Šuwardata
Encyclopedia
Šuwardata, also Šuardatu, (Shuwardata) was the 'mayor' of Qiltu, (Keilah
?, or Qi'iltu) during the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters
correspondence
. Šuwardata was the author of 8 letters to the Egyptian
pharaoh
.
'), only letter 280 tells of intriques: See Labaya
, or Abdi-Heba
, as EA 280 claims: "Moreover, Lab'ayu
who used to take our town, is dead, but now [an]other Lab'ayu is 'Abdi-Heba
, and he seizes our town."
The other 5 letters do refer to the following: Qeltu-(Qiltu, Keilah
:); silver
(as mercenary
pay); the Sun, (as Rê
); the archer
-forces; and the only reference to Rahmanu, an Egyptian official, (letter EA 284, "The powerful hand of the king").
, (King).
Šuwardata must have been an important regional individual, since he claims 30, ..cities, sub-cities, or city-states have been warring with his city.
and from the later corpus:
, in his book Pharaohs and Kings, suggests the name Suwardata has the same meaning ("Gift of the Sun God") as the Hurrian name Akishimige, of which Achish
may be the abbreviation. In addition, 'Suwardata' is strikingly similar to Suryadata which also means gift of the Sun God in Sanskrit (from 'Surya' - the Sun God and 'datta/data' - meaning 'given' or 'gift'; the entire name translates to (roughly), Gift of the Sun God or Given by the Sun God).
Keilah
Keilah was a city in the lowlands of Judah . In 1 Samuel, David rescued it from the attack of the Philistines but the inhabitants proved unfaithful to him, in that they sought to deliver him up to Saul . He and his men "departed from Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go.” They fled to the...
?, or Qi'iltu) during the 1350-1335 BC 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...
correspondence
Text corpus
In linguistics, a corpus or text corpus is a large and structured set of texts...
. Šuwardata was the author of 8 letters to the Egyptian
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...
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...
.
Sample of Šuwardata's letters
Besides letters EA 283, and EA 366, (EA for 'el AmarnaAmarna
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...
'), only letter 280 tells of intriques: See Labaya
Labaya
Labaya was a Habiru, possibly Canaanite, warlord who lived contemporaneously with Pharaoh Akhenaten . Labaya is mentioned in several of the Amarna Letters , which is practically all scholars know about him...
, or Abdi-Heba
Abdi-Heba
Abdi-Heba was a local chieftain of Jerusalem during the Amarna period . Abdi-Heba's name can be translated as "servant of Hebat", a Hurrian goddess. Some scholars believe the correct reading is Ebed-Nob...
, as EA 280 claims: "Moreover, Lab'ayu
Labaya
Labaya was a Habiru, possibly Canaanite, warlord who lived contemporaneously with Pharaoh Akhenaten . Labaya is mentioned in several of the Amarna Letters , which is practically all scholars know about him...
who used to take our town, is dead, but now [an]other Lab'ayu is 'Abdi-Heba
Abdi-Heba
Abdi-Heba was a local chieftain of Jerusalem during the Amarna period . Abdi-Heba's name can be translated as "servant of Hebat", a Hurrian goddess. Some scholars believe the correct reading is Ebed-Nob...
, and he seizes our town."
The other 5 letters do refer to the following: Qeltu-(Qiltu, Keilah
Keilah
Keilah was a city in the lowlands of Judah . In 1 Samuel, David rescued it from the attack of the Philistines but the inhabitants proved unfaithful to him, in that they sought to deliver him up to Saul . He and his men "departed from Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go.” They fled to the...
:); silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
(as mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
pay); the Sun, (as Rê
Re
Re, bre, moré is an interjection common to Cypriot Greek, the languages of the Balkans, Turkish, and Venetian, with its "locus... more in the Greek world than elsewhere". It is used in colloquial speech to gain someone's attention, add emphasis, insult, or express surprise or astonishment, like...
); the archer
Archers (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...
-forces; and the only reference to Rahmanu, an Egyptian official, (letter EA 284, "The powerful hand of the king").
EA 283: "Oh to see the king"--(no. 6 of 8)
All Šuwardata's letters are addressed to the Ancient Egyptian pharaohPharaoh
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...
, (King).
- "To the king, my lord, my god, my Sun: Message of Šuwardata, your servant. I fall at the feet of the king, my lord. 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 the king, my lord, 7 times and 7 times more (i.e. 'overflowing'-(mīlu)). The king, my lord, has written me, "Enter and pay me homage." Into the presence of the king, my lord! Would that it were possible to enter into the presence of the king, my lord, to receive the ... and the .... of the king, my lord. Since YanhamuYanhamuYanhamu, also Yenhamu, and Enhamu, was an Egyptian commissioner of the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence.Yanhamu is referenced in 16 of the 60–letter "Rib-Hadda of Gubla"- sub-corpus, and also 12 additional letters....
is with you, speak with him. If there are still no 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...
available, then may the king, my lord, take me away. May the king, my lord, be informed that 30–cities have waged war against me. I am alone! The war against me is severe. The king, my lord, has cast me from his hand. May the king, my lord, send archers. May the king, my lord, ta(k)e me away. Since Yanhamu, that is, 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, my lord, is there, may the king, my lord, spea[k] with him, (asking), "Is the war against Šuwardata severe, –or is it not?" " -EA 283, lines 1-33 (complete)
Šuwardata must have been an important regional individual, since he claims 30, ..cities, sub-cities, or city-states have been warring with his city.
