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The History of Egypt Podcast

124: Akhenaten vs Amurru (Part 2) The Crimes of Aziru

The History of Egypt Podcast

Dominic Perry

History, Society & Culture

4.82.2K Ratings

🗓️ 4 May 2020

⏱️ 67 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Diplomacy, Betrayal, Murder. Around 1350 BCE, the sons of Abdi-Ashirta inherited his power and began to pursue further conquests. Along the way, they committed several heinous crimes... Date c.1355-1350 BCE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com. Music by Derek and Brandon Fiechter https://dbfiechter.bandcamp.com/.  Select Bibliography: Altman, Amnon. ‘Some Controversial Toponyms from the Amurru Region in the Amarna Archive’. Zeitschrift Des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins (1953-) 94, no. 2 (1978): 99–107. Badre, Leila. ‘Tell Kazel-Simyra: A Contribution to a Relative Chronological History in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Late Bronze Age’. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 343 (2006): 65–95. Badre, Leila et al. ‘The Provenance of Aegean- and Syrian-Type Pottery Found at Tell Kazel (Syria)’. Ägypten Und Levante / Egypt and the Levant 15 (2005): 15–47. Bryce, Trevor. The Routledge Handbook of the Peoples and Places of Ancient Western Asia: The Near East from the Early Bronze Age to the Fall of the Persian Empire. London: Taylor & Francis, 2009. Campbell, Edward F. ‘The Amarna Letters and the Amarna Period’. The Biblical Archaeologist 23, no. 1 (1 February 1960): 2–22. Cohen, Raymond. ‘Intelligence in the Amarna Letters’. In Amarna Diplomacy: The Beginnings of International Relations, edited by Raymond Cohen and Raymond Westbrook, 85–98. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000. Goren, Yuval, Israel Finkelstein, and Nadav Naʾaman. ‘The Expansion of the Kingdom of Amurru According to the Petrographic Investigation of the Amarna Tablets’. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 329 (2003): 1–11. Izre’el, Shlomo, and Itamar Singer. Amurru Akkadian: A Linguistic Study. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1991. James, Alan. ‘Egypt and Her Vassals: The Geopolitical Dimension’. In Amarna Diplomacy: The Beginnings of International Relations, edited by Raymond Cohen and Raymond Westbrook, 112–24. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000. Moran, William L. The Amarna Letters. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992. Morris, Ellen Fowles. The Architecture of Imperialism: Military Bases and the Evolution of Foreign Policy in Egypt’s New Kingdom. Leiden: Brill, 2005. Murnane, William J. ‘Imperial Egypt and the Limits of Her Power’. In Amarna Diplomacy: The Beginnings of International Relations, edited by Raymond Cohen and Raymond Westbrook, 101–11. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000. Murnane, William J. Texts From the Amarna Period in Egypt. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1995. Murnane, William J. The Road to Kadesh: A Historical Interpretation of the Battle Reliefs of King Sety I at Karnak. Chicago: Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 1985. Mynářová, Jana. ‘Expressions of Dates and Time in the Amarna Letters’. Ägypten Und Levante / Egypt and the Levant 21 (2011): 123–28. Mynářová, Jana. Language of Amarna – Language of Diplomacy: Perspectives on the Amarna Letters. Prague: Czech Institute of Egyptology, 2007. Naʾaman, Nadav. ‘Four Notes on the Size of Late Bronze Age Canaan’. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 313 (1999): 31–37. Pryke, Louise M. ‘The Many Complaints to Pharaoh of Rib-Addi of Byblos’. Journal of the American Oriental Society 131, no. 3 (2011): 411–22. Singer, Itamar. ‘The “Land of Amurru” and the “Lands of Amurru” in the Šaušgamuwa Treaty’. Iraq 53 (1991): 69–74. Stieglitz, Robert R. ‘The City of Amurru’. Journal of Near Eastern Studies 50, no. 1 (1991): 45–48. Van de Mieroop, Marc. A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000-323 BC. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2016. Waterhouse, Samuel Douglas. ‘Syria in the Amarna Age’. Unpublished PhD. Thesis, University of Michigan, 1965. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hi there. Once again, this episode of the history of Egypt comes with a disclaimer.

0:06.2

Many of the events that I'm about to describe are fragmented in the historical record.

0:11.3

We don't know the specific dates or the order in which many of these

0:14.8

events transpired. So while I've done my best to reconstruct things in a believable manner,

0:20.6

there are definitely gaps that future research will change. Keep that in mind and enjoy

0:25.9

the show. Thanks. Ere Nini and Chen. Greetings to you.

0:41.0

Welcome back to the History of Egypt Podcast, episode 124, Amorites 2, The Crimes of Aziru.

0:49.4

This episode is the second in a two-part series detailing the rise and treachery of the Kingdom of Amaru.

0:56.1

After the calamitous and lengthy affairs of episode 123, the story continues as a new generation takes power in Amaru.

1:05.0

At their head, the new leaders are epitomized in the deeds of Aziru,

1:10.0

who would achieve so much more and commit so many more betrayals than his father ever dreamed.

1:16.3

It is a dark chapter in the history of the Egyptian Empire.

1:20.0

Let's explore.

1:21.2

This episode is brought to you by Sarah, Matt and Coffee saxophone, who became patrons of the podcast in July 2019 and have stuck with me ever since.

1:30.6

Sarah, Matt, Coffee. Thank you kindly. Your support means the world and I'm grateful for your gifts.

1:37.0

As always, to everyone listening, wherever you are, thank you for joining me and I hope you enjoy the story.

1:44.0

The year was 1355 b.C.E. approximately. Egypt was at peace in military terms, but to the north in Lebanon the political situation was chaotic. The kingdom of Amaru was in retreat. Its leader,

2:06.8

Abdi Asjeta, was dead, and the warriors that he commanded were dispersing in the wake of Egyptian attack.

2:14.0

After years of disorder, the Pharaoh had reasserted his authority,

2:18.0

and the kingdom of Amaru was defeated.

2:21.0

Defeated, but not destroyed.

2:25.1

When he died, Abdi Asherta left behind sons,

...

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