The Amorite Treachery

No. 35 B.—“To the King my Lord my God my Sun _Aziru_ thy servant; and
seven times at the feet of my Lord my God my Sun I bow.” The letter is
much broken, but promises he will never rebel, and says he is sincere. He
desires land of the King (at Simyra), and says the men of the government
are friendly, but that the city of Simyra is to be made promptly to fulfil
its engagements.

35 B. M.—“To the Great King my Lord my God my Sun thus (says) this thy
servant _Aziru_. Seven times and seven times at the feet of my Lord my God
my Sun I bow. My Lord I am thy servant, and (from my youth?) in the
presence of the King my Lord, and I fulfil all my orders to the sight of
my Lord. And what they who are my (agents?) shall say to my Lord as to the
chiefs who are faithful, in the sight of the King my Lord, will not you
hear me speak, I who am thy servant sincere as long as I live? But when
the King my Lord sent _Khani_,(184) I was resting in the city of _Tunip_
(_Tennib_) and there was no knowledge behold of his arriving. Whereupon he
gave notice, and coming after him also, have I not reached him? And let
_Khani_ speak to testify with what humility, and let the King my Lord ask
him how my brethren have prepared to tend (him), and _Betilu_ will send to
his presence oxen and beasts and fowls: his food and his drink will be
provided. I shall give horses and beasts for his journey; and may the King
my Lord hear my messages, with my assurances in the presence of the King
my Lord. _Khani_ will march much cared for in my sight, he accompanies me
as my comrade, like my father; and lo! my Lord says, ‘You turn away from
the appearance of Khani.’ Thus thy Gods and the Sun-God truly had known if
I did not stay in the city of _Tunip_. Moreover because of the intention
to set in order the city of Simyra, the King my Lord has sent word (and)
the Kings of the land of _Marshasse_ (_Mer’ash_) have been foes to me.
They have marched on my cities: they have observed the desire of
_Khatib_,(185) and has not he promised them? lo! hastily he has promised
them. And truly my Lord has known that half of the possessions that the
King my Lord has given _Khatib_ takes: the tribute, and the gold and the
silver that the King my Lord has given me; and _Khatib_ takes all the
tribute; and truly my Lord has known. Moreover as against my Lord the
King’s having said, ‘Why dost thou yield service to the messenger of the
King of the land of the _Hittites_, and dost not yield service to my
messenger?’ this region is the land of my Lord, he establishes me in it,
with men of government. Let a messenger of my Lord come, and all that I
speak of in the sight of my Lord let me give. Tin and ships, men(186) and
weapons, and trees let me give.”

40 B.—“To _Dudu_(187) my Lord my father thus (says) _Aziru_ your son your
servant: at the feet of my father I bow. Lo! let _Dudu_ send the wishes of
my Lord ... and I ... Moreover behold thou shalt not reject (me) my
father, and whatever are the wishes of _Dudu_ my father, send, and will
not I ... Behold thou art my father and my Lord: I am thy son: the land of
the Amorites is your land; and my house is your house.(188) Say what you
wish and I will truly perform your wishes.” The latter part is broken, but
states that he will not rebel against the wishes of the King or those of
Dudu.

38 B.—“To _Dudu_ my Lord my father thus _Aziru_ thy servant. At my lord’s
feet I bow. _Khatib_ will march, and has carefully followed the messages
(or orders) of the King my Lord before (he goes); and what is good
increases; and I have been gladdened very much; and my brethren, men
serving the King my Lord, and men who are servants of _Dudu_ my Lord. They
had feared exceedingly. Behold he will march, to command for the King my
Lord with me. From the orders of my Lord my God and my Sun, and from the
orders of _Dudu_ my Lord, I will never depart. My Lord now _Khatib_ goes
forth with me, and also he will march to strengthen me. My Lord, the King
of the land of the _Hittites_ will march from the land of _Marhasse_
(_Mer’ash_), and has he not boasted to meet me? and the King of the
_Hittites_ will rebel, and behold I and _Khatib_ will march. Let the King
my Lord hear my messages. I have feared without the countenance of the
King my Lord, and without the countenance of _Dudu_; and now (my Gods and
my messenger(189)). And truly these are my brethren—_Dudu_ and the great
men of the King my Lord; and truly I will march; and since O _Dudu_ both
the King my Lord and the chiefs thus are ready, everything against _Aziru_
is forgiven which has been unfavorable for my God,(190) and for us. And
now I and _Khatib_ have appeared servants of the King. Truly thou knowest
_Dudu_, behold I go forth mightily.”

31 B.—“To _Khai_(191) my brother thus (says) this thy brother _Aziru_.
With thee (be) peace indeed, and from the Egyptian soldiers of the King my
Lord there is much safety. Whoever (is) against it the promise remains, in
sight of the King my Lord; being formerly promised it remains. I and my
sons and my brethren are all servants of the King: it is good for me. Now
I and _Khatib_ will both march, behold, with speed. O _Khai_, as among you
truly it is known, lo! I have been troubled. From the orders of my Lord
there is no rebellion, nor from your orders. I am a servant of my Lord.
The King of the land of the _Hittites_ dwells in the land of _Marhasse_
(_Mer’ash_) and I have feared his appearance. They who are in the West
lands(192) have armed. He gathers; and while the city of _Tunip_ is
unoccupied, he dwells two swift marches from the city. And I have been
afraid of his appearance; and contrary to messages of promise he goes
forth to his rebellions. But now we shall both march, I and _Khatib_, with
speed.”

