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tablet
Object Type
tablet
Museum number
E29788
Title
Series:
The Amarna Letters
Description
Clay tablet. Letter from the king of Alashiya to the king of Egypt; 55 lines; text is divided into 13 paragraphs; the actual letter begins at line 10.
Cultures/periods
Middle Babylonian
Production date
1375BC
(circa)
Findspot
Excavated/Findspot:
Amarna, el-
Materials
clay
Dimensions
Length:
5.75 inches
Width:
3.875 inches
$Inscriptions
Curator's comments
References to Alashiya as a supplier of copper in return for finished articles occur in other Near Eastern documents between the 18th and 12th centuries BC. Alashiya is often thought to be Cyprus and the documents therefore evidence of the island's role in the copper trade, however such an identification is not entirely assured. cf. Hellbing, Alasia Problems, 71-72. See Artzy, JNES 35, 171-182 W. Moran, The Amarna letters (Baltimore 1992), pp. 107-109
Bibliographic references
Knudtzon, J A 1915a / Die El-Amarna Tafeln
(35)
Bezold 1892a / The El-Amarna Tablets in the British Museum
(5)
Oppenheim A L 1967a / Letters from Mesopotamia
(no. 66)
Leichty E et al 1988a / Catalogue of the Babylonian Tablets in the British Museum, volume VIII: Tablets from Sippar 3
(p.173)
Sigrist M et al 2006a / Catalogue of the Babylonian Tablets in the British Museum, III
Curtis & Tallis 2012 / The Horse from Arabia to Ascot
(15)
Location
On display
(G72/dc14)
Exhibition history
Exhibited: 2012 24 May - 30 Sep, London, BM, 'The horse: from Arabia to Royal Ascot'
Condition
Good?.
Associated names
Named in inscription:
Nergal
Associated places
Named in inscription:
Alashiya
Named in inscription:
Egypt
Acquisition name
From:
Sir Ernest A T Wallis Budge
Acquisition date
1888
Acquisition notes
Purchased by Budge in Egypt.
Department
Middle East
BM/Big number
E29788
Registration number
1888,1013.37