Abdi-Ashirta

Abdi-Ashirta (14th century BC) was the ruler of Amurru who was in conflict with King Rib-Hadda of Byblos.

Amurru was then a new kingdom in southern Syria subject to nominal Egyptian control. Rib-Hadda complained bitterly to Pharaoh Akhenaten in the Amarna letters (EA) of Abdi-Ashirta's attempts to carve out a larger kingdom for himself at the former's expense.[1] Abdi-Ashirta's death is mentioned in EA 101 by Rib-Hadda in a letter to Akhenaten.[2] Unfortunately for Rib-Hadda, Abdi-Ashirta was succeeded by his equally capable son Aziru, who would later capture, exile and likely kill Rib-Hadda. Aziru subsequently defected to the Hittites, which caused Egypt to lose control over her northern border province of Amurru which Aziru controlled.

References

  1. William L. Moran, The Amarna Letters, Johns Hopkins University, 1992. p.xxiii
  2. Moran, p.174