
Karduniaš (also transcribed Kurduniash, Karduniash or Karaduniše) is a
Kassite term used for the kingdom centered on
Babylonia
Babylonia (; , ) was an Ancient history, ancient Akkadian language, Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Kuwait, Syria and Iran). It emerged as a ...
and founded by the
Kassite dynasty. It is used in the 1350-1335 BC
Amarna letters correspondence, and is also used frequently in
Middle Assyrian and
Neo-Assyrian texts to refer to the kingdom of
Babylon. The name Karaduniyaš is mainly used in the letters written between
Kadashman-Enlil I or
Burna-Buriash, Kings of Babylon, and the
Pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...
of
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...
- (called:
Mizri), letters EA 1-EA 11, a subcorpus of letters, (
EA for 'el
Amarna'). The etymology of the name combines the
Semitic prefix "Kar" used to denote a city or land with a
Kassite element "duniash" which is of uncertain meaning.
There are two additional letters in the 382–letter Amarna
corpus that reference Karaduniyaš. The first is a damaged, and partial letter, EA 200, (with no author), regarding "
Ahlameans", (similar to the
Suteans); the title is: ''"About Ahlameans".'' The second letter is complete and undamaged, a letter from one of the sons of
Labaya, namely
Mutbaal - (''Mut-Bahli'', or ''Mut-Ba'lu''), letter EA 255.
Two example letters of ''Karaduniyaš''
EA 255, Mutbaal letter no. 1 of 2, title: ''"No destination too far"''
Letter 255 by
Mutbaal, about caravans, seems to imply that his location in western Jordan, (as "Mayor of ''Pihilu''"-(modern
Pella, Jordan)), was an important trade route to the east to Babylonia, or north to
Mittani.
:Say
the king,
ylord and my Sun: Thus
Mut-Bahl "> your servant, the
dirt at your feet, the mire you tread on. I fall at the feet of the king, my lord, 7 times and 7 times. The king, my lord, sent
Haaya to me to say, "A
caravan to
Hanagalbat-(
Mitanni
Mitanni (–1260 BC), earlier called Ḫabigalbat in old Babylonian texts, ; Hanigalbat or Hani-Rabbat in Assyrian records, or in Ancient Egypt, Egyptian texts, was a Hurrian language, Hurrian-speaking state in northern Syria (region), Syria an ...
), is this (man) to send on, and (all of you) send it on!" Who am I that I would not send on a caravan of the king, my lord, seeing that ''
">a''
'ayu, my father,
'used to sere'' the king, his lord,
'and''he
'himself''used to send on
'all'' the caravns
'that''the king
ould sed to Hanagalbat. Let the king, my lord, send a caravan even to ''Karaduniyaš''. I will personally conduct it under very heavy guard. -EA 255, lines 1-25 (complete)
EA 9, Burna-Buriash letter no. 4 of 6, title: ''"Ancient loyalties, new request"''
:(Para I, 1-6) Say- (qabu (qí-
bil-ma)) to
Nibhurrereya, the king of
Egy-( Mizri), my ŠEŠ (brother Sumerogram)">brother
A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used ende ...
]: "(message)-Thus"-(um (cuneiform), um-ma (cuneiform), ma), Thus, the king of ''Karad[un]iyaš'', your ŠEŠ (brother Sumerogram), brother. For me all goes well. For you, your household, your wives, your sons, your country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
, your ma ates, your
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...
s, your
chariots, may all go very well.
:(Para II, 7-18) From the time my
ancestor
An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder, or a forebear, is a parent or ( recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from ...
s and your ancestors made a mutual declaration of friendship, they sen
beautiful
greeting-gifts to each other, and refused no request for anything beautiful. My brother has now sent me 2–minas of
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
as my greeting-gift. Now, (i)f gold is plentiful, overflowing, send me as much as your ancestors (sent), but if it is scarce, send me half of what your ancestors (sent). Why have you sent me 2–minas of gold? At the moment my work on a
temple is extensive, and I am quite busy with carrying it out. Send me much gold. And you for your part, whatever you want from my country, write me so that it may be taken to you.
:(Para III, 19-38) In the time of
Kurigalzu, my ancestor, all the
Canaan
CanaanThe current scholarly edition of the Septuagint, Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus Testamentum graece iuxta LXX interprets. 2. ed. / recogn. et emendavit Robert Hanhart. Stuttgart : D ...
ites wrote here to him, saying, "C
m to the border of the country so we can revolt and be allied
'wih'' you!" My ancestor sent them this (reply), saying, "Forget about being allied with me. If you become enemies of the king of Egypt, and are allied with anyone else—will I not then come and plunder you? How can there be an alliance with me?" – For the sake of your ancestor, my ancestor did not listen to them. Now, as for my
Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...
n
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
s-(i.e.
Ashur-uballit I, king), I was not the one who sent them to you. Why on their own authority have they come to your country? If you love me, they will conduct no business whatsoever. Send them off to me empty–handed. I send to you as your greeting-gift 3–minas of genuine
lapis lazuli, and 5–teams of
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...
s for 5–
wood
Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...
en
chariots. -
EA 9, lines 1-38 (3 paragraphs) (complete)
See also
*
Burna-Buriash II
*
Kadashman-Enlil I
*
Ashur-uballit I, (ascendant)-King of
Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...
*
Greeting-gift (Šulmānī)
*
Amarna letters
References
*
Moran, William L. ''The Amarna Letters.'' Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987, 1992. (softcover, )
External links
Picture of EA 9, obverse, British Museum, and discussion.*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kardunias
States and territories established in the 14th century BC
States and territories disestablished in the 14th century BC
Amarna letters locations
Babylonia