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Records of the Past, 2nd Series, Vol. III

By A. H. Sayce

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Letter of Dusratta to Amenophis III

OBVERSE

1. [To] Nimmuriya the great king, the king of Egypt, [my] brother,
2. my son-in-law, who loves me, and whom I love
3. it is said as follows: Tusratta, the great king, thy father in law

4. who loves thee, the king of Mittanni, thy brother.
5. Unto myself (is) peace; unto thee may there be peace, to thy house,
6. to my sister, 1 and to the rest of thy wives, to thy sons,
7. to thy chariots, to thy horses, to thy noble(s),
8. to thy country and to thy property may there be abundant peace!

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9. Until the time of thy fathers, they with my fathers were in closest
10. alliance; 2 since then thou hast perfected 3 (it), and with my father
11. wert in exceedingly close alliance.
12. Now thou, since (thou) and I love one another,
13. hast established (it) ten times more than in my father's time.
14. May the gods direct them, 4 and this our alliance
15. may Rimmon 5 my lord and Amanum 6 for ever as now
16, confirm (?).

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17. And when my brother sent Manê his ambassador,
18. saying: O my brother, let thy daughter be my wife
19. and mistress of the land of Egypt, I did not vex the heart 7
20. of my brother and spoke publicly according to (his) wish, 8
21. and her whom my brother asked for I showed to Manê,

22. and he saw her. When he had seen her he much approved 1 of her;
23. and in peace in the country of my brother may I know her:
24. may Istar and Amanum according to the heart of my brother advise her!

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25. Giliya my messenger reported unto me the words of my brother.
26. When I heard (them) it was very good, I rejoiced very
27. exceedingly saying: Verily unto me has this favour happened, 2 and
28. whereas in consequence of the alliance that (was) between us we loved (each other),
29. now in consequence of these words we shall love (each other) for ever.

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30. When I had sent to my brother and had said thus: As for me,
31. very exceedingly do we love (each other) and in alliance
32. we have been friendly; then to my brother I said thus: My brother
33. has honoured me ten times above my father!

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34. And I asked much gold of my brother saying: Above my father
35. may my brother set me and may my brother send (it) to me.
36. And to my father didst thou send much gold;
37. an oblation-dish of solid gold and a cup 3 of solid gold didst thou send to him;
38. a brick of gold like molten bronze didst thou send to me.

39. I sent Giliya on an embassy to my brother and [much] gold
40. I asked for saying: As for me may my brother
41. above my father honour me, and much gold
42. which cannot be counted may he send me,

REVERSE

1. may my brother send me more than to my father.
2. And then I said thus to my brother: Thy standard,
3. which my grandfather made saying: As for me, that
4. it may last I have painted the work red (?), I have constructed (it) again for thee;
5. and thereupon I further said: The gold which my brother will send
6. let him send for the dowry.

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7. Again my brother sends gold (and) I say thus:
8. The amount is much, 1 for the supply of the amount is much; and unto the (fitting) quantity
9. it reaches, for thus it reaches exactly unto the (fitting) quantity;
10. and on this account I have rejoiced greatly, and for all
11. that my brother has sent for this I have rejoiced exceedingly.

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12. Now again I send to my brother, and may my brother
13. grant me friendship above what (he granted) to my father. Now
14. have I asked gold of my brother, and the gold which of my brother
15. I have asked, has twice been asked for, 2 once
16. because of thy standard and a second time for the dowry.

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17. And, O my brother, gold in good earnest which cannot be counted

18. may my brother send unto me, and may my brother send more gold than (he sent) my father,
19. since in the midst of the country of my brother gold is as plentiful as dust.
20. May the gods reveal 1 it, and as at present in the country
21. of my brother gold is plentiful, so ten times more than at present
22. may he extract gold; and may the gold, which I have asked for, in the heart of my brother
23. not cause vexation, and O my loved one, my heart let not my brother
24. vex, but let my brother the gold which cannot be counted
25. in good earnest send unto me!
26. And whatsoever my brother desires let him send for to the house where it is, and
27. let (the messenger) go and I will give the present which my brother has asked for.
28. This country (is) my brother's country, and this house (is) my brother's house.

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29. Now I send my ambassador Giliya to my brother, and let my brother
30. not detain him. Let him dismiss him with a costly present, and let him go.
31. May I rejoice very exceedingly when I hear of my brother's present;
32. may I hear for ever of my brother's present.
33. And as for this letter 2 which we have sent may Rimmon 3 my lord
34. and Amanum 4 direct them, 5 and unto their destination
35. may they attain, and as (things are) at present so may they continue with them.

36. As at present we love (one another), so, as at present,
37. for ever may we love (one another)!

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38. Now for a present to my brother, one goblet of gold set with crystals
39. (around) its cup; one heavy necklace of 20 crystal beads, and 19 (beads) of gold,
40. in its centre a crystal (amulet) encased in gold; one heavy necklace of 42 khulalu stones
41. (and) 40 gold beads, the metal of which (is) … of Istar, (in) its centre an (amulet) of khulalu stone cased in gold;
42. 10 pairs of horses; 10 chariots of wood, together with their furniture;
43. and 30 eunuchs I have sent for a present to my brother.

Footnotes
84:1 Budge, Proceedings, pll. i.–iv.

85:1 That is to say, his daughter Tadukhepa, who being the wife of his "brother" had thus become his sister.

85:2 Literally "loved."

85:3 Literally "fulfilled" (it).

85:4 If the copy is correct, Dusratta must have written "them" in mistake for "us."

85:5 Called Tessubbe or Tessupa, in the language of Mitanni, as we learn from a letter of Dusratta which is written in that dialect. The name is written Tessupa in an Assyrian letter of Dusratta (W. 24. 79.)

85:6 The Egyptian Amon.

85:7 So Zimmern.

85:8 Annimâ, "favourably." Dr. Zimmern renders ina panatimma ("publicly") "in joy," considering it to stand for ina banatimma.

86:1 Yuttehizzi, in correct Assyrian yuttehi's'si from nanâdu, "to honour."

86:2 Literally, "been made to enter."

86:3 Sakharratu.

87:1 Mâtus.

87:2 Literally, "goes twice to be asked for."

88:1 Literally, "dismiss."

88:2 Literally, "words."

88:3 Tessubbe in the language of Mitanni.

88:4 Amon.

88:5 The scribe forgets that he has written the feminine amâtum in the preceding line, and uses the masculine sunuti, as if "messengers" had been spoken of.