Tutu (Egyptian official)
Encyclopedia
Tutu, the Egyptian official, was one of pharaoh
's officials during the Amarna letters
period: 1350-1335 BC. He is only found in the body
of letters from Aziru
, and his son, DU-Teššup
. Four letters, EA 158, 164, 167, and 169, (EA for 'el Amarna
') are addressed to the Pharaoh, by way of Tutu. DU-Teššup's single letter is written to pharaoh because his father Aziru is being detained in Egypt, and Aziru is needed to attend to affairs at home.
, and the involvement of all the local regions, and leaders.
Letter EA 164:
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...
's officials during the 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...
period: 1350-1335 BC. He is only found in the body
Text corpus
In linguistics, a corpus or text corpus is a large and structured set of texts...
of letters from 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...
, and his son, DU-Teššup
DU-Teššup
DU–Teššup was the son of Aziru, of the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence, and also the father of Aziru's successor, in Amurru-...
. Four letters, EA 158, 164, 167, and 169, (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 addressed to the Pharaoh, by way of Tutu. DU-Teššup's single letter is written to pharaoh because his father Aziru is being detained in Egypt, and Aziru is needed to attend to affairs at home.
Letter: "Coming--on condition"
The undamaged letter EA 164 by Aziru, to Tutu is a good example of the intrigues of Aziru in north CanaanCanaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
, and the involvement of all the local regions, and leaders.
Letter EA 164:
- "To Tutu, my lord, my father: 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." - Hatip has come and brought the gracious and sweet words of the king, my lord, and I am quite overjoyed. My land (i.e. AmurruAmurru kingdomAmurru was an Amorite kingdom located at the territory of modern Lebanon during the 14th–12th centuries BCThe first documented leader of Amurru was Abdi-Ashirta, under whose leadership Amurru was part of the Egyptian empire...
), and my brothers, the servants of the king, my lord, and the servants of Tutu, my lord, are overjoyed when the breath of the king, my lord, comes. I do not deviate from the orders of my lord, my god, my Sun, and from the orders of Tutu, my lord. - My lord, since Hatip is staying with me, he and I will make the journey. My lord, the king of Hatti has come to 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...
and I cannot g[o]. Just let the king of Hatti depart and straightaway I will make the journey with Hatip. - May the king, my lord, heed my words. My lord, I am afraid of the king, my lord, and of Tutu. Here are my gods and my messenger. Tutu and the magnates of the kingOath of allegianceAn oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to monarch or country. In republics, modern oaths specify allegiance to the country's constitution. For example, officials in the United States, a republic, take an oath of office that...
, my lord, I would put under oath and then I will make the journey. - And thus Tutu, the king, my lord, and the magnates: "(We swear) we will not devise anything regarding Aziru that is not good." Thus are you to be put under oath to my gods and to AmanAmunAmun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a god in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...
. - Tutu, know [t]hat I will come to you." EA 164, lines 1-44 (complete)
List of letter titles
-
- EA 158—title: "Father and son"
- EA 164—title: "Coming—on condition"
- EA 167—title: "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" - EA 169—title: "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...
in EgyptAncient EgyptAncient 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...
-(MizriMizraimMizraim 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....
)"; see DU-TeššupDU-TeššupDU–Teššup was the son of Aziru, of the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence, and also the father of Aziru's successor, in Amurru-...