Amarna letter EA 86

A Cappadocian clay tablet, thick, pillow-shaped, rectangular.
(Note:) Sealed with a cylinder seal, and multiple impressions from a stamp seal.
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Amarna letter EA 86, (see here ), titled: Complaint to an Official,[1] is a somewhat moderate length clay tablet letter from Rib-Hadda of city-state Byblos (named Gubla in the letter) to Amanappa, an official at the court of the Pharaoh.

The letter has a degraded surface of the clay; it also has missing corners and part of a side. The tablet's obverse fails to yield an easy translation for the last lines of the front and bottom, lines 18-22 (ten percent of the 50-line text). And other lacunae are found throughout the translation.

EA 86 is an extremely ovate, pillow-shaped (thick) clay tablet. It is located in the British Museum, no. 29804.

EA 86

Moran's non-linear letter English language translation (translated from the French language):[2]

(Lines 1-5)--[Say to] Ama[nappa]: Message of Rib-Had[da]. I fall [at your feet]. May Aman, [the god of the king], your lord, establish yo[ur] honor [in the presence] of the king, your lord-(ŠÀR.RI-EN-ia). Listen to m[e!1 The war]
(6-12)--is severe, and so come w[ith] archers-(ERIM.MEŠ-pí-ta-ti) that you may take the land of Amurru. Day and ni[ght it has cri]ed2 to you [ and they s]ay (that) what is taken f[rom t]hem to Mittana is very much.
(13-17)--[S]o now you [ yourself ] must not [ say ], 'Why should ... [...] come out?'3 You have said [ind] eed, 'Yanhamu sent yo[u] grain.'4 Have you not heard? A servant ... [...]
(18-22)-- ...5
(23-30)--[ And be in]form[ed that Um]mah[nu—along with her husband, Milku]ru—the ma[idservant of the Lady] of [[Byblos|Gub[la]] ...] ... [S]o speak to the king [ that ] it may be presented to the Lady.6 Do [n]ot hold an[ything] back.
(31-40)--Moreover, speak to [ the king ] so that [grain], the product of the land of Ya[ rmuta ], be given t[o his servant], just as it was [formerly] given to Sumur, so we may keep alive until the king g[ives thought] to his city. For 3 years I have been constantly pl[undered] of our grain; there is no[thing] to pay for h[orses].7
(41-50)--Why should the king g[rant] 30 pairs of [horses] and you your[self] take 10 pairs? If you t[ake],8 take al[l of them ], but from the land of [[Habiru#Egyptian sources|Y[arimuta]] ] let grain be given for [ us ] to eat. [ Or ] sen[d ships so I myself ] can get [ out ].--(obverse, and reverse, with lacunae mostly restored, except lines 18-22)

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ Moran 1987, 1992. The Amarna Letters. EA 86, Complaint to an Official, pp. 158-9.
  2. ↑ Moran 1987, 1992. The Amarna Letters. EA 86, Complaint to an Official, pp. 158-9.