Zamazalová - 2010 - Before The Assyrian Conquest in 671 BCE PDF

Before the Assyrian Conquest in 671 B.C.E.
:
Relations between Egypt, Kush and Assyria*
Silvie Zamazalová
INTRODUCTION
In 701 B.C.E., the Neo-Assyrian king Sennacherib (r. 704–681 B.C.E.) fought
a battle against an anti-Assyrian coalition of Philistine city-states1 and their allies
at Eltekeh, probably located north of the city of Ashdod (Kitchen 19862: 385 n.
815). The coalition was supported by Egyptian and Kushite forces, dispatched by
the Kushite ruler Shebitku as a response to Philistia’s plea for help. An inscription
of Sennacherib describes the encounter as follows:
“They (i.e. Ekron and its allies) got help from the kings of Egypt, troops,
archers, chariots and cavalry of the king of Nubia, a force without number... In
the vicinity of Eltekeh, battle lines were drawn in front of me... With the help of
Aššur, my lord, I fought with them and brought about their defeat. The charioteers
and princes of Egypt, together with the charioteers of the king of Nubia, my hands
took alive in the midst of battle...” (Melville 2006: 346)
While the exact nature of the battle’s outcome is a matter of debate,2 it marked
an important watershed in the relations between Assyria and Egypt/Kush. Egypt-
ian involvement in Philistine affairs was not without precedent, but Shebitku’s
open and unambiguous opposition to Assyria was new, as was as his ability to
subjugate the Delta chieftains (the “kings of Egypt” referred to by Sennacherib)
and thus create a relatively united political front (Redford 2004: 91). The confronta-
tion at Eltekeh signalled openly hostile relations (Kitchen 19862: 155, §126) which
would eventually culminate in Egypt’s conquest, and temporary integration into
Assyria’s impressive empire, by Sennacherib’s successor Esarhaddon (r. 680–669
B.C.E.) in 671 B.C.E. This paper aims to examine the developments which pre-
ceded the battle of Eltekeh, particularly the interaction between Assyria, Egypt
and Kush which was played out in the buffer zone of the southern Levant, away
* This paper is the result of a master’s dissertation written under the supervision of Dr. Karen
Radner at the Department of History, University College London in 2009. I am indebted to Dr.
Radner for her observations and suggestions; any remaining errors are my own.
1
The territory of Philistia comprised the coastal region of modern Israel, and included the cities of
Ashkelon, Jaffa, Ekron, Gath, Ashdod and Gaza (Tadmor 1966: 87). See also the map at Figure 2.
2
It is generally agreed that the battle did not result in the overwhelming Assyrian victory
claimed by Sennacherib (see e.g. Tadmor 1966: 97).
297
Relations between Egypt, Kush and Assyria
from their respective power centres. Although there existed a long history of con-
tact between the peoples of the Nile Valley and the Mesopotamian plain, I propose
to concentrate on the late 8th century B.C.E. as a period which saw a growing
awareness of the two regions in the political – as opposed to cultural or economic
– arena. This is manifested in the increasing prominence accorded to Assyro-
Egyptian and Kushite interaction in historical sources, which will provide the
focal point of this study. The topic has not received the in-depth treatment which
it deserves, partly as a result of the tendency of scholars to follow either an
Egypto- or Assyrocentric approach, rather than placing the struggle in a wider
Near Eastern context (although there are notable exceptions, e.g. Morkot 2000).
Historical background
To avoid any confusion arising from the fact that the political identity of what
we might refer to as “Egypt” and “Kush” was constantly shifting during the late
8th century B.C.E., references to the two states will generally be used in the tradi-
tional geographical sense as opposed to reflecting political homogeneity. Thus
“Egypt” covers the territory from the Nile Delta to the 1st cataract at Aswan in the
south, while “Kush” comprises the territory stretching southward from the 1st Nile
cataract, whose heartland probably lay between the 3rd and 6th cataracts and centred
on Napata (Morkot 2000: 2–5 and Kuhrt 1995: 632). This is, naturally, a somewhat
artificial division but the historical context should minimise any ambiguity. Simi-
larly, while the boundaries of the Neo-Assyrian empire (934–610 B.C.E.) shifted
significantly in the course of the 8th century B.C.E., “Assyria” is used here to refer
to the core of the Neo-Assyrian empire, i.e. the area covering modern-day Iraq.
