Endaruta was the ruler of

Achshaph Achshaph ( he, אַכְשָׁף; in LXX grc, Άξείφ or Άκσάφ) was a royal city of the Canaanites, in the north of Canaan (Josh. 11:1; 12:20; 19:25). The name means "sorcery". Location Achshaph was in the eastern boundary of the tribe of ...

-(''Akšapa'' of the letters), in the 1350- 1335 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 ...

correspondence. Endaruta was the author of EA 223, ( EA for 'el

Amarna Amarna (; ar, العمارنة, al-ʿamārnah) is an extensive Egyptian archaeological site containing the remains of what was the capital city of the late Eighteenth Dynasty. The city was established in 1346 BC, built at the direction of the Ph ...

'), of the letters. He is only referenced in two other letters EA 366 and

367 __NOTOC__ Year 367 ( CCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lupicinus and Iovanus (or, less frequently, year 1120 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination ...

, but EA 367, entitled: '' "From the Pharaoh to a vassal" '' is addressed to Endaruta, with instructions to guard his city. Pharaoh states Hanni–''Khanni'', is en route with the "archer-army force", and to prepare for their needs. Tablet-letter 367 is an undamaged, twenty-five line letter.

The Amarna letters involving Endaruta

EA 367--title: ''"From the Pharaoh to a vassal"''

:Say to ''Endaruta'', the ruler of Akšapa: Thus the king-(

pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: ''pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the an ...

). He herewith dispatches to you this tablet, (i.e. tablet-letter), saying to you, "Be on your guard. You are to guard the place of the king where you are. :The king herewith sends to you Hanni, the ''son of Maireya'', the stable overseer of the king in

Canaan Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...

. And what he tells you heed very carefully lest the king find fault in you. Every word that he tells you heed very carefully and carry out very carefully. And ''be on your guard! Be on your guard! Do not be negligent!'' And may you prepare before the arrival of the

archers Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In mo ...

of the king–food in abundance, wine (and) everything else in abundance. Indeed he is going to reach you very quickly, (i.e. 'soon'), and he will cut off the heads of the enemies of the king. :And know that–"The King is: ''hale like the Sun in the sky''. For his troops and his

chariot A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&nbs ...

s in multitude all goes very well. —EA 367, lines 1-25 (complete) The phrase: ''Know that the king is hale like the Sun in the Sky'' is a standard phrase used by the pharaoh, used in a short form (like this), and a long form. See:

Amarna letters–phrases and quotations 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 ...

EA 223--title: ''"Compliance with orders"''

:Say to the k n, my lord, the Sun fr mthe s : Message of ''En '', your servant. I prostrate myself at the feet of the king, my lord, 7 times and 7 times. Whatsoever the king, my lord orders, I shall prepare. —EA 223, lines 1-10 (complete)

EA 366--
Šuwardata Šuwardata, also Šuardatu, (''Shuwardata'') is understood by most scholars to be the king of the Canaanite city of Gath (Tell es-Safi), although some have suggested that he was the 'mayor' of ''Qiltu'', (Keilah?, or Qi'iltu) during the 1350- 1335 ...
's letter of his brothers aid

In letter EA 366, ''"A rescue operation"'', Šuwardata discusses the war with 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 ...

, and the aid of his brother rulers. See: letter no. 8 of 8 by

Šuwardata Šuwardata, also Šuardatu, (''Shuwardata'') is understood by most scholars to be the king of the Canaanite city of Gath (Tell es-Safi), although some have suggested that he was the 'mayor' of ''Qiltu'', (Keilah?, or Qi'iltu) during the 1350- 1335 ...

, entitled: ''"A rescue operation"''.

References

* Moran, William L. ''The Amarna Letters.'' Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987, 1992. (softcover, ) Amarna letters writers Canaanite people 14th-century BC rulers 14th-century BC people {{AncientEgypt-stub

The Amarna letters involving Endaruta

EA 367--title: ''"From the Pharaoh to a vassal"''

EA 223--title: ''"Compliance with orders"''

EA 366--Šuwardata Šuwardata, also Šuardatu, (''Shuwardata'') is understood by most scholars to be the king of the Canaanite city of Gath (Tell es-Safi), although some have suggested that he was the 'mayor' of ''Qiltu'', (Keilah?, or Qi'iltu) during the 1350- 1335 ...'s letter of his brothers aid

See also

References