Aplahanda
| Aplahanda | |
|---|---|
| King of Carchemish | |
| Reign | c. 1786 – c. 1765 BC |
| Successor | Yatar-Ami |
| Died | c. 1765 BC |
| Issue | |
Aplahanda (died c. 1765 BC) was a king of Carchemish proposed to have reigned between 1786 and 1765 BC,[1] during the early Middle Bronze IIA (c. 1820-1750 BC).
Family
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His daughter called Matrunna is also known; she had a non-Semitic, possibly Hurrian name. His other son was Yahdul-Lim.
Reign
[edit]Aplahanda had a long reign spanning several decades.
Relations with Anatolian city-states
[edit]In Anatolia, Aplahanda conducted trade throught the Assyrian Trade Network with Kanesh (Level Ib). At Acemhöyük (Anatolia), bullae the Sarıkaya Palace yielded 15 impressions of two seals belonging to Aplahanda of Carchemish.[2]
Relations with Shamshi-Adad I
[edit]He was allied with Shamshi-Adad I in a war against Sumu-Epuh of Aleppo (Yamhad) that was unsuccessful.[1] Around 1776 BC (REL 197),[3] the Death of Shamshi-Adad I occurred in Year 18 of Hammurabi of Babylon. This significantly changed the power dynamics in the region.
Relations with Yasmah-Adad of Mari
[edit]The Fall of Mari saw Shamshi-Adad I install his son Yasmah-Adad on the throne of Mari. Aplahanda corresponded with Yasmah-Adad.
Mari Archive (ARM V (Archives Royales de Mari, Volume 5):[4][5]
- ARM V, 1: A report from Apla-handa informing Yasmah-Adad about the movements of Sumu-Epuh (the King of Yamhad). This letter highlights the tension between the Assyrian-Carchemish alliance and the hostile Aleppo dynasty.
- ARM V, 17: Concerns the movement of messengers. Apla-handa warns Yasmah-Adad that messengers from a foreign power (likely from the west or Anatolia) are heading toward Mari and should be monitored.
- ARM V, 20: Apla-handa discusses a dispute over territory or borders and suggests a diplomatic way to resolve it without escalating to a full-blown conflict that would require Shamshi-Adad’s intervention.
- ARM V, 5: Apla-handa confirms the dispatch of wine and honey. This letter is famous for its polite but firm tone regarding the quality of the jars used for transport.
- ARM V, 6: Apla-handa mentions sending garments and specifically "mountain goods" (likely items from the Taurus or Amanus mountains) to Yasmah-Adad as tokens of their "brotherhood."
- ARM V, 7: Apla-handa writes to Yasmah-Adad regarding a physician (asū). He mentions that he is sending a specialist to Mari and requests that Yasmah-Adad treat him well and eventually send him back.
- ARM V, 11: Concerns a leatherworker. Apla-handa asks for a specific craftsman to be sent to Carchemish to assist with the production of military or luxury equipment.
Relations with Zimri-Lim of Mari
[edit]Around 1775 BC, following the death of Shamshi-Adad I, Aplahanda established close relations with Zimri-Lim of Mari, addressing each other's as "brothers" (ahu; equal status, peers). This enabled trade to flourish from Carchemish downstream the Euphrates to Mari.
Death
[edit]He is known to have died based on a letter of Ishtaran-Nasir a high official from Tell Leilan.[6][1][7] Aplahanda was succeeded by his son, Yatar-Ami, who ruled for only two years.
