Zarw
Encyclopedia
Tjaru was an ancient Egypt
ian fortress on the Way of Horus, the major road leading out of Egypt
into Canaan
. It also appeared, though much less commonly, under the names Zaru, Tharu, Djaru and Tjel, and was known to the Greeks as Zele or Sile. It has been suggested that its remains form the Tell el Habua near Kantara.
The Horus of Mesen was worshipped at Tjaru in the form of a lion, and because of its close theological connections to Edfu
, it is sometimes referred to as the Edfu of Lower Egypt.
Tjaru, being a frontier town in an inhospitable desert region, was a place of banishment for criminals. Horemheb
in his Great Edict threatens as punishment for various crimes by officials disfigurement and banishment to Tjaru.
correspondence
of 1350-1335 BC. The letter refers to Turbazu, the presumed 'mayor'/ruler of Silu, who is "..slain in the city gate
of Silu." Two other mayors are also slain at the city gate of Silu. Turbazu's death is also reported in one additional letter of the Amarna letters, EA 335, (EA for 'el Amarna
').
pharaoh
, are of moderate length, and topically discuss the intrigues of the cities, that are adjacent to Jerusalem.
A section of letter 288, title: "Benign neglect", (starting at line 17):
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 fortress on the Way of Horus, the major road leading out of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
into Canaan
Canaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
. It also appeared, though much less commonly, under the names Zaru, Tharu, Djaru and Tjel, and was known to the Greeks as Zele or Sile. It has been suggested that its remains form the Tell el Habua near Kantara.
The Horus of Mesen was worshipped at Tjaru in the form of a lion, and because of its close theological connections to Edfu
Edfu
Edfu is an Egyptian city, located on the west bank of the Nile River between Esna and Aswan, with a population of approximately sixty thousand people. For the ancient history of the city, see below...
, it is sometimes referred to as the Edfu of Lower Egypt.
Tjaru, being a frontier town in an inhospitable desert region, was a place of banishment for criminals. Horemheb
Horemheb
Horemheb was the last Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty from either 1319 BC to late 1292 BC, or 1306 to late 1292 BC although he was not related to the preceding royal family and is believed to have been of common birth.Before he became pharaoh, Horemheb was the commander in chief...
in his Great Edict threatens as punishment for various crimes by officials disfigurement and banishment to Tjaru.
Tjaru: as Amarna letters 'Silu', 1350 BC
Silu is referenced twice in one letter of the 382–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...
of 1350-1335 BC. The letter refers to Turbazu, the presumed 'mayor'/ruler of Silu, who is "..slain in the city gate
City gate
A city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. Other terms include port.-Uses:City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods and animals...
of Silu." Two other mayors are also slain at the city gate of Silu. Turbazu's death is also reported in one additional letter of the Amarna letters, EA 335, (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...
').
Part of EA 288, letter of Abdi-Heba of Jerusalem
Abdi-Heba's letters, to the EgyptianAncient 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...
, are of moderate length, and topically discuss the intrigues of the cities, that are adjacent to Jerusalem.
A section of letter 288, title: "Benign neglect", (starting at line 17):
- "[...]
- ".... I gave over [to his char]ge 10 slaves, ŠutaŠutaŠuta, , was an Egyptian commissioner of the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence. The name Šuta is a hypocoristicon- for the Ancient Egyptian god Seth, .The following letters are referenced to commissioner Šuta, :-EA 288, "Benign...
, the commissionerCommissionerCommissioner 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, ca[me t]o me; I gave over to Šuta's charge 21 girls, [8]0 prisoners, as a giftGreeting-gift (Šulmani)The Greeting-gift were gifts, or presents exchanged between Kings, and rulers of the 1350 BC-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence...
for the king, my lord. May the king give thought to his land; the land of the king is lost. All of it has attacked me. I am at war as far as the land of ŠeruSeruSeru is a town in southeastern Ethiopia. Located in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2302 meters above sea level. It is the administrative center of Seru woreda....
and as far as Ginti-kirmil. All the mayors are at peace, but I am at war. I am treated like an '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 I do not visit the king, my lord, since I am at war. I am situated like a 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,...
in the midst of the sea. The strong hand (arm) of the king took the land of Nahrima-(Mittani), and the land of Kasi, but now the 'Apiru have taken the very cities of the king. Not a single mayor remains to the king, my lord; all are lost. Behold, Turbazu was slain in the city gateCity gateA city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. Other terms include port.-Uses:City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods and animals...
of Silu-(Tjaru). The king did nothing. Behold, servants who were joined to the 'Api[r]u smote Zimredda of LakisuLachishLachish was an ancient Near East town located at the site of modern Tell ed-Duweir in the Shephelah, a region between Mount Hebron and the maritime plain of Philistia . The town was first mentioned in the Amarna letters as Lakisha-Lakiša...
, and Yaptih-Hadda was slain in the city gate of Silu. The king did nothing. [Wh]y has he not called them to account? May the king [pro]vide for [his land] and may he [se]e to it tha[t] 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...
[come ou]t to h[is] land. If there are no archers this year, all the lands of the king, my lord, are lost." - "...." -end of line 53 (lines 54-66(End), omitted)