Ushu
Encyclopedia
Ushu, was an ancient mainland city that supplied Tyre, Lebanon with water, supplies and burial grounds. The name is based upon the mythical figure Usoos or Ousoüs, a descendant of Genos and Genea, whose children allegedly discovered fire as recorded by Sanchuniathon
(Sankunyaton).
1350 BC, Amarna letters
The 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters
correspondence
refers to mainland Usu in three letters of Abi-Milku
of Tyre, Lebanon. The three letters, EA 148, 149, 150-(EA for 'el Amarna
'), are the only references to Usu in the 382–Amarna letters corpus, and are grouped because of the topic, (partially Usu), of the three letters.
Of note, Abi-Milku is nowhere else referenced by name in any other letters of the correspondence, except his own letters, all addressed to the Ancient Egypt
ian pharaoh
. Abi-Milku's ten letters, EA 145-EA 155, mostly have the conflict of Tyre with Zimredda (Sidon mayor)
, the Habiru
, or Aziru
of Amurru
-(especially EA 148, with Usu). Zimredda is the topic of five of the ten letters, as well as in letter EA 149, (with commissioner Haapi), the pharaoh is seeking information about Zimredda.
In the three letters (with Usu), water
, wood
, straw
, clay
, and burial grounds-(the dead
) are referenced. Pottery may be implied with some of the materials, as well as food, (the straw), or wood for fires.
Sanchuniathon
Sanchuniathon is the purported Phoenician author of three lost works originally in the Phoenician language, surviving only in partial paraphrase and summary of a Greek translation by Philo of Byblos, according to the Christian bishop Eusebius of Caesarea...
(Sankunyaton).
1350 BC, 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...
Usu
The 1350-1335 BC Amarna lettersAmarna 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...
refers to mainland Usu in three letters of Abi-Milku
Abi-Milku
Abi-Milku was the only mayor/ruler of Tyre, Lebanon , during the period of the Amarna letters correspondence .He is the author of ten letters , EA 146-155 ....
of Tyre, Lebanon. The three letters, EA 148, 149, 150-(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...
'), are the only references to Usu in the 382–Amarna letters corpus, and are grouped because of the topic, (partially Usu), of the three letters.
Of note, Abi-Milku is nowhere else referenced by name in any other letters of the correspondence, except his own letters, all addressed to the 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...
ian 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...
. Abi-Milku's ten letters, EA 145-EA 155, mostly have the conflict of Tyre with Zimredda (Sidon mayor)
Zimredda (Sidon mayor)
Zimredda , also Zimr-Edda or Zimr-Eddi was the mayor of Siduna, in the mid 14th century BC. His name means, "Protection/Protector" Hadad, " protector Hadad", "The protector is Hadad", "Protector-Hadad", etc. He is mentioned in several of the Amarna letters, in the late Rib-Hadda series, and later...
, the Habiru
Habiru
Habiru 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...
, or 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...
of 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...
-(especially EA 148, with Usu). Zimredda is the topic of five of the ten letters, as well as in letter EA 149, (with commissioner Haapi), the pharaoh is seeking information about Zimredda.
In the three letters (with Usu), water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, straw
Straw
Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalks of cereal plants, after the grain and chaff have been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has many uses, including fuel, livestock bedding and fodder, thatching and...
, clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, and burial grounds-(the dead
Body
With regard to living things, a body is the physical body of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death...
) are referenced. Pottery may be implied with some of the materials, as well as food, (the straw), or wood for fires.
The three letters referring to Usu
-
- EA 148—"The need for mainland Tyre"
- EA 149—"Neither waterWaterWater is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
nor woodWoodWood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
";–See: Egyptian commissioner, 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.... - EA 150—"Needed: just one soldierSoldierA soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
"
External links
- Tyre and Ushu; History(?), biased(?)
- Tyre and Ushu