EA 366: "A rescue operation"--(no. 8 of 8)
- "Say to the king, my lord, my Sun, my god: Message of Šuwardata, your servant, the servant of the king and the dirt at your feet, the ground you tread on. I prostrateProstration 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...
myself at the feet of the king, my lord, the Sun from the sky (i.e. 'heaven:' ša-me), 7 times and 7 times, both on the stomach and on the back. - May the king, my lord, be informed that the '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...
that rose up: na-aš-ša-a against the lands, the god of the king, my lord, gave to me–and I smote him. And may the king, my lord, be informed that all my brothers have abandoned me. Only Abdi-HebaAbdi-HebaAbdi-Heba was a local chieftain of Jerusalem during the Amarna period . Abdi-Heba's name can be translated as "servant of Hebat", a Hurrian goddess. Some scholars believe the correct reading is Ebed-Nob...
and I have been at war with (that) 'Apiru. Surata, the ruler of AkkaAcre, IsraelAcre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
, and EndarutaEndarutaEndaruta was the ruler of Achshaph-, in the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence. Endaruta was the author of EA 223, , of the letters. He is only referenced in two other letters EA 366 and 367, but EA 367, entitled: "From the Pharaoh to a vassal" is addressed to Endaruta, with instructions...
, the ruler of AkšapaAchshaphAchshaph - "fascination", a royal city of the Canaanites, in the north of Canaan . It was in the eastern boundary of the tribe of Asher, and is identified with the modern ruined village of Kesaf or Yasif, northeast of Acre....
, (these) two also have come to my aid: na-az-a-qú (have been summoned to help) with 50–chariotChariotThe chariot is a type of horse carriage used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Ox carts, proto-chariots, were built by the Proto-Indo-Europeans and also built in Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. The original horse chariot was a fast, light, open, two wheeled...
s, and now they are on my side in the war. So may it seem right in the sight of the king, my lord, and may he send YanhamuYanhamuYanhamu, also Yenhamu, and Enhamu, was an Egyptian commissioner of the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence.Yanhamu is referenced in 16 of the 60–letter "Rib-Hadda of Gubla"- sub-corpus, and also 12 additional letters....
so that we may all wage war and you restore the land of the king, my lord, to its borders: up-sí-hi. ((i.e. up-si-hi='borders' referring to article: UpuUpuUpu, also called Apu , was the region surrounding Damascus of the 1350 BC Amarna letters. Damascus was named Dimašqu/Dimasqu/ etc. Upu, also called Apu (and Ubi or Upi by some authors), was the region surrounding Damascus of the 1350 BC Amarna letters. Damascus was named Dimašqu/Dimasqu/ etc. Upu,...
, also of the "Amarna letters"-?, putting Shuwardata's location on the perimeter?)) -EA 366, lines 1-34 (complete)
List of letters
-
- EA 278—title: "As ordered (4)"
- EA 279—title: "A wasteland"
- EA 280—title: "Lab'ayuLabayaLabaya was a Habiru, possibly Canaanite, warlord who lived contemporaneously with Pharaoh Akhenaten . Labaya is mentioned in several of the Amarna Letters , which is practically all scholars know about him...
redevivus" - EA 281—title: "Rebellion"
- EA 282—title: "Alone"
- EA 283—title: "Oh! to see the king.
- EA 284—title: "The powerful hand of the king"
and from the later corpus:
-
- EA 366—title: "A rescue operation"
Suwardata and Achish
David RohlDavid Rohl
New Chronology is the term used to describe an alternative Chronology of the ancient Near East developed by English Egyptologist David Rohl and other researchers beginning with A Test of Time: The Bible - from Myth to History in 1995...
, in his book Pharaohs and Kings, suggests the name Suwardata has the same meaning ("Gift of the Sun God") as the Hurrian name Akishimige, of which Achish
Achish
Achish is a name used in the Hebrew Bible for two Philistine rulers of Gath. It is perhaps only a general title of royalty, applicable to the Philistine kings. The two kings of Gath, which is identified by most scholars as Tell es-Safi, are:...
may be the abbreviation. In addition, 'Suwardata' is strikingly similar to Suryadata which also means gift of the Sun God in Sanskrit (from 'Surya' - the Sun God and 'datta/data' - meaning 'given' or 'gift'; the entire name translates to (roughly), Gift of the Sun God or Given by the Sun God).
See also
- LabayaLabayaLabaya was a Habiru, possibly Canaanite, warlord who lived contemporaneously with Pharaoh Akhenaten . Labaya is mentioned in several of the Amarna Letters , which is practically all scholars know about him...
- Abdi-HebaAbdi-HebaAbdi-Heba was a local chieftain of Jerusalem during the Amarna period . Abdi-Heba's name can be translated as "servant of Hebat", a Hurrian goddess. Some scholars believe the correct reading is Ebed-Nob...
, mayor of Uru-salim-Jerusalem - UpuUpuUpu, also called Apu , was the region surrounding Damascus of the 1350 BC Amarna letters. Damascus was named Dimašqu/Dimasqu/ etc. Upu, also called Apu (and Ubi or Upi by some authors), was the region surrounding Damascus of the 1350 BC Amarna letters. Damascus was named Dimašqu/Dimasqu/ etc. Upu,...
- (reference from letter EA 366 ?-(borders))
External links
- A minor discussion of "Šamê"-(Sky/Heaven): "dingir A-num AN-e, dingir Anum, Šamê"--(the Cuneiform); See: DingirDingirDingir is a cuneiform sign, most commonly the determinative for "deity" although it has related meanings as well. As a determinative, it is not pronounced, and is conventionally transliterated as a superscript "D" as in e.g. DInanna...