The Amarna Letters - Conversations between Kings and Canaanites | Supplemental Podcast #2

I thought that this might be a fun topic for those of you who are into examining ancient primary sources. For those of you who may not know, the Amarna Letters are a collection of 14th century BCE correspondence between three pharaohs of Egypt and other great kings or their vassals and mayors in the Levant. They're interesting and actually fun to read for what they reveal about international relations in the Near East during the period.
The program is divided up into the following sections:
0:00 - Introduction to the Amarna Letters
3:55 - Bargaining for royal brides
11:30 - Assyria joins the club of great kings
13:11 - Trouble in Byblos
21:50 - Shechem and Jerusalem
Sources and Suggested Reading ► bit.ly/2zQrq7x
Related Videos:
History of Ancient Canaan - Egyptian Rule and the Late Bronze Age
• History of Ancient Can...
The Kassite Dynasty of Babylon
• The Kassite Dynasty of...
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Music:
Epidemic Sound
#amarnaletters #ancientegypt #ancienthistory

[@ArturdeSousaRocha]

"Send me the gold. Also, send me the gold. Oh, did I mention this? Send me the gold." Kadashman-Enlil sure liked his gold. 😆

[@HistorywithCy]

Gold, women and horses...what kings of the age really wanted! Thanks so much for stopping by, I really appreciate it. Stay safe!

[@goognamgoognw6637]

We'll never know but i bet he received not even an ounce from that letter. Demanding gold can be seen as threatening and maybe that's what he means here.

[@mansashaka]

@@goognamgoognw6637 He would have settled for the Pharaoh's Daughter or just any woman from Egypt.

[@piperar2014]

All the gold In Mesopotamia Is in a vault in the middle of Babylon In some other noble's name

[@5Gazto]

And beautiful women said to be princesses.

[@lezardvaleth2304]

"All is well with me, my wives, my household, my children, my magnate, my lands, it is very well" _Ah, yes, the Bronze Age flex_

[@Rhysman30]

"My horses, my chariots, my soldiers." Today it would be like, "My phone, my jetta, my tiktok channel" lol

[@DannyParmley-mv9cz]

​@@Rhysman30 well anyone in power now would be like ..... My money My money My money

[@kooolainebulger8117]

@@DannyParmley-mv9cz my money, my posse, and my guns

[@killthecensors58]

These letters are great. It goes from polite nothings to blunt demands immediately.

[@HistorywithCy]

Yeah, they're fun to read, though at times a bit repetitive, especially ones from the mayors (lol "Oh Pharaoh, you are my sun... I am your devoted servant. Please help me and deal with the other mayors being mean to me."). Thanks again for stopping by, I'll put out some more letters from the Amarna collection in the near future...take care!

[@killthecensors58]

@@HistorywithCy I envision the Great Pharaohs like Ramesses II rolling his eyes and saying "Yes yes, read me the actual letter" but less great Pharaohs dozing off after the praise and butt kissing.

[@Artur_M.]

The correspondence between Amenhotep and Kadashman-Enli is just pure gold, the good type not the one that looks like silver.

[@HistorywithCy]

Haha yeah it's comical and so petty...but so entertaining. Thanks for stopping by, stay safe!

[@jameswilliams3399]

Agreed, the absolute best. "Come on, just send anyone, who's going to know??"

[@EdrickBluebeard]

Is that you, Nanni?

[@danielpiesto532]

Dobry avatar swoją drogą

[@Artur_M.]

@@danielpiesto532 Dzięki!

[@JenniferinIllinois]

Can you imagine Amanhotep and the Kassite king going at it like this on Twitter? Hehehe...

[@HistorywithCy]

LOL oh man that would be epic! I think they'd have a hard time though limiting their tweet's to 280 characters...just the introduction/pleasantries who max them out. Thanks for stopping by, appreciate it...stay safe!

[@Brother_Nazarite]

Rib-Hadda: *sends 100 messages asking for reinforcements* Amenhotep: *Read at 4:03pm*

[@richardschuerger3214]

I love how the Amara letters occasionally devolve into a passive-aggressive tirade.

[@avruvimtu2204]

And funny rants: "Why are you calling me "your brother"? Is it in the nature of kings of Egypt not being born of the same womb to call each others "their brother" HUH? You haven't even send me my gold yet."

[@MrJonsonville5]

Could you imagine going back in time and giving these kings and mayors telephone technology? They would treat you like a god first of all, but I wonder if instant communication would have helped these problems or exacerbated them. I could picture Akhenaten crinkling some reeds into the phone and saying to Rib-Hadda "what? I can't hear you, I'm going through a tunnel... I think we have a bad conne...."

[@jameswilliams3399]

Haha!

[@flynnlivescmd]

Hahah nice. I dont think it would change much of anything except the time in which the matter was handled or dismissed.