32 B. repeats the preceding—perhaps to another correspondent: it mentions
_Dudu_, and says: “I have been afraid of this rebel son of a dog, and I
have been troubled. Now he has sent a message from the Western land—the
land of my Lord: they will both march together, and I have been afraid for
my Lord’s land.”

33 B., much broken at the top, refers to the existing promise or treaty,
and continues: “I cause the land of my Lord to be guarded, and my
countenance is toward the men who are servants of the King my Lord in
peace. My Lord now I and _Khatib_ are made friends,(193) and let my Lord
know behold I have ... in haste. The King of the land of the _Hittites_
dwells ... and I have been afraid ... have armed ... of the land ... my
Lord I remain quietly ... in the West land ... King my Lord to defend his
land ... and now behold in the land of _Marhasse_ he dwells—two swift
marches from the city of _Tunip_; and I fear his wastings. Let the city of
_Tunip_ be defended: my Lord is a shield to men who serve him; mayst thou
hear what is said and my sons will ... forever.”

39 B., broken at the top. “I have strengthened this ... I have
strengthened this wall in front of the mouth of the great pass,(194) and
my Lord’s fortress. And let my Lord hear as to the servants of his
servant—thy servant _Aziru_: they will keep watch: strife surrounds us: I
trust there will be an expedition; and let us watch the lands of the King
our Lord. Moreover to _Dudu_ my Lord. Hear the message of the King of the
land of _Marhasse_ to me. They said: ‘Your father(195) what gold has this
King of Egypt given him, and what has his Lord promised him out of the
Land of Egypt; and all the lands, and all the soldier slaves they have
fought against?’ (thus) they said ... to _Aziru_ ... out of the Land of
Egypt, and behold the slaves come round from the Land of ... _Ni_(196):
they have rebelled; and I repeat that thirty chiefs push on against me ...
land of Egypt he remains ... my Lord to _Aziru_ ... soldiers ...
_Marhasse_.”

34 B.—“To the King my Lord my God my Sun thus (says) this _Aziru_ thy
servant: seven times and seven times at the feet of my Lord I bow. Now
what you wish is desirable. Sun God my Lord I am thy servant forever; and
my sons serve thee.... Now two men ... I have commanded as envoys ... what
he says ... and let him rule ... in the land of the Amorites.”

34a B.—The salutation of the usual type is here injured. The letter
continues: “My Lord my God my Sun, I am thy servant and my sons and my
brethren, to serve the King my Lord forever. Now all my Lord’s wishes, and
what he causes to be despatched, duly ... the King my Lord having
despatched. Now eight chiefs who are great, and many (decrees?) we ... all
of which ... from ... the King my Lord ... And the Kings of the Land of
_Marhasse_ will follow with ... and are these not promised (or leagued) to
the city _Simyra_ these thirty years? I turn me to the city _Simyra_. My
Lord I am thy servant forever, and a King of men who are friends; will not
my (agents?) ... my Lord (wilt not thou hear?). And the King is my Lord my
God and my Sun: let him send his messenger with my messenger, and let them
go up who serve the King ...”

36 B.—“To the King ... thus _Aziru_: seven times and seven times at ... of
my God and Sun. Behold truly thou hast known this, O King my Lord; behold
I am thy servant forever; from my Lord’s commands I never rebel: my Lord
from of old (it has been) thus. I am kind to the men who are servants of
my King; but the chiefs of the city _Simyra_ have not kept faith
righteously with us; and behold neither one nor all are with us: my Lord
the King did not you cause to be asked? The King my Lord has known that
the chiefs are sinful; and why ask, ‘What does he contend for?’ I say nay
...”

From these letters by Aziru, we must conclude either that he was a great
liar or that he was induced to change sides later. The other
correspondents seem to have believed that he had long deceived the King of
Egypt; but, in the end, his invasion of Phœnicia—perhaps cloaked by
pretences of hostility to the Hittite league—caused him, as we shall see,
to be proclaimed a rebel. The quarrel with Simyra may have been due to his
being pushed south, out of his dominions, but is here said to be due to a
Phœnician league with his foes. It does not appear who Khatib was. Perhaps
the name was Hittite,(197) and he may have been the Prince of Hamath or of
Emesa. The following letter from Aziru’s father, Abdasherah, belongs to a
later period of the war, when Ullaza and all the cities north of Gebal had
been conquered by the Amorites. It is couched in the same insidious
language; and the letters of Ribadda, which follow, show that Amenophis
was not open to conviction for a long time, though warned by his true
friends. The proclamation is still later, after the attack on Sidon, and
may fitly conclude the Amorite correspondence.

