' my lord, get ''me''² away from the

lest the

destroy us.–(complete EA 299, with minor lacuna (manuscripts), lacunae restored, lines 1-26)

Akkadian & Cuneiform text

:Paragraph I :(Line 1)— A- na diš-lugal- EN- ia

dingir ''Dingir'' (, usually transliterated DIĜIR, ) is a Sumerian word for "god" or "goddess". Its cuneiform sign is most commonly employed as the determinative for religious names and related concepts, in which case it is not pronounced and is con ...

meš The cuneiform MEŠ, or meš is a plural form attached at the end of Mesopotamian cuneiform words as a suffix. As part of a name (PN, personal name, or other), or major class being referenced, in capital letters (a Sumerogram form), it is typical ...

- ia–( To ^Diš-King-Lord-mine, (of) ^dGod(S)-mine.. ) :(2)—-

- ia -

utu Utu (dUD "Sun"), also known under the Akkadian name Shamash, ''šmš'', syc, ܫܡܫܐ ''šemša'', he, שֶׁמֶשׁ ''šemeš'', ar, شمس ''šams'', Ashurian Aramaic: 𐣴𐣬𐣴 ''š'meš(ā)'' was the ancient Mesopotamian sun god. ...

ša iš- tu–.–.–.–.–.–.–( ^dGod-mine, ^dSun-God, .. Which .. From .. ) :(3)— an- um- ma diš- Ya- Pa- iYa–.–(..-Sky; --///-- Message ¹-

! ..) :(4)— LÚ ša ^{iri

IRI or I.R.I. refers to:

Businesses and organizations
* Iringa Airport, an airport in Tanzania serving Iringa and the surrounding Iringa Region by IATA airport code
* India Rejuvenation Initiative, an Indian anti-corruption organization forme ...}-

GaZ GAZ or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (russian: ГАЗ or Го́рьковский автомоби́льный заво́д, , Gorky Automobile Plant) is a Russian automotive manufacturer located in Nizhny Novgorod, formerly known as Gorky (Го� ...

- Ri-^ki–.–.–.–.–.–( Man(Governor), .. "Which-(of)" ^{iri

IRI or I.R.I. refers to:

Businesses and organizations
* Iringa Airport, an airport in Tanzania serving Iringa and the surrounding Iringa Region by IATA airport code
* India Rejuvenation Initiative, an Indian anti-corruption organization forme ...}-

Ru-^ki !! ) ( ^{Town

A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...}-

Ru-^ki ) :(5)— ARAD2- ka ep- ri ša giri3-

- ka–(.. Servant-yours, .. "The Dirt" Which-(at) Feet(S)-yours .. ) :(6)— LÚ- ku8- sí anše-

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 ...

- ra-

:(7)— a- na 2( diš) giri3-

Lugal- EN- ia :(8)—

- ia -

:(9)— ša iš- tu an- 7( diš)-

šu The cuneiform šu sign is a common, multi-use syllabic and alphabetic sign for ''šu'', ''š'', and ''u''; it has a subsidiary usage for syllabic ''qat''; it also has a majuscule-(capital letter) Sumerogram usage for ŠU, for Akkadian language ...

:(10)— u 7( diš)- ta- a- an lu- ú am-

qut Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The unive ...

- ma :(11)— ka-

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...

- tum u s,e- ru- ma :Paragraph II :(12)— iš- te- me a- wa- ti7-

:(13)— LÚ- dumu- ší- ip- ri ša Lugal :(14)— EN- ia ma- gal ma- gal :(15)— u li- im- li- ik Lugal- EN- ia :(16)— -

ša iš- tu an- :(17)— a- na

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 ...

a- nu- ma :(18)— da- an- nu LÚ- SA-

GAZ GAZ or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (russian: ГАЗ or Го́рьковский автомоби́льный заво́д, , Gorky Automobile Plant) is a Russian automotive manufacturer located in Nizhny Novgorod, formerly known as Gorky (Го� ...

Akkadian

:(1)— A na 1-lugal- EN- ia

- ia :(2)—-

- ia -

ša iš tu :(3)— an-, .. --///-- um ma ^diš- Ya Pa iYa-(

) ! :(4)— LÚ, .. ša ^{iri

IRI or I.R.I. refers to:

Businesses and organizations
* Iringa Airport, an airport in Tanzania serving Iringa and the surrounding Iringa Region by IATA airport code
* India Rejuvenation Initiative, an Indian anti-corruption organization forme ...}-

- Ri-^ki-( Gazru) !!

Cuneiform score,
Akkadian Akkadian or Accadian may refer to: * Akkadians, inhabitants of the Akkadian Empire * Akkadian language, an extinct Eastern Semitic language * Akkadian literature, literature in this language * Akkadian cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo- syllabi ...
,
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 ...

Cuneiform score (per CDLI, ''Chicago Digital Library Initiative''), and

Akkadian Akkadian or Accadian may refer to: * Akkadians, inhabitants of the Akkadian Empire * Akkadian language, an extinct Eastern Semitic language * Akkadian literature, literature in this language * Akkadian cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo- syllabi ...

, 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 ...