[@avruvimtu2204]

Rib-Hadda: "Don't cut the line, don't cut the line YOU SON OF THE DOG!!"

[@hihi-nm3uy]

i find it hilarious how these letters with bronze age egyptians ended with some form of ‘…can i have that messenger back lol’

[@husambotros3958]

The Amarna letters are like the wiki leaks of the bronze age 😆 .. i guess not much has changed since the bronze age.. its a little glimpse in to the life back then but its quite interesting one nonetheless .. thanks for sharing it with us.

[@HistorywithCy]

Hi Husam! As always, my pleasure. Yeah they're a lot of fun to read, though at times repetitive (Dear Pharaoh... you are so mighty I tremble before you...I'm your devoted servant. Oh, I'm also in a lot of trouble, so please send men to help me and punish the other mayors who are being mean to me...lol). Thanks again for stopping by and talk to you soon...stay safe!

[@rparl]

@@HistorywithCy Clearly they didn't understand proper outline form. I guess MS Word BCE didn't handle cuniform.

[@anacarola]

maybe if the mayor of byblos had a daughter the pharaoh would've helped...

[@HistorywithCy]

Lol who knows... maybe he only wanted the daughters of other kings. Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate it! More to come, stay safe!

[@nazeem8680]

word has it that Rib-Hadda is still sending letters to the pharoah to this day, asking for reinforcements

[@HistorywithCy]

Lol I wouldn't be surprised...and Amenhotep is still asking Kadashman-Enlil for more women! Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate it... more Amarna-related stuff to come soon...stay safe!

[@lwplwp]

And real gold and bit coin..

[@warhero0057]

Pharaoh smart, could easily be a set up.

[@gamingchamp6728]

I wonder who Rib-Hadda would be asking for reinforcements against. ISIL?

[@SAnn-rf3oz]

Yo, give me a princess.... Now!🤣

[@HistorywithCy]

Only for gold...lots of gold!

[@dontbetrippin4575]

Mayor of Byblos: for the 10th time help please! Amenothep: ya'll hear sum?

[@HistorywithCy]

Haha yeah I think Rib-Hadda was mayor for something like nearly three decades. He more or less got the same response every time. Thanks for stopping by the channel... appreciate it and stay safe!

[@dontbetrippin4575]

@@HistorywithCy been looking for a good bronze age channel for some time, stay bless

[@ArtDocHound]

You owe me one daughter.

[@HistorywithCy]

Only if you give me 30 minas of real gold and not some cheap silver!

[@recklessroges]

@@HistorywithCy My great Lord, (to whom I am but dust beneath your golden sandals), if you emissaries would verify with the Liege of Mohenjo-daro that silver has marvellous curative properties. Both Anubis and Thoth may verify that silver can ameliorate this temporary existence, until you take your rightful place amongst the stars many many years from now. Is it a crime for even the most humble of servant to toil endlessly to seek out the greatest wisdom if it may protect one as magnificent such as yourself?

[@lezardvaleth2304]

"I did not hide her! It's bullshit, it's not true, I DEED NAHT! Oh, hi 'Dash."

[@Headwind-1]

one daughter = many sister .. . .

[@segdaassolos]

Thank you Cy, may your horses and chariots and wives and crop ect et al prosper

[@HistorywithCy]

Haha thank you, may it be the same with you as well! Thanks for stopping by, stay safe!

[@Ishkur23]

I wonder if ancient scribes had some concept of a moveable type or stamp or something for their king's many titles, possessions, and voluminous introductory boasts, so that every time a king wanted to send out a letter, his scribes saved a lot of time by just stamping the intro onto every letter head. Like they would do for coins and royal seals.

[@Krypto137]

Hey Cy, just wanna say I came across your channel recently and having binged maybe half of your videos in a day, I gotta say I'm in love with your content. Keep up the good work buddy

[@HistorywithCy]

Hi, welcome and thanks so much for the kind feedback, I really appreciate it! Glad you're finding it useful... more to come for sure and if you have any requests, please don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks again and stay safe!

[@kiril666]

kryptospuridium137 wait a few days you will start re watching them as i am doing right now , they are good full of good information and entertaining , History with Cy thank you very much for your work

[@HistorywithCy]

Thank you for stopping by and glad that you like it. I'll definitely revisit this topic again in the near future... 'til then, stay safe!

[@HVLLOWS1999]

You sound like me 6 months ago. This channel is 🔥

[@chrisdooley6468]

These correspondence are fascinating and give a great insight into the minds of not only the pharaoh but other nearby rulers. I remember reading these in university (I studied ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome there) and was enthralled by how they showed such details. Thnx for sharing them. I definitely want to hear more

[@HistorywithCy]

I agree, you get to see the personalities and vanity of many of the kings as they literally discuss petty things such as being insulted by one's gift (or lack of) or dish out insults at their rivals. The interesting thing is that these letters were mostly read out loud to the pharaoh and often in the front of the entire court...I sometimes wonder what those in attendance must have thought when hearing some of these. Anyway my pleasure, I'll do my best to put out more of these in the near future. Thanks for stopping by and stay safe!

