Ayyab

Ayyab's letter to Pharaoh, Amarna letter EA 364, title: Justified War. His name in line 2 is spelled: A-iYa-aB, "message (speaking), Ayyab...".
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Ayyab was a king of Aštartu, named Tell 'Aštara, during the Amarna letters correspondence of 1350-1335 BC, (about a 15-20 year period). His city is located south of Damascus-(called Dimasqu in the letters), and is involved with the takeover of cities by the Habiru of the Amarna letters intrigues. Besides foreign countries to the north, for example Hatti of the Hittites, the internal Habiru were affecting cities/city-states, and their kings.

Biridašwa was another king of Aštartu.

Ayyab's letter EA 364

Ayyab is the author of only one letter to the Egyptian pharaoh, letter EA 364-(EA for 'el Amarna').

Title: Justified war

"To the king, my lord: Message of Ayyab, your servant. I fall at the feet of my lord 7 times and 7 times. I am the servant of the king, my lord, the dirt at his feet. I have heard what the king, my lord, wrote to me through Atahmaya. Truly, I have guarded very carefully, (i.e. Ma-GAL, Ma-GAL), [the citie]s of the king, my lord. Moreover, note that it is the ruler of Hasura who has taken 3 cities form me. From the time I heard and verified this, there has been waging of war against him. Truly, may the king, my lord, take cognizance, and may the king, my lord, give thought to his servant. -EA 364, lines 1-28 (complete)

Ayyab's name is referred to in only one letter of the Amarna letters corpus, one of two letters by Labaya's son: Mutbaal of the city, Pihilu, modern Pella, Jordan. The letter is EA 256, title: "Oaths and denials", (the oaths and denials by Mutbaal). See: "Tenuous identifications with Biblical figures": Labaya-(Mutbaal letter 256).

See also

• Tell-Ashtara
• Shutu
• Aram Damascus
• Upu, regional Damascus
• Biridašwa, mayor of Aštartu/Tell-Ashtara
• Tahmašši, Egyptian official

References

• Moran, William L. The Amarna Letters. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987, 1992. (softcover, ISBN 0-8018-6715-0)