. -------- ''Obverse'' ''Paragraph I'', (lines 1-11) 1. A- na ^{1= diš}

lugal Lugal ( Sumerian: ) is the Sumerian term for "king, ruler". Literally, the term means "big man." In Sumerian, ''lu'' "𒇽" is "man" and ''gal'' "𒃲" is "great," or "big." It was one of several Sumerian titles that a ruler of a city-state could ...

_ EN_- ia _

DINGIR ''Dingir'' (, usually transliterated DIĜIR, ) is a Sumerian word for "god" or "goddess". Its cuneiform sign is most commonly employed as the determinative for religious names and related concepts, in which case it is not pronounced and is con ...

- MEŠ_- ia ___ A na ^{1= diš} ŠÀR-ru

Bēlu Bêl (; from akk, bēlu) is a title signifying "lord" or "master" applied to various gods in the Mesopotamian religion of Akkad, Assyria, and Babylonia. The feminine form is ''Bêlit'' ('Lady, Mistress') in Akkadian. ''Bel'' is represented in ...

- ia, – _

- MEŠ_- ia ___To ¹⁼

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...

, – (of) Gods^pl.-

2. _

UTU Utu (dUD "Sun"), also known under the Akkadian name Shamash, ''šmš'', syc, ܫܡܫܐ ''šemša'', he, שֶׁמֶשׁ ''šemeš'', ar, شمس ''šams'', Ashurian Aramaic: 𐣴𐣬𐣴 ''š'meš(ā)'' was the ancient Mesopotamian sun god. ...

_- ia _

_ ša iš^#- tu ___

- ia, — ___

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

, — 2.4.------------ _

_ ša iš^#- tu ___---------------

Dingir ''Dingir'' (, usually transliterated DIĜIR, ) is a Sumerian word for "god" or "goddess". Its cuneiform sign is most commonly employed as the determinative for religious names and related concepts, in which case it is not pronounced and is con ...

, – ša iš^# tu ___---------------God, –

which Which may refer to: * a relative pronoun * an interrogative word *which (command), an operating system command *Which?, a UK charity and its magazine See also * English relative clauses * Interrogative clause * Whicher (disambiguation) Whicher ...

from 3. an- um- ma diš- Ya- Pa- iYa ___^{dingir

''Dingir'' (, usually transliterated DIĜIR, ) is a Sumerian word for "god" or "goddess". Its cuneiform sign is most commonly employed as the determinative for religious names and related concepts, in which case it is not pronounced and is con ...}- ___(the)-Sky 3.4.------------- um- ma ^{1= diš} Ya- Pa- 'i3 ___------------- um ma ^{1= diš} Ya- Pa- 'i3 ___---------------message ¹

4. LÚ ša ^{iri

IRI or I.R.I. refers to:

Businesses and organizations
* Iringa Airport, an airport in Tanzania serving Iringa and the surrounding Iringa Region by IATA airport code
* India Rejuvenation Initiative, an Indian anti-corruption organization forme ...}-

- Ri-^ki

The
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 ...
/
'Apiru 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 ...

AreasOfHabiruActivityInAmarnaLettersLBIIA

The mention of the

shows the conflict of the time, as the takeover of

s 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 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 ...

of Šakmu/

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 ...

.) The next closest mention of the Habiru is from the Jerusalem letters of

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 ...

, directly south at

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

, letters EA 286,

287 Year 287 (Roman numerals, CCLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Diocletian and Maximian (or, less frequ ...

288 Year 288 ( CCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Maximian and Ianuarianus (or, less frequently, year 1041 ...

, 289, and EA 290.

Spellings for ''
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 ...
'' in the Amarna letters

* EA 100, l. 26—

,.. ša ìl- qú LÚ. MEŠ

,.. iš_tu_.html" ;"title=" iš tu "> iš tu ndash;.]–( LÚ-MEŠ GAZ ) * Amarna letter EA 271, EA 271, l. 16—..

lú Lugh or Lug (; ga, label=Irish language, Modern Irish, Lú ) is a figure in Irish mythology. A member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a group of supernatural beings, Lugh is portrayed as a warrior, a king, a master craftsman and a savior.Olmsted, Ga ...

Sa-GaZ-

.. ( Men (pl), SA.GAZ^MEŠ(pl) * EA 290, l. 24—.. Ha- Pí- Ri .. ( Hapiru ( 'Apiru )) *EA 299, l. 18—.. da- an- nu LÚ- SA-

.. ( "Strengthening" - LÚ.SA.GAZ.MEŠ ..( "Strengthening Habiru" ) * EA 366, l. 21—.. SA-

.. ( ^LÚSA-GAZ (Habiru))

References

External links

British Museum entry for EA 299Line drawing of EA 299, Obverse & ReverseLine Drawing, cuneiform, and Akkadian, EA 299: Obverse & Reverse
CDLI no. P270934 (''Chicago Digital Library Initiative'')
CDLI listing of all EA Amarna letters, 1-382
* Moran, William L. ''The Amarna Letters.'' Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987, 1992. (softcover, ) Amarna letters Canaan

The letter

EA 299: ''"A Plea for Help"''

Akkadian & Cuneiform text

Akkadian

Spellings for ''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 ...'' in the Amarna letters

See also

References

External links

Spellings for ''
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 ...
'' in the Amarna letters