Dendrochronology indicate that Aplahanda died around REL 208 (c. 1765 BC).[3]
Reconstruction
[edit]| Year | REL[2] | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 178x | REL XXX | Alliance with Shamshi-Adad I against Sumu-Epuh of Yamhad |
| 17xx | REL XXX | |
| c. 1784 BC | REL 188 | |
| c. 1783 BC | REL 189 | |
| c. 1782 BC | REL 190 | |
| c. 1781 BC | REL 191 | |
| c. 1780 BC | REL 192 | Yarim-Lim of Yamhad succeeds Sumu-Epuh around this time |
| c. 1779 BC | REL 193 | |
| c. 1778 BC | REL 194 | |
| c. 1777 BC | REL 195 | |
| c. 1776 BC | REL 196 | Shamshi-Adad I dies; Year 18 of Hammurabi of Babylon (synchronization) |
| c. 1775 BC | REL 197 | Zimri-Lim begins to rule Mari |
| c. 1774 BC | REL 198 | |
| c. 1773 BC | REL 199 | |
| c. 1772 BC | REL 200 | |
| c. 1771 BC | REL 201 | |
| c. 1770 BC | REL 202 | |
| c. 1769 BC | REL 203 | |
| c. 1768 BC | REL 204 | |
| c. 1767 BC | REL 205 | |
| c. 1766 BC | REL 206 | |
| c. 1765 BC | REL 207 | Aplahanda dies around this time, Yatar-Ami succeeds Aplahanda |
| c. 1764 BC | REL 208 | |
| c. 1763 BC | REL 209 | |
| c. 1762 BC | REL 210 |
Attestations
[edit]He was first known from a cylinder seal translated by Rene Dussaud in 1929. The seal was found at the base of the mound of Ugarit before excavations began.[8][6]
At least 6 seals naming Aplahanda have been published. They are skilfully produced, and show mostly Babylonian influence, although some Syrian and Egyptian motifs are also present.[6]
He is also found mentioned in the Mari tablets, reigning at the same time as Yasmah-Adad and Zimri-Lim, by whom he is addressed as a brother. His name was suggested to be Amorite by I. J. Gelb and the hypothesis of a Semitic origin was supported by Wilfred Lambert.[9][6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Hamblin, W.J. (2006). Warfare in Ancient Near East. Taylor & Francis. pp. 267–. ISBN 978-0-415-25588-2.
- ^ a b Manning SW, Griggs CB, Lorentzen B, Barjamovic G, Ramsey CB, Kromer B, Wild EM (2016). "Integrated Tree-Ring-Radiocarbon High-Resolution Timeframe to Resolve Earlier Second Millennium BCE Mesopotamian Chronology". PLOS ONE. 11 (7) e0157144. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1157144M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0157144. PMC 4943651. PMID 27409585.
- ^ a b Manning et al. (2016) Integrated Tree-Ring-Radiocarbon High-Resolution Timeframe to Resolve Earlier Second Millennium BCE Mesopotamian Chronology [1]
- ^ Dossin, G. (1952). Archives Royales de Mari V: Correspondance de Iasmah-Addu. (This is the primary French translation and transcription of these tablets)
- ^ Heimpel, W. (2003). Letters to the King of Mari.
- ^ a b c d Collon, D. (1999). "Seals naming Aplahanda of Carchemish". In Van Lerberghe, Karel; Voet, Gabriela (eds.). Languages and Cultures in Contact: At the Crossroads of Civilizations in the Syro-Mesopotamian Realm; Proceedings of the 42th RAI (Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 96. Peeters. pp. 49–59. ISBN 978-90-429-0719-5.
- ^ Klengel, Horst (1992). Syria, 3000 to 300 B.C.: a handbook of political history. Akademie Verlag. ISBN 978-3-05-001820-1.
- ^ Virolleaud, Charles (1929). "Les Inscriptions Cunéiformes de Ras Shamra". Syria. 10 (4): 304–310. doi:10.3406/syria.1929.3411. JSTOR 4236960.
Schaeffer, Claude F.A. (1939). The Cuneiform Texts of Ras Shamra-Ugarit. The Schweich Lectures of the British Academy. Oxford University Press. OCLC 1484767216. - ^ Gelb, I.J. (1980). Computer-aided Analysis of Amorite. Assyriological studies. Vol. 21. The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. ISBN 0-918986-21-4. OCLC 6683407.