city of Ugariti;[1] and the destruction of this the city Sigata,[2] and of the city Ambi.[3] Behold . . . the slave has (broken?) the ships . . . in the city Ambi and in the city Sigata, and in all which dispute for the lands with the city of Simyra: and shall we not arise to enter the city Simyra,[4] or what shall we ourselves do? But send this news to your great city (or palace).[5] It is regretted that the . . . is unfortunate.”
44 B. M.—This letter seems to be an appeal by the cities of Phœnicia on behalf of Ribadda, the brave King of Gebal, during the time of his resistance to Aziru, which failed because no help was given to him from Egypt, where Aziru was still thought faithful. The spokesman Khaia is perhaps the same Egyptian mentioned in Aziru’s letters.
“Thus (saith) our confederacy to the King and the men of Sidon and the men of Beruta (Beirût). Whose are these cities—are not they the King’s? Place a chief one chief in the midst of the city, and shall not he judge the ships of the land of the Amorites? and to slay Abdasherah the King shall set him up against them. Does not the King mourn for three cities and the ships of the men of Misi?[6] and you march not to the land of the Amorites, and Abdasherah has gone forth to war; and judge for thine own self, and hear the message of thy faithful servant. Moreover, who has fought as a son for the King—is it not Khaia? Will you gather us ships of men of Misi for the land of the Amorites and to slay Abdasherah? Lo! there is no message as to them and no memorial: they have shut the road—they have closed the way. In order to give passage to the land of Mitana[7] he has left the fleet which he has built. Was not this a plot against me of the men of Arāda?[8] But if be-
- ↑ Ugariti is mentioned in a letter from Tyre (B. M. 30) in a connection which shows that it was the present Akrith, between Tyre and Accho.
- ↑ “Sigata” appears to be Shakkah, north of the great pass of Shakkah (Theouprosopon), where the King of Gebal was defeated by Aziru.
- ↑ “Ambi” is now ’Aba, immediately east of Shakkah.
- ↑ Simyra was on the low hills above the sea-plains, by the river Eleutherus.
- ↑ The last words explain how the letter got to Egypt.
- ↑ These ships of the men of Misi are mentioned by Ribadda as failing in an attempt to assist him. We may, perhaps, understand Egyptian ships, and compare the Egyptian name “Mesti” applied to part of the Delta.
- ↑ From Dusratta’s great Hittite letter (27 B.) it appears that the King of the Minyans, whose country was called Mitani, west of Lake Van, in Armenia, claimed to be King of all the Hittites; and this is what appears to be here intended. In other letters he is mentioned among the invaders.
- ↑ Arada, a city mentioned again as assisting Aziru with ships, appears to be Aradus, the Arvad of the Bible, now Er Ruad, the island town north of Simyra.
