Niya (kingdom)
Encyclopedia
Niya, Niye, and also Niy of Thutmose I
's Ancient Egypt
, also Nii of the Amarna letters
, and Nihe, etc. was a kingdom in Syria
, or northern Syria.
In the Amarna letters correspondence
of 1350-1335 BC, Nii is only referenced in two letters, but each is of some importance. The city of Tunip
in the northern Levant
had been trying to communicate to the Egyptian pharaoh
for two decades, and finally resorted to another letter, EA 59: entitled: "From the citizens of Tunip", (EA for 'el Amarna
'). The city-state
of Arqa
also sent a letter to pharaoh, requesting aid, (EA 100).
The other letter referencing Nii concerns the individual Etakkama
, his collusion with the Hittites
, and the takeover of territory, 'city-states', and peoples in the northern and western Levant.
EA 59, title: "From the citizens of Tunip
EA 53, title: "Of the villain Aitukama
EA 53 is a 70–line letter of area intrigues, -(written by "Prince Akizzi
" of Qatna
). The letter starting at line 35:
The region of Upu
is centered at Damascus, and the Amqu
is the Beqaa Valley
region to the west and northwest. Nii, and Nuhašše
are north and northeast(?).
Thutmose I
Thutmose I was the third Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. He was given the throne after the death of the previous king Amenhotep I. During his reign, he campaigned deep into the Levant and Nubia, pushing the borders of Egypt further than ever before...
's Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
, also Nii of the Amarna letters
Amarna letters
The Amarna letters are an archive of correspondence on clay tablets, mostly diplomatic, between the Egyptian administration and its representatives in Canaan and Amurru during the New Kingdom...
, and Nihe, etc. was a kingdom in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, or northern Syria.
In the Amarna letters correspondence
Text corpus
In linguistics, a corpus or text corpus is a large and structured set of texts...
of 1350-1335 BC, Nii is only referenced in two letters, but each is of some importance. The city of Tunip
Tunip
Tunip was a city/'city-state' in western Syria during the 1350-1335 BC, , Amarna letters correspondence. The name "Syria" did not exist, though Assyria was beginning...
in the northern Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
had been trying to communicate to the Egyptian pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
for two decades, and finally resorted to another letter, EA 59: entitled: "From the citizens of Tunip", (EA for 'el Amarna
Amarna
Amarna is an extensive Egyptian archaeological site that represents the remains of the capital city newly–established and built by the Pharaoh Akhenaten of the late Eighteenth Dynasty , and abandoned shortly afterwards...
'). The city-state
City-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
of Arqa
Arqa
Arqa is a village near Miniara in Akkar District of the North Governorate in Lebanon, 22 km northeast of Tripoli, near the coast...
also sent a letter to pharaoh, requesting aid, (EA 100).
The other letter referencing Nii concerns the individual Etakkama
Etakkama
Etakkama, as a common name, but also, Aitukama, Atakama, Etakama, and Itakama is the name for the 'mayor' of Qidšu, of the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence....
, his collusion with the Hittites
Hittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
, and the takeover of territory, 'city-states', and peoples in the northern and western Levant.
EA 59, title: "From the citizens of TunipTunipTunip was a city/'city-state' in western Syria during the 1350-1335 BC, , Amarna letters correspondence. The name "Syria" did not exist, though Assyria was beginning...
"
- "To the king of Egypt, our lord: Message of "the citizens of Tunip", your servant. For you may all go well. And we fall at the feetProstration formulaIn the 1350 BC correspondence of 382–letters, called the Amarna letters, the Prostration formula is usually the opening subservient remarks to the addressee, the Egyptian pharaoh. The formula is based on Prostration, namely reverence and submissiveness...
of my lord. - My lord, thus says "Tunip", your servant: Tunip—who ruled it in the past? Did not ManakhpiryaThutmose IIIThutmose III was the sixth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. During the first twenty-two years of Thutmose's reign he was co-regent with his stepmother, Hatshepsut, who was named the pharaoh...
-(i.e. "Men-Kheper-RêReRe, bre, moré is an interjection common to Cypriot Greek, the languages of the Balkans, Turkish, and Venetian, with its "locus... more in the Greek world than elsewhere". It is used in colloquial speech to gain someone's attention, add emphasis, insult, or express surprise or astonishment, like...