[@ScottStratton]

Chris Dooley I agree with everything you’ and Cy have expressed! Also, worth checking out given your interests are the Mari archives. A major kingdom in the the upper valley of the Fertile Crescent and chock full of similar and super interesting correspondence. From petty back-biting and influence peddling, to serious diplomatic negotiations; and fascinating letters between a king and his daughter/spies (sometimes willingly sometimes not), and so much more!

[@kevinhayes6933]

Chris Dooley there is a series of small books called the amarna letters it goes up to 5 with a 6th one on its way. You go through amazon

[@anthonyshannon6744]

How do these letters line up with the exodus narrative in the bible??

[@anthonyshannon6744]

@Jotaro97 you can't say it's not historical and the say everything you said after that. God sending plagues and all the other mythological things in the bible. You can't have it both ways.

[@Bramble451]

I love the Amarna letters. They're such a great source of real-time history, as opposed to the monumental summaries that we normally have access to. They're very personal. And there are so many of them! They are, I admit, more colorful than the Hittite letters from Masat Huyuk, but those letters themselves are fascinating as illuminating the intriguing period just before the rise of Suppiluliuma, during his father's reign. I have my "trusty old" copy of William L. Moran's "The Amarna Letters" that I've been through many times. I have to say that when I put forth the effort of piecing together the various events reported in chronological order, and then fit them into what we know from other sources, I have concluded that the period of time covered by them - at least as far as they involve Amurru and the Syrian states, the subject that interested me most, is shorter than what I generally read. Poor Rib-Hadda! Poor pharaoh getting a tidal wave of letters from him! It's fascinating to witness in "real time" the rise of Amurru under that old rascal Abdi-Asirta and then Aziru, considering how very important Amurru became within the Hitttite empire. Watching a kingdom rising up from the dust!

[@HistorywithCy]

Agree with you totally. Yeah Moran is the standard, I had read some of his translations long ago. I would have also used his book for this program but I don't have it with me at the moment. Actually the next Amarna Letters episode that I plan to do will be about Amurru, Abdi-Ashirta, Aziru and how they were playing Egypt. I think that that'd be a fun one to do. Anyway, thanks so much for stopping by and I'm thrilled that there are more of you out there that are really interested in this stuff. I'll do my best to provide you with more in the near future. Take care and stay safe!

[@pokefan68]

It's funny hearing Kadashman complain about the Pharaoh not sending a daughter (iirc Egyptians believed you had to be buried in Egypt to move on to the afterlife so they rarely settled outside of Egypt). Seems like a really good case study into the value of cultural awareness when conducting diplomacy

[@justnyout]

Nice one :) so far Egyptians prefer to die in their Egypt btw.

[@avruvimtu2204]

Egyptians had no royal concepts of intermarriage, simply and thought to be high-and-mighty, they were up-nosed with their head way up the ass and such. They thought to be the blessed holy civilization of the world and the light, the centre of the earth and saw everyone else as not as graceful and elegant. This was especially strong with the arrogant Egyptians. This "uncompromising superiority complex" had surrounded their aura all their life. The also believed the afterlife was in the west.

[@gustavderkits8433]

Akhenaten neglected foreign affairs and turned the army into a religious police force. The loss of Gubla was a result of Akhenaten’s religious zeal. This was repeated all over the Levant and caused problems that had to be addressed in the next dynasty.

[@sarahsutube]

Excellent video. Really gives you the dynamics of their relationships. Much appreciated.

[@Golshanim]

There is no substitute for primary sources to truly understand history. Loved our reading of the source documents

[@it5942]

I enjoyed the video. I like how you took the time to go through some of the letters to provide context and insight to how the ancients lived and behaved. I've heard of the amarna letters but have never had someone go through them with me. I have a much better conception of this era now.

[@anitapollard1627]

Re-watching again 🤗 i like how forward these high up people were with each other (in some of their correspondence).

[@madhistories7475]

Very interesting. Great work yet again Cy!

[@HistorywithCy]

Thank you, glad you liked it! More on the Amarna period as well as other stuff on the way... thanks for stopping by and stay safe!

[@julesknight1511]

Great work! Loved it!

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks so much, I really appreciate it! More to come, stay safe!

[@KMac329]

This lecture presents, in a clear and distilled form, many of the historical gems of the Amarna Letters, especially mention of the "Ibrihu"? Fascinating. Thank you for all these lectures where the ancient world comes alive.