At the time of the conquest by Kushite kings (the 25th Dynasty in Egyptian
chronology), starting with Piye (r. 747–716 B.C.E.) perhaps around 728 B.C.E., po-
litical power in Egypt was fragmented among a number of Delta dynasts, includ-
ing a number of Libyan tribal chiefs. Parts of Lower Egypt had been absorbed into
territory controlled from the Delta, while the area south of Hermopolis was under
the control of Thebes, itself subject to Kushite rulers as a result of their initial ex-
pansion around 750 B.C.E. (Kuhrt 1995: 629). Piye extended Kushite control into
Lower Egypt, but had been content to leave the local rulers in place, and it was
left to his successor Shabako to consolidate Kushite control throughout Egypt, in-
cluding the Delta (Kuhrt 1995: 631). At the same time, Assyria expanded its bor-
ders under the able leadership of Tiglath-Pileser III (r. 744–727 B.C.E.), putting the
two powers within each other’s sphere of influence and dramatically increasing
the likelihood of direct conflict.
The sources
The Egyptian and Kushite evidence presents a particular difficulty when at-
tempting to reconstruct the events of the late 8th century B.C.E. The corpus of sur-
298
viving contemporary sources relating to Kushite political history comprises royal

monuments from both Kush (e.g. Gebel Barkal, el-Kurru and Napata) and Egypt
(e.g. Karnak and Memphis) (Török 1997: 132–139); in addition, funerary and other
texts from Egypt (notably Thebes) help illuminate the Kushite rulers’ strategies
for political control and administration (Kuhrt 1995: 625). The sparse nature of the
corpus, which at times makes Egyptian and Kushite chronology highly uncertain,
is probably the result of the random survival of evidence. Perishable materials
such as papyrus, used for correspondence and administration, generally survive
only in the dry conditions of the desert, with the result that texts on durable ma-
terials dominate the record.
In addition, the sources’ tendency to focus almost exclusively on internal
Egyptian and Kushite matters (such as enthronements, coronation journeys, and
military and religious activities; Török 1997: 59) renders them singularly unhelpful
for understanding contemporary international politics, for which we must rely
instead on sources from Assyria and the Levant. The rare references to events out-
side Egypt are often tantalisingly vague; for example, a commemorative scarab
of the Kushite king Shabako (r. c.721–707/706 B.C.E.) mentions “the Sand-
Dwellers” (probably the people north of the Sinai peninsula), a reference which
may or may not include Egypt’s opponent at the battle of Eltekeh (Eide et al. 1994:
124 and Redford 2004: 91 and n. 34).3 Furthermore, official inscriptions tend to
highlight successes and gloss over failures; if, as the record from outside Egypt
suggests, Egypt and Kush were in a weakened position vis-à-vis their opponents
in western Asia, they would surely not choose to advertise the fact.4
Military expeditions are mentioned in Kushite sources (most famously in
Piye’s Victory Stele, which describes his campaign against northern Egypt; see
Wente 2009: 465–492) but they tell us almost nothing of the events outside Egypt-
ian borders. This is perhaps unsurprising given that Kush’s hold over Egypt was
still recent enough to make consolidating its power internally an absolute priority;
accordingly, many of the measures taken by the Kushites (such as the revival of
the religious office of the God’s Wife of Amun) sought to affirm their rightful place
in the Egyptian ideology of kingship as well as tighten their political control.5 Fur-
thermore, the Kushites were arguably not well placed geographically for direct
involvement in west Asian affairs: the Delta, which provided access to Egypt’s
neighbours, remained politically fragmented following Piye’s campaign and was
not under Kushite control until Shabako’s re-conquest (Kitchen 19862: 378, §340).
3
Cf. Kitchen (19862: 379, §340), who suggests that it may refer to the restoration of border security
in the Sinai or even unrest in Philistia and beyond.
4
Introspection was not an inherent feature of Egyptian royal inscriptions (on which the Kushite
kings modelled their own), as evident e.g. from Ramesse II’s celebration of the battle of Qadesh
in the 13th century B.C.E. (Kuhrt 1995: 207).
5
For a detailed treatment of the Kushite rulers’ revival of concepts and forms from previous pe-
riods of Egyptian history, see Török (1997: 189–341).
