title: Amarna letter EA 86
text: # Amarna letter EA 86
  
  Amarna letter EA 86 (see here ), titled: Complaint to an Official, is a somewhat moderate length clay tablet letter from Rib-Hadda of city-state Byblos (named Gubla in the letter) to Amanappa, an official at the court of the Pharaoh.
  
  The letter has a degraded surface of the clay; it also has missing corners and part of a side. The tablet's obverse fails to yield an easy translation for the last lines of the front and bottom, lines 18-22 (ten percent of the 50-line text). And other lacunae are found throughout the translation.
  
  EA 86 is an extremely ovate, pillow-shaped (thick) clay tablet. It is located in the British Museum, no. 29804.
  
  ## EA 86
  
  Moran's non-linear letter English language translation (translated from the French language):
  
  Obverse:
  
      (Lines 1-5)--[Say to] Ama[nappa]: Message of Rib-Had[da]. I fall [at your feet]. May Aman, [the god of the king], your lord, establish yo[ur] honor [in the presence] of the king, your lord-(ŠÀR.RI-EN-ia).
      (5)--Listen to $m[e!^1$
      (5-12)--The war ]is severe, and so come w[ith] archers-(ERIM.MEŠ-pí-ta-ti) that you may take the land of Amurru. Day and ni[ght it has $cri]ed^2$ to you [ and they s]ay (that) what is taken f[rom t]hem to Mittana is very much.
      (13-17)--[S]o now you [ yourself ] must not [ say ], 'Why should ... [...] come $out?'^3$ You have said [ind] eed, 'Yanhamu sent yo[u] $grain.'^4$ Have you not heard? A servant ... [...]
      (18-22)-- $...^5$
  
  Reverse:
  
      (23-30)--[ And be in]form[ed that Um]mah[nu—along with her husband, Milku]ru—the ma[idservant of the Lady] of GUBLA ...] ... [S]o speak to the king [ that ] it may be presented to the $Lady.^6$ Do [n]ot hold an[ything] back.
      (31-40)--Moreover, speak to [ the king ] so that [grain], the product of the land of Ya[ rmuta ], be given t[o his servant], just as it was [formerly] given to Sumur, so we may keep (i.e. stay) alive until the king g[ives thought] to his city. For 3 years I have been constantly pl[undered] of our grain; there is no[thing] to pay for $h[orses].^7$
      (41-50)--Why should the king g[rant] 30 pairs of [horses] and you your[self] take 10 pairs? If you $t[ake],^8$ take al[l of them ], but from the land of Y[arimuta ] let grain be given for [ us ] to eat. [ Or ] sen[d ships so I myself ] can get [ out ].--(obverse, and reverse, with lacunae mostly restored, except lines 18-22)
  
  ## Akkadian text
  
  Text: Akkadian language, sumerograms, Egyptianisms, etc.
  
  Akkadian:
  
  Obverse: Paragraph I
  
      (Line 1)--[ A-na 1.-]- -A-Ma-Na-[-aP-Pa,.. qí-bí-ma!... ]--(--(For/(To) Amanappa,.. ("Say")-"Report"!... )
      (2)--umma 1.-Ri-iB--[-IŠKUR ana GÌR.MEŠ-ka ]--(..Message Rib-Hadda, at FEET(pl)-yours,.. )
      (3)--am-qú-ut!... A-Ma-uN(a)-(God-Amun),.. [ dingir,.. ša $^{Quote}LUGAL—$ ]--(I bow!... (May) God Amun,.. (The)-God which (of) $^{Quote}King—$ )
      $(4)--—EN—ka,..^{Unquote}$ $ti-di-nu!..^{Unquote}$ tėš-ka,.. [ ana pa-ni,.. $]--(..—Lord—yours,..^{Unquote}$ Establish!..(Proclaim!).. Honor-yours,.. "before",.. )
      (5)--LUGAL-ri EN-ka!... Ši-mé ia-[-ši!... Nu-KÚR,.. ] --(King-Lord-"You"!... Listen "to me"! (Hear "me")!... (The) War,.. )
      (6)--kal-ga!... Ù,.. ka-uš-da qa-[-du ]--(..(is) severe!... And "vanquish-ing" "Hands",.. )
      (7)--ERIM.MEŠ-pí-ṭá-ti!.. Ù,.. [ ti-ìl-qé!.. ]--(..(of)_"Archer-Army"(Egyptian pítati)!.. And Take!.. )
      (8)---A-Mu-Ri!..(Amurru)!.. Ur-ra (and) Mu-ša,.. $(..^{Land}Amurru!...$ Day (and) Night,.. )
      (9)--[ ... ]-ši,.. ana $ka-ta_5!..$ [ ù ],..(..(it has)-[Call]ed,.. to You!.. [ And,.. ] )
      (10)--[ ti-]-iq-ta-bu,.. ma-ad, ma-[-gal,..] ( (they)-"say",.. 'much', "great",.. )
      (11)--[ mi-im-]-mu,.. ša yu-ul-qú ìš-tu,..( everything,.. "what" taken from,.. )
      (12)--[ ša-]-šu-nu,.. ana -Mi-Ta-Na!.. [ ù ] (.. "them",.. to $^{Land}-Mitanni!...$ And,.. )
      (1)--(Ana,.. qabû!... )
      (2)--(umma 1. Rib-Hadda,.. ana šēpu.meš-ka,.. )
      (3)--(maqātu!.. -Amun,.. ,.. ša,.. $^{Quote}LUGAL–$ )
      $(4)--(–^{EN}Bēlu–ka,..^{Unquote}$ idû tėš-ka,.. ana pānu,..)
      $(5)--(LUGAL-ri(ŠÀRru)-^{EN}Bēlu-ka!...$ Šemû iāši!.. (The) nukurtu,.. )
      (6)--(kalu!.. Ù,.. kašādu qa-du,.. )
      (7)--(ERIM.MEŠ-pí-ṭá-ti(Archer-Army)!.. Ù leqû,.. )
      $(8)--(..^{KUR}$ Amurru!... Urru (and) Mūšu,.. )
      (9)--( (it has)-"called",.. ana kâti!.. ù,.. )
      (10)--(..qabû,.. mâdu, magal,.. )
      (11)--(mimmu,.. ša leqû ištu,.. )
      (12)--(..šâšu,.. ana $^{KUR}-Mittani!..$ [ ù,.. ] )
      segue:
      (13)--A-nu-ma i-na-na,.. la-a ta-[-aq-bu,..(.. (So) when "now",.. "not" Say,.. )
      (14)--[ ù ],.. a-]-mi-ni tu-]-ṣa-na [ ... ]--(.. [ And ],.. Why should [come out]?.. )
      (15)--[ ki-a-]-ma táq-bi 1.-]-iYa-aN-Ha-[-A-Mi,..--(.."thus" said,.. Yanhamu,.. )
      (16)--uš-ši-ir še-im.HI.A ana $ka-[-ta_5$ ]--(.."issued"(sent),.. GRAIN.(pl),.. to "you",.. )
      segue:
      (13)--(..Anūma(Enūma) inanna(eninna),.. lā qabû,.. )
      (14)--(..ù,.. ammīni(mīnu) tu-ṣa-na [ xx ],.. )
      (15)--(..kíam qâbu,.. 1.-Yanhamu,.. )
      (16)--(..uššuru,.. (ŠE.HI.A)Še'u.HI.A(corn, grain)(pl),.. ana kâti,.. )
  