[@HistorywithCy]

My pleasure, always appreciate that there those like you out there who really enjoy this material. The Amarna period is one of my favorites and I'll definitely put out more programs on the subject in the near future. Thanks for stopping by and stay safe!

[@docdavidb]

Thanks for the great work. I truly wish we had your kind of resource when I was in seminary back in the 80s

[@HistorywithCy]

My pleasure, I love putting these out and am glad that you find them useful. More to come for sure, stay safe!

[@paradisecityX0]

Ah the 80s and 90s -- back when life made sense

[@vikingdemonpr]

These sound like leader interaction in Civilization games

[@HistorywithCy]

Haha yeah it kind of does. Thanks for stopping by, really appreciate it! Stay safe!

[@niklassaari1686]

I've been fascinated by the Amarna period ever since I read The Egyptian, would love to hear more of these. :)

[@HistorywithCy]

For sure, I'll go over more Amarna letters in future programs. Thanks for stopping by, really appreciate it! More on the way, stay tuned and safe!

[@kevinhayes6933]

There are a whole series of small books about one hundred pages each called the amarna letters. So far 5 have been published,with a 6th on the way you can get them through amazon

[@rhondaclark716]

I love this history channel.

[@leandrobalmaceda5631]

Amazing, as always! I have been watching your videos for some time, as a hobby. But right now I've started to spend more time with history, not only the ancient one, but history in general. I started to write my own files with my own words (obviously based on the research I do) on a certain major historical event. I remember information better when I write it. Moreover, I love writing. And I consider history to be extremely important to be less ignorant of what has happened to us, people. So wordy (if that word even exists, lol), but I just wanted to tell you that you have motivated me so much. I already loved history before finding your channel, yet now I see things differently (in a good sense). Keep up with the amazing work, my friend!

[@HistorywithCy]

Hola mi amigo, great to hear from you and I hope that all is well in Cordoba! Thanks so much for your kind words, I really appreciate them and am so happy that you're getting more into this content. Yeah right I also love all types of history. Right now I am doing more ancient history but eventually I will do more of other periods and places. That is wonderful that you're writing more about it and I honestly think its one of the best ways to learn. If there is anything that I can help you with, please let me know. It's not problem, I'm always happy to help other lovers of history. Thanks again for stopping by and stay safe!

[@leandrobalmaceda5631]

@@HistorywithCy All is well, we are having just a few new cases in my city. Thanks for your help and the main thing you can do to help me and others is that you keep up with this fantastic content. I learn so much from your videos and from your podcasts. I love that sense of watching a video and then having the possibility to increase my knowledge by listening to the related podcast. Stay safe, too! Greetings!

[@HistorywithCy]

No problem, I don't have any plans of stopping! Will continue onward and if you have any requests, please don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks again, stay safe amigo!

[@ScottStratton]

Love this one!

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks, I appreciate you stopping by and glad you liked it...more on the Amarna period coming up... stay safe!

[@5Gazto]

The Amarna Letters: how kings felt really polite and entitled.

[@SecularIranian]

Wonderful and informative video.

[@HistorywithCy]

Thank you, glad you liked it! More on the way, stay tuned!

[@ruthnovena40]

That was interesting esp. the part about the Byblos ruler.

[@HistorywithCy]

Thank you! Yeah, the letters from Rib-Hadda (mayor of Byblos) are the most common of all of the Amarna letters...there are something like 70 letters from just him alone!

[@brettmuir5679]

My God dude, I thought I loved ancient history. You are my new Professor after Tolkien ;)

[@issacrivera9159]

Great video my guy Do you have any recommendations on books that focus on what your videos are typically about, like the ancient near east? Thanks

[@HistorywithCy]

Hi, thanks so much for stopping by, I really appreciate it! Oh, lots of books! If you're interested in the books that I used for a particular video, you can find them by clicking the "Sources and Suggested Reading" link in the video description. Any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks again and stay safe!

[@barnabasady7895]

Bronze age letters are soemthing Im actually extremely interested in but i dont manage to get any good info,especially transriptions of actual letters. Do you happen to have any pointers for me on where to find more online? I hope youll do even more of these podcasts, i think they are great. Thank you for making accessible and interesting content, i wish there would be more channels like yours!

[@SRWhitting]

Search: armarna letter translations. They're not hard to find.

[@HistorywithCy]

Hi, thanks for stopping and for the kind feedback, I really appreciate it! Yeah they are definitely a lot of fun to read... I think the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC) has some translations that they've published online. Wikipedia has a few translations of certain tablets as well. Other than that, I'm not too familiar with what else is online. The ones I used in the program were all from books, mostly "Ancient Near East: Historical Sources in Translation" which has a few other examples. The one for Ashur-uballit is from H.W.F. Saggs' book "The Might that was Assyria." Hope this helps and any other questions, please don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks again and stay safe!

