One of the two letters in the Tel el-Amarna collection which are in
the Arzawan or Hittite language was written by Labbawa, as we have
lately learned from Dr. Knudtzon’s revised copy of it. In this he calls
himself a native of the Hittite district of Uan, near Aleppo, and
refers to “the Hittite king,” though our knowledge of the language is
too imperfect to allow us to understand the meaning of the reference.
The letter is addressed simply “to my lord,” and we do not know,
therefore, whether it was intended for Hittite or Egyptian eyes. After
his settlement in Palestine, however, Labbawa adopted the official
language of the country; his letters to the Pharaoh are in Babylonian,
and his son bore the characteristically Semitic name of Mut-Baal. The
fact is an interesting example of the rapid way in which the Hittite
settlers in Palestine were Semitized. They brought no women with them,
and their wives accordingly were natives of Canaan.
Labbawa left two sons behind him, who, in spite of their Semitic
education, followed in their father’s footsteps and continued to
lead his company of Hittite mercenaries. Mut-Baal, moreover, made
himself useful to the Government by escorting the trading caravans to
Cappadocia, a fact which proves that he still maintained relations
with the country of his origin. The alliance between Ebed-Kheba of
Jerusalem and his father, however, had come to an end; Ebed-Kheba now
had the Hittites of Kas in his pay, and no longer needed the services
of the sons of Labbawa. They therefore transferred themselves to
his rivals, together with the sons of Arzawaya, who, like Labbawa,
was now dead, and Ebed-Kheba soon found himself in difficulties.
The result was letter after letter from him to the Egyptian court,
begging for help against his enemies, and declaring that if no help
came the king’s territory would be lost. These appeals seem to have
met with no response; the Egyptian Government was by no means assured
of Ebed-Kheba’s loyalty, and knew that if the territory of Jerusalem
were to pass into the hands of the Hittite chieftain it would make but
little difference to the imperial power. The tribute would still be
paid, the Egyptian commissioner would still be respected, and the new
rulers of the district would profess themselves the faithful subjects
of the Pharaoh. There would merely be a change of governors, and
nothing more. The Hittite mercenaries were formidable only in the petty
struggles which took place between the rival Canaanitish governors;
when it came to dealing with the regular army of Egypt they were
numerically too few to be of account.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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