97 B.—“To the King my Son my Lord thus _Abdasratu_(198) thy servant, the
dust of thy feet. At the feet of the King my Lord seven times and seven
times I bow. Behold I am the King’s servant, and a dog who is his neighbor
(or his ‘friend’?); and all the land of the Amorites is his. I often said
to _Pakhanati_(199) my _Paka_ (Egyptian resident), ‘Let him gather
soldiers to defend the people of this King.’ Now all (cursed?) as King,
the King of the Phœnician (_Kharri_) soldiers ... _Kharri_: the King shall
ask if I do not guard the city of _Simyra_ (and) the city _Ullaza_. Lo my
_Paka_ is in her: I proclaim the Sun-King; and I have (given orders?) to
obey. The city _Simyra_ is a neighbor,(200) and all the lands are the
King’s—my Sun, my Lord; I watch for him: and I know that the King my Lord
is very glorious; and _Pakhanati_ my _Paka_ is established to judge
therein.”

COPY OF A PROCLAMATION AGAINST AZIRU, SENT TO EGYPT BY KHANNI, WHEN SENT
AGAIN TO SYRIA

92 B.—“To the Chief of the Amorite city by letter thus (says) your Lord. A
chief of the city of _Gebal_ has said thus in his petition: ‘Send him away
from my gate (he says); he is robbing me and disputes with me in my chief
city.’(201) And I have heard this and much beside which they have said to
me as I now speak to say.

“Thou hast sent to the King thy Lord (saying thus), ‘I am thy servant as
all former guardians(202) who have been in this city.’ And you do well to
say thus. (But) I hear so to say a ruler of ours whose petition (is),
‘Send him away from my gate, (he is) out of his city.’ And in the city
_Zituna_ (Sidon) he abides, and has subjected himself among chiefs who are
governors; and, though certainly knowing what is said, thou dost not
confess the persecution of these chiefs. If thou art, as is assured, a
servant of the King, how is his cutting off lawful in the sight of the
King your Lord? Thus this ruler beseeches me, ‘Let a supplicant be
protected, for he is disputing my chief city with me.’ And if you do as is
asserted, and not according to all the messages that I send against these
things, you are hindering the King traitorously. So will be understood all
that has been said.

“And now a certain Chief hears of a gathering with the Chief of the city
of _Ciidsa_ (Kadesh on Orontes, the capital of the southern Hittites);
devising hostilities, ready to fight, you have made alliance. And if so,
why dost thou so? Why should a chief foregather with a chief save that he
is on his side? But if you cause what is assured to be done, and you
respect the orders to yourself and to him, I say nothing more as to the
messages you formerly made (and) as to what was pretended by you in them.
But thou art not on the side of the King thy Lord.

“Lo! this is the message, that their fortress burns in flames through
(your burning?) and thou ragest against everything grievously. But if thou
dost service to the King thy Lord, what is it that I will not do to
interceding with the King? If then thou ragest against everything, I make
God my witness; and if you persist, God is my witness, that messages of
war (will be) in your midst, and by the might of the King thou diest, and
as many as are with thee.

“But do service to the King thy Lord and live. And thou thyself knowest
that the King does not deem needful a subjection of the land of
Canaan.(203) So he is wroth. And as I sent, truly was commanded me of the
King my Lord this year and not ... in another year. My son (this)
contumacy in the sight of the King thy Lord is vain.

“And now the King thy Lord is anxious as to thee this year. If it is
difficult for thee to come, then send thy son. And thou beholdest a King
at whose commands many lands tremble: and dost not thou (fear?): thus
truly is ordered this year concerning us; failing to go to the presence of
the King thy Lord, send thy son to the King thy Lord as a hostage, and let
him not delay at all.

“And now the King thy Lord hears, for I send to the King. Thus truly has
the King commanded me—Khanni—a second time a messenger of the King. Truly
it is to fetch to his hands men who are the foes of his house. Behold now
I have been sent, as they are troublous; and moreover thou shalt bind
them, and shalt not leave one among them. Now I am desired by the King thy
Lord to name the men who are foes of the King in the letter from Khanni
the King’s messenger; and once more I am obeying the King thy Lord; and
thou shalt not leave one among them. A chain of bronze exceeding heavy
shall shackle their feet. Behold the men thou shalt fetch to the King thy
Lord. _Sarru_ with all his sons; _Tuia_; _Lieia_ with all his sons:
_Pisyari_(204) with all his sons: the son-in-law of _Mania_ with all his
sons, with his wives, the women of his household: the chief of
_Pabaha_,(205) whose wickedness is abhorred, who made the trumpet to be
blown: _Dasarti: Paluma: Numahe_—a fugitive in the land of the Amorites.

“And knowest thou not that the glory of the King is as the Sun in heaven;
his soldiers and his chariots are many. From the shore lands to the land
of Gutium,(206) from the rising of the Sun to the going down of the same,
there is much salutation.”

The attack on Sidon was thus apparently the fact which opened the eyes of
Amenophis. It appears to have preceded the final success, when the wealthy
city of Gebal was taken by Aziru.