[@barnabasady7895]

@@HistorywithCy Thats a lot of help, and thank you for your detailed answer! Ill look into those right away.

[@HistorywithCy]

No problem, good luck!

[@Blackeath5790]

Great Work❤️, also in one of Abdi Hebas letters Bethlehem (where jesus was born) is mentioned for the first time in history.

[@HistorywithCy]

Yup, I think I've read that letter...will have to check. Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate it! More to come, stay safe!

[@rhondaclark716]

And Jesus is white. Revelations 1:12 to 16.

[@rhondaclark716]

@@HistorywithCy Jesus is white. Brass when refined / when it’s burning is white. Fire when it burns is blue white and gold. His eyes are blue. He wore a long sleeve dress his feet and hands tanned like fine brass. His face and hair white as snow ⛄️ like the whool of a lamb 🐑. He skin is like the sun shining full strength can you do a story about white peoples. And about Jesus because you’re the beast history teacher. We loved every video. We loved Egypt

[@h3egypt]

Okay I did not expect them to be fighting about women in the letters

[@mevenstien]

It's sad how little humanity has progressed over these past thousands of years.

[@RelivingHistory1]

I've watched this 3 times this week, these letters are so funny. I wish you did more of these videos of ancient letters, although I imagine there are not too many as unique as these. Or am I wrong?

[@HistorywithCy]

Oh there are more... I hope to do another series on this sometime in 2024 and with more historical context. Stay tuned and thanks for watching!

[@RelivingHistory1]

@@HistorywithCy that would be fantastic. Thanks as always Cy, and congrats on 200,000 although you deserve another 0 at the end of that number:)

[@bogdantoda6748]

Nice Podcast... I listened to this one more then once... The wives for presents part is most amusing to me... I do behind my amusement realize that the concerned may have found their transfer traumatizing! Lots of drama....

[@HistorywithCy]

Yeah, of all the primary sources from the Bronze Age, the Amarna Letters are probably my favorite because they're not inscriptions of kings boasting to the world about how great they were, but dialogs between real people who are often petty, insecure and downright afraid of enemies attacking their cities, like the ruler of Byblos. I guess what I'm trying to say is that these letters make these rulers more human than most of their inscriptions ever could. Anyway, thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it. I'll perhaps do another continuation of this one, though some of these letters are my favorites. Thanks again, stay safe!

[@vazak11]

Interesting!

[@lwplwp]

She doesn't really have to a princess...you can just say she is. Who's going to know?

[@sliceofheaven3026]

I think the formalities are necessary unless you want to greatly insult the person receiving them. This kind of formal language of greeting is pretty typical to letters send between nobles and kings in the later centuries also. Think after the formalities are done the letters usually get to the real matter at hand but to ignore following them would probably mean that things between those two persons are going sour. At least from the middle ages onwards there were whole manuals dedicated to the art of letter writing depending on the senders and receivers social class and so on. Well basically letters werent just letters as they are today but also a way to manage the kingdom.

[@awesome98rock]

I am actually from Akhetaten, cool cool.

[@HistorywithCy]

Nice, great to meet you here! Thanks for stopping by, really appreciate it. Stay safe!

[@mdug7224]

Good presentation

[@HistorywithCy]

Thank you!

[@magussimon7221]

Very good video, all these other KZbinrs with millions of subscribers talk only about the Roman Empire...Cesar is like a movie star or something!

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks so much for the kind words, I really appreciate them! Yeah I was always more with earlier Bronze Age history, though Roman history is very interesting and important too. I'll probably start doing some of that later on this year as well since I'm moving along the time line in relative chronological order. Thanks again for stopping by, I really appreciate it! Stay safe!

[@Jesus.purple]

Ty so much Cy. Excellent video! King Labayu's letter was over-the-top! Don't know if I spelled his name right! Jesus bless you⚪🌿🕁⚪🌿🕁⚪🌿🕁♞🕇

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks, glad you liked it! I'll do some more on the Amarna period soon, stay tuned and thanks again for stopping by, appreciate it!

[@veronicalogotheti5416]

Thank you

[@HistorywithCy]

You're welcome, thanks for watching!

[@ScottStratton]

So good!!! Thank you. Do you have a patreon?

[@HistorywithCy]

Yeah, I've thought about setting one up but not yet. The greatest reward I get though are from viewers like you to comment and say they're interested in this stuff. That to me means the most. As always, thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it! More to come, Amarna and all, stay safe!

[@ScottStratton]

@@HistorywithCy your work is very good ... and Important ... thank you!

