Tunip
Encyclopedia
Tunip was a city/'city-state
' in western Syria during the 1350-1335 BC, (and prior to that time), Amarna letters
correspondence
. The name "Syria" did not exist, though Assyria
was beginning. The regions were: Amurru
, Nuhašše, the Amqu
(the Beqaa
), Nii
, etc.
The record of the appellation
'Tunip' is mainly from Egyptian
records, (Thutmose III
, and Ramesses II
), and especially the Amarna letters. But see also: Tunip-Tessup-(of 1550 BC).
Tunip is especially mentioned in the Amarna letters of Aziru
, residing in Amurru
and in conflict with the king of Hatti. He is often claiming to reside in Tunip, until it is safe to leave, or to try to defend other cities/city-states of his region. The local region in Syria, Nuhašše
is also in conflict, and is mentioned in 7 of Aziru's 13 EA letters, (EA for 'el Amarna
').
, 3 from Aziru's sub-corpus.
.
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:...
' in western Syria during the 1350-1335 BC, (and prior to that time), 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...
correspondence
Text corpus
In linguistics, a corpus or text corpus is a large and structured set of texts...
. The name "Syria" did not exist, though Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
was beginning. The regions were: Amurru
Amurru
Amurru and Martu are names given in Akkadian and Sumerian texts to the god of the Amorite/Amurru people, often forming part of personal names. He is sometimes called Ilu Amurru . He was the patron god of the Mesopotamian city of Ninab, whose exact location is unknown.-Description:Amurru/Martu was...
, Nuhašše, the Amqu
Amqu
The Amqu is a region , equivalent to the Beqaa Valley region, named in the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters corpus....
(the Beqaa
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...
), Nii
Niya (kingdom)
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....
, etc.
The record of the appellation
Name
A name is a word or term used for identification. Names can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. A personal name identifies a specific unique and identifiable individual person, and may or may not include a middle name...
'Tunip' is mainly from 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...
records, (Thutmose III
Thutmose III
Thutmose 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...
, and Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
), and especially the Amarna letters. But see also: Tunip-Tessup-(of 1550 BC).
Tunip is especially mentioned in the Amarna letters of Aziru
Aziru
Aziru 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...
, residing in Amurru
Amurru
Amurru and Martu are names given in Akkadian and Sumerian texts to the god of the Amorite/Amurru people, often forming part of personal names. He is sometimes called Ilu Amurru . He was the patron god of the Mesopotamian city of Ninab, whose exact location is unknown.-Description:Amurru/Martu was...
and in conflict with the king of Hatti. He is often claiming to reside in Tunip, until it is safe to leave, or to try to defend other cities/city-states of his region. The local region in Syria, 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...
is also in conflict, and is mentioned in 7 of Aziru's 13 EA letters, (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...
').
Amarna letters regarding Tunip
Five letters reference 'Tunip' in the Amarna letters corpusText corpus
In linguistics, a corpus or text corpus is a large and structured set of texts...
, 3 from Aziru's sub-corpus.
-
- EA 57—Title: "Of kings and Tunip"-damaged letter
- EA 59—Title: "From the citizens of Tunip"-
- EA 161—"An absence explained"-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...
letter no. 6 of 13 - EA 165—"Tunip threated"-Aziru letter no. 9 of 13
- EA 167—"The constant 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...
menace"-Aziru letter no. 11 of 13
EA 59, "From the citizens of Tunip"
- "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 "Mizri"-see: MizraimMizraimMizraim 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 NiiNiya (kingdom)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....
. - 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....
-(ZemarZemarZemar 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 161, "An absence explained", Aziru no. 6 of 13
Letter EA 161 shows how Aziru claims he was made a 'mayor' of his region (or city), in AmurruAmurru
Amurru and Martu are names given in Akkadian and Sumerian texts to the god of the Amorite/Amurru people, often forming part of personal names. He is sometimes called Ilu Amurru . He was the patron god of the Mesopotamian city of Ninab, whose exact location is unknown.-Description:Amurru/Martu was...
.
- "To the Great KingGreat KingGreat King and the equivalent in many languages is a semantic title for historical titles of Monarchs, suggesting an elevated status among the host of Kings and Princes...
, my lord, my god, [my Sun]: Message of 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...
, your servant. 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, [m]y god, my Sun, 7 times and 7 times. - My lord, I am your servant, and on my arrival in the presence of the king, my lord, I spoke of all my affairs in the presence of the king, my lord. My lord, do not listen to the treacherous men that denounce me in the presence of the king, my lord. I am your servant forever.
- The king, my lord, has spoken about Han'i. My lord, I was residing in Tunip, and so I did not know that he had arrived. As soon as I heard, I went up after him, but I did not overtake him. May Han'i arrive safe and sound so that the king, my lord, can ask him how I provided for him. My brothers and Bet-ili were at his service; they gave oxen, sheep, and goatGoatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, and birdBirdBirds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, his food and strong drink. - I gave horseHorseThe horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s and assesDonkeyThe donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
, [f]or his journey. May the king, my lord, hear my words. [W]hen I come to the king, my lord, Han'i will go before me; like a mother and like a father he will provide for me. And no(w) my lord says, "You hid yourself from Han'i." –May your gods and the SunReRe, 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...
be witness: (I swear):–"I was residing in Tunip." - The king, my lord, has spoken about the building of 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....
). The kings 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...
have been at war with me and have taken my cities at the instruction of Hatip. So I have not built it. Now, in all haste, I am going to build it. - And may my lord know that Hatip has taken half of the things that the king, my lord, gave (gave me). All the goldGoldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and silverSilverSilver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
that the king, my lord, gave me, Hatip has taken. May my lord know (this). - Moreover, the king, my lord, also said, "Why did you provide for the messengerCourierA 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 the king of Hatti, but did not provide for my messenger?" But this is the land of my lord, and the king, my lord, made me –one of the mayors! - Let my lord's messenger come to me so I can give all that I promised in the presence of the king, my lord. I will give food supplies, shipShipSince the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
s, oilOilAn oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
, logs, of boxwoodBuxusBuxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood ....
, and (other) woods. -EA 161, lines 1-56 (complete)