299
Only after Shabako subjugated the Delta dynasts was he able to muster the com-
bined forces of Kush and Egypt, and thereby play a strategically significant role
in the anti-Assyrian coalition.
By contrast, even though Assyria was by no means free from internal
struggles,6 its political identity – the result of native rule rather than foreign con-
quest – was well established, leaving the Assyrian king in a better position to direct
his energies (and royal rhetoric) outwards. Assyrian royal inscriptions (and other
sources such as correspondence and administrative documents) represent a par-
ticularly invaluable resource. The inscriptions fall within two general types. The
so-called annals record the principal events of a king’s reign in chronological order
by regnal year or annual military campaign; the so-called summary inscriptions,
on the other hand, group events according to their geographical location or political
significance (Tadmor 1994: 18, 22). Unlike their Kushite counterparts, which are al-
most invariably located in the sacred setting of temples (see Török 1997: 136–139),7
a number of the Assyrian royal inscriptions originally decorated the walls and
floors of royal palaces such as that of Tiglath-Pileser III at Kalhu (modern Nimrud)
or Sargon II at Dur-Šarrukin (modern Khorsabad) (Tadmor 1994: 23). Others were
hidden out of view, for example as foundation deposits, i.e. texts inscribed on spe-
cial objects, including clay prisms and cylinders, and deposited in the foundations
or walls of important buildings to commemorate their construction and preserve
the account of the builder-king’s reign for posterity (Kuhrt 1995: 474).
These differences in context undoubtedly informed the inscriptions’ contents.
While Assyrian rulers stressed their military achievements and their ability to pro-
tect and expand Assyrian interests, Kushite royal inscriptions placed a much
greater emphasis on piety and the relationship with the divine, unsurprisingly so
given the texts’ location. However, the ideological basis of the texts was very sim-
ilar: Egyptian (and, by extension, Kushite) royal inscriptions sought to emphasise
the king’s role as maintainer of the cosmic order and protector of his people (Török
1997: 59), as did Assyrian texts which depicted the king as a perfect instrument of
the gods.
The uneven distribution of sources and their dominance by Assyrian doc-
uments makes it almost impossible to avoid an Assyrocentric approach, al-
though this study aims to provide a “global” examination of the historical
developments as much as possible. Since official texts such as royal inscriptions
6
The succession of Tiglath-Pileser III and Sargon II appears to have been irregular and accom-
panied by internal struggles. Tiglath-Pileser became king as a result of a coup d’état in which
he may or may not have participated (Zawadski 1994: 53); while the traditional view of Sar-
gon as a usurper is subject to doubt (Vera Chamaza 1992: 32–33), his accession was certainly
accompanied by civil unrest (evidenced e.g. by the Borowski stele which speaks of an Assyrian
rebellion on Sargon’s accession; see Lawson Younger 2000: 294 and n. 2–3).
7
It is possible that such texts were also set up elsewhere, for instance in private residences or
public spaces, but, if this was the case, they have not survived.
300
are inherently selective in their choice and presentation of historical events, it

is vital to supplement them with sources from other spheres, for example ad-
ministration. In addition, the Bible provides an alternative perspective,
although its focus is necessarily on matters of direct interest to Israel, and its
portrayal of Assyria in particular almost invariably hostile. Of particular rele-
vance to the late 8th century B.C.E. are the Old Testament books of 2 Kings,
1 Chronicles and Isaiah, which deal with Assyrian and Egyptian intervention
in Israel and the surrounding regions.
THE SINAI: A BUFFER ZONE

The Brook of Egypt
The accession of Tiglath-Pileser III in 744 B.C.E. marked a turning point in the
history of the Neo-Assyrian empire, initiating a phase of significant expansion
which resulted in Assyria dominating much of the Near East (Kuhrt 1995: 473).