[@legalvampire8136]

I have read Moran's book of translations of the Amarna letters. In most cases we only have the letters from foreign kings to the King of Egypt, not the Egyptian replies. There was no internationally accepted calendar in those days so most letters are undated, so we do not always know how to set them in chronological context to give an overall picture e.g. was Egyptian power rising or declining during the period covered by the Amarna letters. The most interesting letters are the minority that are from other major powers like Babylon, Assyria, Mitanni and the Hittites, who corresponded as equals and hence could speak to each other more frankly. The majority of the Amarna letters, from minor Canaanite and Syrian vassal princes, are more grovelling, repetitive and less interesting. Hence reading the whole collection is not that interesting, although some letters within it certainly are. The other major powers like Babylon and Mitanni were jealous of Egypt's access to gold mines in southern Egypt and Nubia, and were always hoping that the King of Egypt would send them presents of gold. Because Egyptian was not widely known outside Egypt, the correspondence was in other languages. (One distant ruler writes 'The tablets that write to us, write to us in Hittite!') This allowed the King of Egypt to write to other powers in e.g. Akkadian, language of Babylon and Assyria, for purposes of diplomacy as though he respected them as equals, although within Egypt, inscriptions that would be seen by his Egyptian subjects presented the Egyptian king as superior to all others, who were referred to as though they were his vassals.

[@HistorywithCy]

Yes, that's true, the Amarna letters are mostly letters from others, although there are copies of the replies that have been found. Sometimes they have been drafts that ultimately were never sent out, but mostly they're copies for the archives' records...I suppose they didn't have copy machines or scanners back then! Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate it... stay safe!

[@odaenathus7825]

Do the letters mention the word “Cana’anite”?

[@yaruqadishi8326]

Amarna was mainly the Language of The Canaanites my People and Ancestors. The cuneiform that I found also matches that of Canaanite Southern-Northern Levantine.

[@kolawaleojomo6817]

Okay this is pretty funny 😂🤣

[@HistorywithCy]

Yeah, it's a fun (and funny) dialogue / rapport these guys have with each other. Thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it...stay safe!

[@pretty_shashi]

This whole exchange is comedy 😂😂😂😭

[@HistorywithCy]

Haha agreed... was more like a soap opera. Thanks for watching, really appreciate it!

[@aquillafleetwood8180]

This west Texas boy likes your videos...

[@HistorywithCy]

Thank you, I really appreciate it! More to come, stay safe!

[@wfcoaker1398]

They kept copies of the responses as well?

[@HistorywithCy]

In some cases, yes, for storage at various archives. They definitely kept copies of letters they sent out. Thanks for stopping by, appreciate it!

[@ReinholdOtto]

Amurru - anything to do with the Amurrites? But then, the times when the Amurrites invaded Mesopotamia was some centuries earlier...

[@HistorywithCy]

Hi! Yes and no. To my understanding, Amurru as it was used during Sumerian and Old Babylonia times generally meant "west" and so the "Amurru" or Amorites as we call them simply meant something like "westerners." What I remember reading is that later on since that particular geographic area wasn't really an independent political entity or the nucleus of a kingdom (more like a lawless backwater), it was simply referred to as "Amurru" in certain state documents and believed to be the original home of various Amorite tribes. If I find more info on this I'll let you know. Thanks again for stopping by, I really appreciate it...stay safe!

[@Ikit1Claw]

What's this thing with detaining messengers?

[@HistorywithCy]

I think it was just a show of power. The messengers were like the representatives of the their respective kingdoms and by holding them or controlling their movements, it was a sort of like showing that the host was more powerful than the emissary. That's at least what I gather... thanks for stopping by, really appreciate it...stay safe!

[@Vlad-wl3fw]

What soundtracks are you using? :)

[@HistorywithCy]

Hi, thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it. The music are various Middle Eastern themed tracks from a site called "Epicdemic Sound." Thanks and stay safe!

[@Vlad-wl3fw]

@@HistorywithCy Thanks a lot! It's so cool that I've wanted to get some of that to listen to on my phone. Have a good one! Looking forward to more of your vids , brother :)

[@SuperMrMuster]

Labayu is also posited by David Rohl to be the actual king Saul in the Old Testament, the founder of the Kingdom of Israel. Cy, do you think you could make a video about David Rohl and his New Chronology?

[@cybair9341]

Kadashman-Enlil tells Amenhotep that he can send any beatiful women under the false pretense of being his daughter. If I were Amenhotep, this would make me doubt that the Babylonian king sent me a "real" daughter of his.

[@gruboniell4189]

When u say “he says “my lord...” does he say Baal?

[@HistorywithCy]

Hi, thanks for stopping by. Oh, do you mean is he saying the word "baal" meaning lord or invoking the name of the god Baal? In this case he's just calling the pharaoh his lord, like saying "my lord king" out of respect. hope this helps and thanks again for stopping by. Stay safe!

[@dors.sc1]

baal means owner of something, specifically a male who is an owner of something.

[@gruboniell4189]

dor Baal means lord. Lord of....