-iya"): am-ma-ti-wu-uš (your ancestor) rule it? - The gods and the ...: na-ab-ri-il-la-an (=?) of the king of Egypt, our lord, dwell in Tunip, and he should inquire of his ancients: am-ma-ti (ancient) when we did not belong to our lord, the king of Egypt-(named: MizriMizraimMizraim is the Hebrew name for the land of Egypt, with the dual suffix -āyim, perhaps referring to the "two Egypts": Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt....
). - And now, for 20–years, we have gone on writing to the king, our lord, but our messengersCourierA courier is a person or a company who delivers messages, packages, and mail. Couriers are distinguished from ordinary mail services by features such as speed, security, tracking, signature, specialization and individualization of express services, and swift delivery times, which are optional for...
have stayed on with the king, our lord. And now, our lord, we ask for the son of 'Aki- Teššup'TeshubTeshub was the Hurrian god of sky and storm. He was derived from the Hattian Taru. His Hittite and Luwian name was Tarhun , although this name is from the Hittite root *tarh- to defeat, conquer.- Depiction and myths :He is depicted holding a triple...
from the king, our lord. May our lord give him. - My lord, if the king of Egypt has given the son of Aki-Teššup, why does the king, our lord, call him back from the journey?
- And now AziruAziruAziru was the Canaanite ruler of Amurru, modern Lebanon, in the fourteenth century BC. He was the son of Abdi-Ashirta, the previous Egyptian vassal of Amurru and a direct contemporary of Akhenaten.The dealings of Aziru are well-known from the Amarna letters...
is going to hear that in HittiteHittitesThe Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
territory a hostile fate has overtaken your servant, a ruler (and) your gardener. - Should his (the king's) troops and his chariotChariotThe chariot is a type of horse carriage used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Ox carts, proto-chariots, were built by the Proto-Indo-Europeans and also built in Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. The original horse chariot was a fast, light, open, two wheeled...
s be delayed, Aziru will do to us just as he did to Nii. - If we ourselves are negligent and the king of Egypt does nothing about these things that Aziru is doing, then he will surely direct his hand against our lord.
- When Aziru entered SumurZemarZemar was a Phoenician city in what is now Syria. Zemar was a major trade center....
, he did to them as he pleased, in the house of the king, our lord. But our lord did nothing about the(s)e things. - And now Tunip, your city, weeps, and its tears flow, and there is no grasping of our hand.
- We have gone on writing to the king, our lord, the king of Egypt, for 20–years, and not a single word of our lord has reached us." -EA 59, lines 1-46 (complete)
EA 53, title: "Of the villain AitukamaEtakkamaEtakkama, as a common name, but also, Aitukama, Atakama, Etakama, and Itakama is the name for the 'mayor' of Qidšu, of the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence....
"
EA 53 is a 70–line letter of area intrigues, -(written by "Prince AkizziAkizzi
Prince Akizzi was the ruler of Qatna in the fourteenth century BC. Prince Akizzi wrote three of the Amarna letters correspondence.-References:...
" of Qatna
Qatna
Qatna is an archaeological site in the Wadi il-Aswad, a tributary of the Orontes, 18 km northeast of Homs, Syria. It consists in a tell occupying 1 km², which makes it one of the largest Bronze Age towns in western Syria...
). The letter starting at line 35:
- "....
- "My [l]ord, Teu[w]atti of L[apa]na and [A]rsawuyaArsawuyaArsawuya was a 'mayor' of Ruhizzi, located east of Qidšu-, and farther east beyond the Anti-Lebanon mountain range, during the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence...
of RuhizziRuhizziRuhizzi, was a city, or city-state located in northern Canaan or southern Amurru territories, in the foothills of Mount Hermon during the time of the Amarna letters correspondence...
place themselves at the disposition of AitukamaEtakkamaEtakkama, as a common name, but also, Aitukama, Atakama, Etakama, and Itakama is the name for the 'mayor' of Qidšu, of the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence....
, and he sends [U]puUpuUpu, also called Apu , was the region surrounding Damascus of the 1350 BC Amarna letters. Damascus was named Dimašqu/Dimasqu/ etc. Upu, also called Apu (and Ubi or Upi by some authors), was the region surrounding Damascus of the 1350 BC Amarna letters. Damascus was named Dimašqu/Dimasqu/ etc. Upu,...