Building on the tradition and ideology of the Assyrian king as warrior (Kuhrt
1995: 508), Tiglath-Pileser reformed the Assyrian military machine and cam-
paigned for all but one of his eighteen years on the throne (Morkot 2000: 123). Fol-
lowing his conquests on Assyria’s frontiers in the south, north-west and west
(against Babylonia, Urartu and Syria, respectively), Tiglath-Pileser turned his
attention to the southern Levant, extending Assyrian control to the region north
of Egypt’s frontier (including Judah, Israel and Gaza) (Kuhrt 1995: 496). Given
the important role which they played in the relations between Assyria and
Egypt/Kush, the kingdom of Gaza and its king, Hanunu, are the subject of a sep-
arate discussion below. However, Tiglath-Pileser’s initial conquest of Gaza is of
interest here insofar as it provided him with an opportunity to establish a tangible
presence on Egypt’s border, bringing the two states within the same physical
sphere for the first time.
Tiglath-Pileser’s Summary Inscription 8 from Kalhu concludes the description
of the subjugation of Gaza and Hanunu in 734 B.C.E. as follows:
“My royal stele [I set up] in the City of the Brook of Egypt, a river[-bed...
from... x+100 talents] of silver I carried off and [brought] to Assyria. [...] Siruatti
the Me’unite, whose [territory is] ‘below’ Egypt, [...] exalted [...], my own extensive
conquest he he[ard, and fear overwhelmed him] ... [As for Samsi the queen of the
Arabs,] 9,400 (of her people) I defeated at Mount Saqurri [...] her [gods,] arms
(and) staffs of her goddess, [her property, I seized.] [And she, in order to save her
life, ... to a desert, an arid place,] made off [like an on]ager. The res[t of her pos-
sessions (and) her tents, her people’s safeguard,] [within her camp, I set on fire.
Samsi (or: and she) was startled by my mighty weapons; camels], she-camels with
[their young]...” (Tadmor 1994: 179, Summ.8:18–27)
301
The Brook of Egypt, or Nahal Mus.ur to the Assyrians, has been identified with
modern Nahal Besor, a wadi (a dry riverbed) in the Negev, the desert region in
southern Israel.8 The site was presumably selected by Tiglath-Pileser because of
its strategic importance, both military and economic. A text which celebrates
Esarhaddon’s successful invasion of Egypt in 671 B.C.E. provides a vivid descrip-
tion of the local terrain and is worth quoting:
“(For a distance of) thirty ‘miles’ of land, from Apqu which is situated in the
border region of Samerīna to Rapihu on the bank of the Brook of Egypt where
there is no river, I let the troops drink buckets of water drawn from wells with
ropes and chains... I mobilised the camels of all the kings of Arabia and loaded
them with [water skins and water containers]. Twenty ‘miles’ of land, a journey
of 15 days, I marched through [mighty sand] dunes. Four ‘miles’ of land I travelled
over alum, mus.û stones [and other stones]; four ‘miles’ of land, a journey of two
days, I stepped repeatedly on two-headed snakes [… whose touch] is deadly, but
continued...” (Radner 2008: 306–307)
The Sinai desert was (and remains) a barren, inhospitable place, arduous to
traverse without proper resources. The co-operation of local peoples was crucial
in order to obtain food and water (importing them from Assyria would hardly
have been feasible), transport (camels, as opposed to the horses or donkeys usu-
ally used by the Assyrians) and local manpower, particularly guides with knowl-
edge of the terrain (Radner 2008: 310). The buffer zone of the Sinai desert thus
formed an excellent, though not insurmountable, natural defence for Egypt
against anyone approaching by land from the east. However, the erection of
Tiglath-Pileser’s stele at the Brook of Egypt, along the via maris (a 200 km route
through the coastal plain which linked the Gaza region with the Isthmus of Suez),
effectively positioned Assyria as a potential threat to Egypt. The subjugation of
neighbouring peoples – namely Siruatti the Me’unite, whose territory “below
Egypt” is thought to have been in northern Sinai or Rapihu (modern Raphia, ap-
proximately 15 km south of Gaza) (Tadmor 1994: 179 n. 22 and Eph’al 1982: 9),
and Samsi the queen of the Arabs, probably based in northern Transjordan, in 733
B.C.E.9 – ensured the co-operation which any expedition through the desert would
require. It also gave Assyria a degree of control over local trade routes, particularly
the so-called Frankincense (or Spice) Route which led to the Gaza/Rapihu region
from the Arabian Peninsula (Radner 2008: 309–311). Nevertheless, Tiglath-Pileser
8
This identification supersedes the long accepted, but less likely, location of the Brook of Egypt
at the Wadi el-Arish, some 30 km further south along the coast. This more northern location is
consistent with a text describing Esarhaddon’s expedition against Egypt, which refers to
“Rapihu on the bank of the Brook of Egypt”. See Radner (2008: 306–307).