[@gruboniell4189]

dor baaletal I believe is the feminine (or somthing similar) Lord of somthing is owner of somthing

[@clarenceonyekwere5428]

History with Cy yes, are both words the same? And did he use the word?

[@paradisecityX0]

The book of Joshua seems to be a compression of loosely connected events such as the Habiru ransackings of Canaanite cities and the collapse of the Bronze Age a century and a half later

[@CelticShae]

Holy shit. This whole thing is like "Ancient Mean Girls" but with armies.

[@HistorywithCy]

LOL I never thought of it that way but yeah, totally! Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate it... stay safe!

[@now1technologies716]

My new word for the year is "Ass Herder" at 5:56 😄 I can't wait until somebody piss me off and I can tell that "ass herder" what to do with themselves. OMG im so weak 😂😂

[@HistorywithCy]

Lol glad you liked it... you could say worse things! Thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it! More to come, stay safe!

[@mahmoodashoor6948]

What do you think if there's nothing that could amenhotep. let alone amarnas letters .

[@HVLLOWS1999]

Egypt was boogie af!

[@HistorywithCy]

Haha yeah... hope all's well on your end and thanks for stopping by, more Amarna-related stuff coming soon...stay safe!

[@HVLLOWS1999]

@@HistorywithCy awesome

[@rigulur]

imagine if someone dared to send the first set of letters to a third party like the Assyrians and the king just read the letters out loud to his court. it'd be the first DramaAlert episode in human history >:P

[@HistorywithCy]

hahaha yeah true. The Amarna letters are my favorite pieces of correspondence from the ancient world, mostly because they're more than just giving political info, you get to dive into the personalities of some of the most powerful people of their day. Thanks for stopping by, really appreciate it. More to come, stay safe!

[@jonathanherring2113]

The Habiru Invaders, sounds a bit like the Hebrew invasion. One of the difficulties of history is that different groups each call each other by different names. The Greeks called Rameses, Ozymandias. Even Today English speakers call "the Deutsch", "the Germans". The language of Español we call Spanish. It's hard to know for sure who they were talking about.

[@samisiddiqi5411]

It is regrettable that there isn't a lot of information on the Israelites and their relationship to Canaan and Egypt. All seems to be conflicted and everything confusing. Nevertheless, I enjoy your content!

[@dusteverything.crypto7102]

@Tara Jack Invaders don't have indigenous Names....

[@julias2704]

One theory is that Labayu was the Israelite king Saul and that he was referring to his son Jonathan's friendship with David (Saul's son-in-law that he considered to be a rebel). If that's the case, then the mayor of Jerusalem's fears were well- founded, since David & his nephew Joab took the city soon afterward.

[@samrizzardi2213]

Language aside, what kind of culture shock would a Babylonian princess have had upon taking residence in Egypt?

[@GloBoyLoLo]

I'm really wondering why didn't Akhenaten help Rib-Hadda. He begged for help so many times & he actually just let him get assassinated...I just wonder what was the reasoning.

[@cherylvaughn1847]

Wish we could see the reply but Akhenaten was not a warrior and cared little for conflict. He was an artist. He was called a dreamer king; the heretic king. He was the first king in recorded history to have believed in one god, the A ten. Now, just imagine how that made the priests and generals of Egypt feel. Amarna was intentionally erased from history by his successors.

[@GloBoyLoLo]

@@cherylvaughn1847 oh yes I definitely believe the Egyptians didn't like that 😂😂😂

[@miracleyang3048]

"Assherder from some land" lmao

[@tombkings6279]

Man, a messenger at those times was a dangerous job.

[@HistorywithCy]

Yeah, I sometimes wonder how many of them didn't reach their destination. Thanks for stopping by, appreciate it! More on the way, stay safe!

[@recklessroges]

Thanks History Witchy; your voice acting sounds just like them, (trying to sound serious while conniving and duplicitous.)

[@cartevez2011]

Tsssss Isaac

[@doyouknoworjustbelieve6694]

Imagine those rulers had internet access and video chats 😂😂😂

[@flyingdutchmanindustries5877]

People aren't any different today: "Hey brother, you got a lot of money. Can you wire me some?"

[@bibia666]

Amenhotep3 sounds like donald45 ..., wanting your doughters and his own.

[@yoda105]

Poor rib-hadda. Dude had a tough time lol

[@laurachapple6795]

Real Househusbands of the Bronze Age.

[@sanuku535]

Some lines were left of. But not many, even so there were.

[@HistorywithCy]

Hi, thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it! Yeah, I didn't include all the letters that I wanted in this video, but I thin in future, I'll do another program on this topic. It's a fun one for me. Thanks again for stopping by, really appreciate it. stay safe!