, the land of my lord, up in flames. - My lord, just as I love the king, m[y] lord, so too the king of NuhaššeNuhaššeNuhašše, also Nuhašša, was a territory in the Syrian region mentioned in various Middle Eastern documents as between Mari on the Euphrates and Hammath. The 1350 BC Amarna letters correspondence refers to Nuhašše in 11 tablet-letters written in Akkadian cuneiform.The region was generally south of...
, the king of Nii, the king of Zinzar-(ShaizarShaizarShaizar, Shayzar or Saijar was a medieval town and fortress in Syria, ruled by the Banu Munqidh dynasty, which played an important part in the Christian and Muslim politics of the crusades.- Early history :...
), and the king of Tunanab; all of these kings are my lord's servants. - As far as the king, my lord, can, he co[mes forth. But] it is being said, "The king, my lord, will not come forth." [And so] may the king, my lord, send archersArchers (Egyptian pítati)The Pítati were a contingent of archers in the Egyptian Empire, often requested and dispatched, to support the Egyptian vassalage in Canaan, or northern Canaan...
[that] they may co[me] to this country. [Si]nce, my lord, these kings are ones who l[ov]e him, let a magnateCommissionerCommissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
of the king, my lord, (come(?), just name their gifts so they can give them, (to them(?)). - My lord, if he makes this land a matter of concern to my lord, then may my lord send archers that they may come here. (Only) messengersCourierA courier is a person or a company who delivers messages, packages, and mail. Couriers are distinguished from ordinary mail services by features such as speed, security, tracking, signature, specialization and individualization of express services, and swift delivery times, which are optional for...
of my lord have arrived here. - My lord, if Arsawuya of Ruhizzi, and Teuwatti of Lapana remain in Upu, and TaššaTassaTassa is a form of kettle drum, presumably of Persian derivation. Tassa drums are widespread all over India. Typically, one or more tassa drums are played together with a heavy bass drum called dhol, perhaps along with brass cymbals or a metal shaker...
-(the city), remains in the Am[qu],AmquThe Amqu is a region , equivalent to the Beqaa Valley region, named in the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters corpus....
my lord should also know about them that Upu wil not belong to my lord. Daily they write to Aitukama and say as follows: "Come, tak[e] Upu in its entirety." - My lord, just DimaškiDamascusDamascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
in Upu: ka4-di-hi (falls) at your feet, so may QatnaQatnaQatna is an archaeological site in the Wadi il-Aswad, a tributary of the Orontes, 18 km northeast of Homs, Syria. It consists in a tell occupying 1 km², which makes it one of the largest Bronze Age towns in western Syria...
: ka4-di-hu-li-eš (fall) at your feet. My lord, one asks for life before my messenger. I do not fear [at al]l in the presence of the archers of my lord, since the archers belong to my lord. If he sends (them) to me, they will en[ter] Qatna." -EA 53 (complete: only lines 35-70 (End)).
The region of Upu
Upu
Upu, also called Apu , was the region surrounding Damascus of the 1350 BC Amarna letters. Damascus was named Dimašqu/Dimasqu/ etc. Upu, also called Apu (and Ubi or Upi by some authors), was the region surrounding Damascus of the 1350 BC Amarna letters. Damascus was named Dimašqu/Dimasqu/ etc. Upu,...
is centered at Damascus, and the Amqu
Amqu
The Amqu is a region , equivalent to the Beqaa Valley region, named in the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters corpus....
is the Beqaa Valley
Beqaa Valley
The Beqaa Valley is a fertile valley in east Lebanon. For the Romans, the Beqaa Valley was a major agricultural source, and today it remains Lebanon’s most important farming region...
region to the west and northwest. Nii, and Nuhašše
Nuhašše
Nuhašše, also Nuhašša, was a territory in the Syrian region mentioned in various Middle Eastern documents as between Mari on the Euphrates and Hammath. The 1350 BC Amarna letters correspondence refers to Nuhašše in 11 tablet-letters written in Akkadian cuneiform.The region was generally south of...
are north and northeast(?).