9
Annal 23, which recounts the Samsi episode, dates to 733 B.C.E. (see Tadmor 1994: 78–81,
Ann.23).
302
did not, as far as we know, capitalise on his presence in the Sinai by attempting to
invade Egypt, either because the time was not right or (as seems more likely) be-
cause political unrest elsewhere forced him to direct his attention to other parts
of his realm (Redford 1992: 343).
In addition to the via maris (and other desert routes10), Egypt could be ap-
proached by sea, from harbours along the Levantine coast. The Egyptian navy
had a long history, as evidenced by the tomb inscription from the 16th century
B.C.E. of the soldier and sailor Ahmose, son of Ibana (Kuhrt 1995: 189), or the
inscription of Udjahorresnet who served as a commander of the royal navy in
the 6th century B.C.E. (see Lichtheim 1980: 36–41). Since wood was a rare natural
resource in Egypt, timber for ship building had to be imported. A letter to
Tiglath-Pileser from an Assyrian official in Phoenicia, dated to c. 734 B.C.E.,
records the king’s orders prohibiting the export of timber from the Phoenician
city of Tyre to Philistia and Egypt (Saggs 2001: 157). While the control of trade
appears to have been at least partly motivated by economic factors (Ehrlich
1991: 52, 54), it seems likely that the desire to weaken Egypt, and especially
its timber-dependent navy, also played a part. It has similarly been suggested
that Tiglath-Pileser’s son and short-lived successor, Shalmaneser V (r. 726–722
B.C.E.), took action against Tyre in order to put a stop to Egyptian maritime ac-
tivity along the Phoenician coast (Redford 1992: 345 n. 122). Since Assyria was
not a naval power, its access to the maritime sphere depended entirely on its
control of, or co-operation with, coastal entities such as the Phoenician city-
states (Elat 1978: 21).
The exact nature of the monument erected by Tiglath-Pileser is unclear since
the Akkadian word used, s.almu, can mean a statue, relief or drawing, as well as
stele (CAD S.: 78, s.v. s.almu and 83, mng. b3’). A surviving stele which was set up
in similar circumstances in western Iran suggests that it probably contained an
inscription celebrating Tiglath-Pileser’s conquests accompanied by an image of
the king (Tadmor 1994: 90–92). The setting up of monuments as symbols of
Assyrian control was an established practice; Tiglath-Pileser’s campaign in the
Zagros region (modern Iran) was commemorated in the same fashion (Tadmor
1994: 75, Ann.16:8–9). The Hanunu episode appears – with variations – in a total
of three Summary Inscriptions from Kalhu, of which only one mentions the setting
up of a monument at the Brook of Egypt (Tadmor 1994: 225).11 The omission seems
odd, but perhaps Tiglath-Pileser (or, more likely, his scribes) deemed Assyria’s
defeat of Gaza, and the setting up of the king’s statue in its royal palace, sufficient
symbols of Assyrian control in the region.
10
Alternative desert routes, particularly suitable for a surprise attack, are discussed in Radner
(2008).
11
The reference to the Brook of Egypt is omitted in Summary Inscriptions 4 and 9.
303
Egypt’s response
The extant sources do not document the reaction of the Egyptians or their
Kushite overlords to Assyria’s presence in the Sinai, although there can be little
doubt that the developments would have been a matter for concern. Nevertheless,
diplomatic contacts between the two lands appear to have continued. The so-
called Nimrud Wine Lists, records of wine ration distributions, attest to the pres-
ence of Egyptian scribes and Nubians (possibly horse experts) at the Assyrian
court around 732 B.C.E. (Dalley 2004: 44); similarly, a legal tablet from the city of
Nineveh records a high-ranking Egyptian scribe acquiring property, witnessed by
“Šusanqu (Akkadianised version of Shoshenq, a Libyan name), the king’s brother-
in-law” (SAA 6 142:r.12) – clear evidence that established diplomatic practices and
other forms of contact were alive and well in the reign of Sennacherib (Dalley
2004: 390), and almost certainly in his predecessors’ reigns as well, and that they
continued despite power struggles between Egypt and Assyria.
