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 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 th ...

of Egypt during a 15-20 year(?) time period. ''Addaya'' is only referenced in four EA Amarna letters ( 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 ...

'). He is in letter EA 254, no. 3 of 3 by

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 ...

, the person who was aligned 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 Cr ...

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 ...

, the Habiru being one of the main topics of the entire body of Amarna letters. ''Addaya'' is also in three letters by

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 ...

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

, (called Uru-salim in the Amarna letters – EA 289, URU- Ú- ru- sa-lim, "(City)-Uru-salim"). Because Addaya is only mentioned in the letters of Uru-salim, and Šakmu-(of

, modern

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 c ...

-( Nablus)), it can be assumed that Addaya only did business in southern

, or at least in the area of Jerusalem.

Letters for Commissioner: Addaya

EA 287, title: "A very serious crime"

Letter no. 3 of 6 from

, beginning in the middle of the letter: :".... :"With regard to the

Kassites The Kassites () were people of the ancient Near East, who controlled Babylonia after the fall of the Old Babylonian Empire c. 1531 BC and until c. 1155 BC (short chronology). They gained control of Babylonia after the Hittite sack of Babylo ...

, may the king make inquiry of the commissioners. Though the house is well fortified, they attempted a very serious crime. They ok their tools-(men and materiel), and I had to seek shelter by a support for the roof: ''ga-ag- gi''. A d so i he is going to send roop into Urusalim''">Jerusalem.html" ;"title="/nowiki>''Jerusalem">Urusalim'' let them come with [a garrison for] (regular) service. May the king provide for them; [all] of the land might be in dire straits on their account. May the king inquire about the[m. Let there be] much food, much oil, much clothing until Pawura, Pauru, the commissioner of the king, comes up to ''Urusalim''. Gone is Addaya together with the garrison of soldiers

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mech ...

the king roided. May the king know (that) Addaya ad to me, "Behold, he has dismissed me." Do not abandon it, ndsend this eara garrison, and send right here the commissioner of the king. I sent s gift to the king, my lord, ndash;prisoners, 5000– ... .. nd8–porters for the caravans of the k ng, my lord but they have been taken in the countryside: ''ša-de₄-e'' of '' Ayyaluna''. May the king, my lord, know (that) I am unable to send a caravan to the king, my lord. For your information! As the king has placed his name in ''Urusalim'' forever, he cannot abandon it—the land of ''Urusalim''. :Say to the scribe of the king, my lord: Message of

, your servant. I fall at (your) feet. I am your servant. Present eloquent words to the king, my lord: I am a soldier of the king. (I am) –always yours–."
-EA 287, (complete: only lines 33-78(End))

EA 254, title: "Neither rebel nor delinquent (2)"

Letter no. 3 of 3 from Labayu of

-(Šakmu of the letters). :"To the king-(i.e.

), my lord and my Sun: Thus

Labayu 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 (ab ...

, your servant and the dirt on which you tread. I fall at the feet of the king, my lord and my Sun, 7 times and 7 times. I have obeyed the orders that the king wrote to me. Who am I that the king should lose his land on account of me? The fact is that I am a loyal servant of the king! I am not a rebel and I am not delinquent in duty. I have not held back my payments of

tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conq ...

; I have not held back anything requested by my commissioner. He denounces me unjustly, but the king, my lord, does not examine my (alleged) act of rebellion. Moreover, my act of rebellion is this: when I entered ''

Gazru Gezer, or Tel Gezer ( he, גֶּזֶר), in ar, تل الجزر – Tell Jezar or Tell el-Jezari is an archaeological site in the foothills of the Judaean Mountains at the border of the Shfela region roughly midway between Jerusalem and Tel Avi ...

'', I kept on saying, "Everything of mine the king takes, but where is what belongs to Milkilu-(i.e. king of Magidda)? I know the actions of Milkilu against me! Moreover, the king wrote for my son. I did not know that my son was consorting with the '' Apiru''. I herewith hand him over to Addaya. Moreover, how, if the king wrote to me, "Put a bronze

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...

into your heart and die," how could I not execute the order of the king?" -EA 254, lines 1-36 (complete)

References

Moran, William L. William Lambert Moran (August 11, 1921 – December 19, 2000) was an American Assyriologist. He was born in Chicago, United States. In 1939, Moran joined the Jesuit order. He then attended Loyola University in Chicago, where he received his ...

''The Amarna Letters.'' Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987, 1992. (softcover, ) {{DEFAULTSORT:Addaya Amarna letters officials Canaanite people

Letters for Commissioner: Addaya

EA 287, title: "A very serious crime"

EA 254, title: "Neither rebel nor delinquent (2)"

See also

References