[@toosiyabrandt8676]

HI The sister should have gone home for a visit! Shalom to us only In Christ Yeshua

[@bibia666]

Oh, my brorher my dear brother may all be well with you. May all be well with your wifes. May all be well with your childeren. May all be well with your subjects. May all be well with your lands. May all be well with your crops. May all be well with your horses. May all be well with your cats. May all be well with your sheep. May all be well with your dogs. Oh my brother my dear brother all is well with me. All is well with my wifes (your sisters). All is well with my asses...... etcetera ;) lol Greetings yours truly your devote most kind, most loving in living health etceterahahah;) bibia. PS keep them comming.., i like ancient Ur , Armana letters , Egypt etceteraetcetera......;)

[@jeanpabon2948]

"All is well with my wives, my children, my magnates" - trump

[@HistorywithCy]

LOL that's hilarious... I think though that the pharaoh had more more wives. Thanks for stopping by, really appreciate it... stay safe!

[@jeanpabon2948]

@@HistorywithCy Thanks, I love the content, subscribed :)

[@HistorywithCy]

@@jeanpabon2948 Thanks, appreciate it!

[@frederickmooney2305]

I love this. What would the two most powerful people on earth be writing letters about in 1400 BC? Harems and ass herders, of course. :-D

[@enidsnarb]

Labayu is Saul !

[@ramisamman5674]

when a SMS took two monthes to be read

[@HistorywithCy]

lol... yeah pretty much. Thanks for stopping by, appreciate it!

[@veridicusmaximus6010]

I was waiting for a your mama... joke!

[@hosermandeusl2468]

Q: does cuneiform have ALL CAPS?

[@hans471]

Do the actions of the "Apiru" fit at all to the conquest of the 'holy land' by the "Hebrews"? If the Exodus is historical, the most likely date would be the mid of the 15th century (following the bible chronology and also external evidence) at the time of, say, Amenhotep II. The later date at the time of Ramesses II wouldn't make sense... Then the appearance of 'Marauders' and the destabilization of the Canaan cities would fit well into the time frame to the beginnings of the of the Israelite conquest. However, the cities complaining about the Apiru seem to be coastal cities anyway. So it doesn't seem to fit to the story of the conquest of the land which started from the east and from the mountains...? I know these are far-fetched claims, but still I find them very interesting to follow...

[@HistorywithCy]

Hi, thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate it. Apiru, Hapiru or Habiru all refer to the same type of wandering peoples on the margins of the society in those days. You're right, they were in coastal cities but only in the interior as well. In fact, there were believed to have been many hapiru settlements near the Dead Sea and along parts of the Jordan river. But yes in the letters, the most threatening were the ones who would harass the wealthier coastal cities such as Byblos and Tyre. Thanks again for stopping by, I really appreciate it... stay safe!

[@hans471]

@@HistorywithCy Hi, I really appreciate the answer! I started to watch the videos of yours and it is impressing to get the history presented in such a relatable way! The location of the dead sea and Jordan river would of course fit well to the description in the bible and it seems reasonable that the name might have sticked to the Hebrews... Recently, I watched a lot of videos about the exodus. I tend to believe that there is always a kernel of truth in those mythological stories. Unfortunately, it is very hard to find unbiased evidence about those bible-related stories. Most of the videos are by evangelicals and non-religious archelogians don't seem to be interested at all in the bible as a (partially) viable historical source. I watched some videos of biblearcheology/digging for truth. They have some interesting facts. However, it would be nice to have some more unbiased view as well...

[@bencopeland3560]

It seems obvious to me anyway that the conquest of Canaan is a cultural memory of this period with the Apiru/Habiru. This is made easier if one accepts that it and the exodus narrative is: 1 not a single event, 2 not chronological events and 3 not necessarily the record of the same group of people. Taking the general view that these stories are a syncretism of various Canaanite histories allows one to avoid the traps of minimalism/maximalism.

[@kennyBareega]

@@bencopeland3560 Look up Hyksos Expulsion. Exodus was fabricated using the Hyksos Expulsion. The only period in which Canaanites and Semitics form the Arabian Desert were in Egypt. 1805 BCE - 1535 BCE. The Expulsion and the Story of Habiru and Shashu could very well be the only source for the Bible Narrative. The Bible would simply be a Historical Novel. Example of a Historical Novel would be something like Gone With The Wind [Civil War is the backdrop for story].

[@goognamgoognw6637]

You have the perfect character and intonation to act these archaic letters. To be frank i don't like your voice in your regular history videos but you're perfect impersonating upset or defiant provincial rulers.

[@HistorywithCy]

haha that's funny, I've heard the opposite from others who don't like my impersonations of some of these characters. Thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it! More from the Amarna period to come, stay safe!

[@AsepTravels]

So much passive aggressiveness between the ancient kings😂

[@petergarrone8242]

And my troops are well ...