The Shabako scarab, dated to his second regnal year (perhaps around 715
B.C.E.), mentions that “the Sand-Dwellers who rebelled against him (i.e. Shabako)
are fallen down through fear of him” (Eide et al. 1994: 123–125). While the identity
of the “Sand-Dwellers” remains uncertain (see above), if they are indeed people of
the Sinai region, it would suggest that Shabako acted to reclaim the Sinai and was
vying to re-establish control12 there himself. Perhaps this was a reaction to Sargon
II’s activities in the Brook of Egypt. In 716 B.C.E., Sargon settled deportees “on the
border of the City of the Brook of Egypt” and appointed the sheikh of Laban, a
nomad chief, over them, establishing what may have amounted to an Assyrian mil-
itary outpost in close proximity to Egypt itself (Tadmor 1958b: 78 and Eph’al 1982:
91–93). Describing the activities of his 1st regnal year (721–720 B.C.E.), Sargon stated,
“[I opened the sealed] har[bour13 of Egypt]. [The Assyrians and the Egyptians] I
mingled together and I made them trade with each other” (Lawson Younger 2000:
293). What is meant by “sealed harbour” is unclear; Sargon’s aim must have been
to increase Assyria’s access to trade materials from Egypt14 and along the important
Sinai trade routes, but whether the trading station controlled land or sea routes (i.e.
whether it was a harbour or a land trading station) is uncertain (Elat 1978: 27), as
are the reasons for this institution’s sealed status – was Sargon removing economic
obstacles imposed by his predecessors or by developments in the region, or physical
obstacles which had rendered the harbour or trading station unusable?
12
The kings of Gaza had a history of acting as Egyptian vassals, and Gaza itself had in the past
served as an Egyptian garrison (Morkot 2000: 124).
13
An alternative restoration of kisurrû, “border, boundary” (CAD K: 433, s.v. kisurrû) has been
suggested by Borger but not followed by Fuchs who prefers to restore kāru, “harbour, trading
station” (CAD K: 231, s.v. kāru A) (see Fuchs 1994: 88, Anm. 17:n.1).
14
Notably the “large Egyptian” and “Kush” breeds of horses, a valued resource imported for
the Assyrian army from Egypt, the latter presumably via Kush (Dalley 2004: 43 and 45 46; Tad-
mor 1994: 188 n. 8).
304
The “gatekeeper” of Egypt

Two years after setting up his triumphant stele at the Brook of Egypt, Tiglath-
Pileser followed up his defeat of Damascus and Samaria (Tadmor 1966: 89) in the
Levant with a reinforcement of Assyrian presence in the Sinai. Two inscriptions
from Kalhu record the fact that, in 732 B.C.E., the king “appointed Idibi’ilu as the
‘gatekeeper’ (lit. to the office of ‘gatekeepership’ [atûtu]) facing Egypt (ina muḫḫi
Mus.ri)” (Tadmor 1994: 169, Summ.7:r.6, and 203, Summ.13:16). Idibi’ilu is first at-
tested in a broken passage of Tiglath-Pileser’s annals in the context of his cam-
paign in the previous year (Tadmor 1994: 83, Ann.18:13). This individual has been
connected with the similarly-named Idiba’ilāyu (the biblical Adbeel), a nomad
group from North Arabia, probably between Gaza and el-Arish (Elat 1978: 28),
and it may be that the duties were assumed by the tribe, with their leader officially
in charge (Eph’al 1982: 93 and 215–216).
The nature of Idibi’ilu’s mandate is not clear. Atûtu, as the abstract form of atû
(“gatekeeper”), was frequently used in the context of remuneration but is more
likely here to refer to the nature of Idibi’ilu’s duties (see Eph’al 1982: 93 n.297 and
CAD A/II: 522, s.v. atûtu). The term suggests more than passive observation and
reporting of the local developments; the implication is that, as the “gatekeeper”,
Idibi’ilu was responsible for regulating the traffic of people and goods through
the border region, and perhaps also along the coast. The emphasis seems to be on
controlling traffic coming from Egypt as opposed to traffic in the region as a
whole: ina muhhi Mus.ri can be interpreted as “facing Egypt” (Idibi’ilu’s physical
˘˘
location) as well as “over/with regard to Egypt” (specifying the purpose of the
appointment).
