Pahura
Encyclopedia
Pahura, and also spelled Pihur/Pihuru, Pihura, and Pihuru/Pihure was a commissioner of the 1350 BC Amarna letters
correspondence
. Pahura's name means in Egyptian
, ' the Syria
n ' , and he was commissioner to the Egyptian
pharaoh
.
Pahura is referenced in 9-letters of the Amarna letters corpus
. Two damaged partial letters are only topically identified by Pahura's name, with no other references: letters EA 207 and 208, (EA for 'el Amarna
').
of Gubla-(Byblos
). EA 132, entitled: "The hope for peace" shows some of the intrigues of the 68-letter Rib-Haddi corpus of 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...
correspondence
Text corpus
In linguistics, a corpus or text corpus is a large and structured set of texts...
. Pahura's name means in Egyptian
Egyptian language
Egyptian is the oldest known indigenous language of Egypt and a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. Written records of the Egyptian language have been dated from about 3400 BC, making it one of the oldest recorded languages known. Egyptian was spoken until the late 17th century AD in the...
, ' the 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....
n ' , and he was commissioner to the Egyptian
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...
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...
.
Pahura is referenced in 9-letters of the Amarna letters corpus
Text corpus
In linguistics, a corpus or text corpus is a large and structured set of texts...
. Two damaged partial letters are only topically identified by Pahura's name, with no other references: letters EA 207 and 208, (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...
').
An example letter (with commissioner Pihura)
The largest sub-corpus of Amarna letters is from the Rib-Haddi corpus: namely Rib-HaddaRib-Hadda
Rib-Hadda was king of Byblos during the mid fourteenth century BCE. He is the author of some sixty of the Amarna letters all to Akhenaten...
of Gubla-(Byblos
Byblos
Byblos is the Greek name of the Phoenician city Gebal . It is a Mediterranean city in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of present-day Lebanon under the current Arabic name of Jubayl and was also referred to as Gibelet during the Crusades...
). EA 132, entitled: "The hope for peace" shows some of the intrigues of the 68-letter Rib-Haddi corpus of letters.
EA 132, "The hope for peace"
Letter no. 61 of 68 by Rib-Haddi.- "[S]ay [to] the king, my lord, m[y] Sun: Message of Rib-HaddaRib-HaddaRib-Hadda was king of Byblos during the mid fourteenth century BCE. He is the author of some sixty of the Amarna letters all to Akhenaten...
, your [ser]vant. May the Lady of GublaBa`alat GebalBa‘alat Gebal, 'Lady of Byblos', was the goddess of the city of Byblos, sometimes known to the Greeks as Baaltis.She was generally identified with the pan-Semitic goddess ‘Ashtart and so equated with the Greek goddess Aphrodite...
grant power to the king, my lord. I 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 7 times and 7 times. Moereover, give thought to Gubla, your loyal city. Earlier, 'Abdi-AširtaAbdi-AshirtaAbdi-Ashirta was the ruler of Amurru, a new kingdom in southern Syria subject to nominal Egyptian control, that was in conflict with King Rib-Hadda of Byblos....
attacked me, and I wrote to your father, (i.e. Amenhotep IIIAmenhotep IIIAmenhotep III also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty. According to different authors, he ruled Egypt from June 1386 to 1349 BC or June 1388 BC to December 1351 BC/1350 BC after his father Thutmose IV died...
), "Send the royal 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...
, and the entire land will be taken in a day." Did he not take fo[r himself' 'Abdi-Aširt[a], together with his possessions? 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...
has gathered a[ll] the 'ApiruHabiruHabiru or Apiru or ˁpr.w was the name given by various Sumerian, Egyptian, Akkadian, Hittite, Mitanni, and Ugaritic sources to a group of people living as nomadic invaders in areas of the Fertile Crescent from Northeastern Mesopotamia and Iran to the borders of Egypt in Canaan...
and has said to them, "If Gubla is not ... [...]" [L]ook, YanhamuYanhamuYanhamu, also Yenhamu, and Enhamu, was an Egyptian commissioner of the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence.Yanhamu is referenced in 16 of the 60–letter "Rib-Hadda of Gubla"- sub-corpus, and also 12 additional letters....
being with you, a[sk him] if I did not say to him, "If you make an alliance ... [...] with the sons of 'Abdi-Aširta, they will take you prisoner." He listened t[o me], and he guarded the c[ities] of the king, his lord. I said the same thing to PawuraPawuraPawura, and also: Pauru, Piwure, Puuru/Puwuru was an Egyptian official of the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence. As mentioned in letter no. 171, he was also an Egyptian "archer–commander". In letter no. 289 he is called an "irpi–official"...
so he would not listen to the words of Ha'ipHaapiHaapi, also Haip and Ha'ip was a commissioner of the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence. The name "Hapi" in Egyptian is the name for the Nile god Hapi....
, (named for god: HapyHapyHapi, sometimes transliterated as Hapy, not to be confused with another god of the same name, was a deification of the annual flooding of the Nile River in Ancient Egyptian religion, which deposited rich silt on its banks, allowing the Egyptians to grow crops. His name means Running One, probably...
), whose father turned the citi[es] into enemies. Now Ha'ip has hand[ed over] SumurZemarZemar was a Phoenician city in what is now Syria. Zemar was a major trade center....
-(ZemarZemarZemar was a Phoenician city in what is now Syria. Zemar was a major trade center....
). May the king not neglect this deed, since a commissionerCommissionerCommissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
was killed. If now you are negligent, then Pihura will not stay in KumiduKamed al lawzKamed El-Loz, is located in West Bekaa, Lebanon, and is known as Kumidi in the El Amarna documents.This town was the site of major German archaeological excavations between 1963 and 1981...
, and all your [ma]yors will be killed. I keep (wr)iting like this to the pa[lac]e, [but] no attention is paid [t]o me. Send ships to fetch the Lady's property and me. [Sen]d 50–100 men and 50–100 m[en fro]m MeluhhaMeluhha' or Melukhkha is the Sumerian name of a prominent trading partner of Sumer during the Middle Bronze Age. Its identification remains an open question.-Trade with Sumer:...
, 50 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, [to g]uard [the city] for you. Se[nd] archers and bring peace to the land. -EA 132, lines 1-59 (lacunaLacuna (manuscripts)A lacunaPlural lacunae. From Latin lacūna , diminutive form of lacus . is a gap in a manuscript, inscription, text, painting, or a musical work...
of 3-4 middle sentences)
See also
- Rib-HaddaRib-HaddaRib-Hadda was king of Byblos during the mid fourteenth century BCE. He is the author of some sixty of the Amarna letters all to Akhenaten...
- HaapiHaapiHaapi, also Haip and Ha'ip was a commissioner of the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence. The name "Hapi" in Egyptian is the name for the Nile god Hapi....
, Eyptian commissioner - YanhamuYanhamuYanhamu, also Yenhamu, and Enhamu, was an Egyptian commissioner of the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence.Yanhamu is referenced in 16 of the 60–letter "Rib-Hadda of Gubla"- sub-corpus, and also 12 additional letters....
, Eyptian commissioner - PawuraPawuraPawura, and also: Pauru, Piwure, Puuru/Puwuru was an Egyptian official of the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence. As mentioned in letter no. 171, he was also an Egyptian "archer–commander". In letter no. 289 he is called an "irpi–official"...
, Eyptian official - Amarna lettersAmarna lettersThe 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...
- Text corpusText corpusIn linguistics, a corpus or text corpus is a large and structured set of texts...