It is possible that the function of “gatekeeper” has its origins in the bureau-
cracy of the Egyptian New Kingdom (c. 1550–1069 B.C.E.). A number of preserved
titles include a “doorkeeper” element, for instance “doorkeeper (iry-aA ) of the
treasury” or “doorkeeper of the granary of the temple of Amun” (al-Ayedi 2006:
nos.543 and 548), which appear to be connected with the administration of goods
and hence bear a resemblance to Idibi’ilu’s function as overseer of trade. If there
is a link between Akkadian atûtu and Egyptian bureaucracy, it begs the question
of how an Egyptian administrative title from the second millennium B.C.E. came
to be employed by a Neo-Assyrian king. The most logical solution is that the func-
tion of “doorkeeper” came to be used outside of Egypt in order to administer re-
sources from neighbouring regions then under Egyptian control, such as the
Philistine cities, and that Sargon was simply following (or perhaps reviving) an
existing function.
In any event, Tiglath-Pileser’s integration of Idibi’ilu into Assyria’s adminis-
tration (Eph’al 1982: 94) tightened Assyrian control over, or at least presence on,
the boundary with Egypt; while its importance for trade dictated that it remain
permeable, unhindered access was a potential threat to Assyrian interests in the
305
region and was thus undesirable. We do not know the reasons behind Idibi’ilu’s
selection. The appointment of a native group15 may have been deemed less ag-
gressive than putting Assyrian officials in charge;16 Idibi’ilu’s local knowledge and
familiarity with the terrain probably made him particularly suitable for the new
role of gatekeeper, and the Egyptians’ historical disdain for Arabian tribes ensured
that his loyalty would be directed towards the Assyrians responsible for his tribe’s
new elevation (Redford 1992: 350).
GAZA
Hanunu’s flight to Egypt
The episode involving Tiglath-Pileser III’s defeat of Gaza and its king, Ha-
nunu, is narrated in some detail in three Summary Inscriptions from Kalhu. The
most elaborate version appears in the passage quoted below:
“[...Han]unu of Gaza feared my powerful weapons and [escaped to Egypt].

[The city of Gaza... I conquered/entered. x talents] of gold, 800 talents of silver,
people together with their possessions, his (i.e. Hanunu’s) wife, [his] sons, [his
daughters... his property (and) his gods I despoiled/seized]. A (statue) bearing
the image of the great gods my lords and my (own) royal image out of gold [I
fashioned]. [In the palace of Gaza I set it up (and) I counted (it) among the gods
of their land. The]ir [...] I established. As for him (i.e. Hanunu), like a bird [he flew
(back)] from Egypt. [...I returned him to his position. His...] I turned (into an) As-
syrian [emporium (bīt kāri)]. My royal stele [I set up] in the City of the Brook of
Egypt, a river[-bed... from...x+100 talents] of silver I carried off and [brought] to
Assyria. [...] had not submitted [to the kings], my predecessors and who had not
sent (them) any message, [heard about] the conquest of the land of ... [...the terri-
fying radiance of Aššur, my lord, overwhelmed him,] and fear seized him. [He
sent me] his envoys to do obeisance [...]”(Tadmor 1994: 177–179, Summ.8:14–21).
The episode provides a rare glimpse into Egypt’s international policy, partic-
ularly invaluable given the lack of Egyptian documentary evidence, although the
sketchy nature of the narrative makes it almost impossible to reconstruct the
events in any detail. What is certain is that in 734 B.C.E., faced with the advance
of the Assyrian army, Hanunu fled to Egypt, probably along the via maris. Histor-
ically, Gaza and Egypt enjoyed a close relationship,17 and Hanunu may have been
15
Followed by Sargon II when he put a nomad chief in charge of resettled deportees (see above).
16
Cf. Tiglath-Pileser’s appointment of a representative or administrator (qēpu) (not necessarily
an Assyrian, see Elat 1978: 30) over the defeated Arabian queen Samsi (Tadmor 1994: 143,
Summ.4:26).
17
Gaza’s rulers had in the past acted as Egyptian vassals, and the city as an Egyptian garrison
(Morkot 2004: 124).
306
Fig. 1
Wall relief from Tiglath-
Pileser III’s palace at
Kalhu, showing the sub-
mission of a foreign king,
probably Hanunu of Gaza
(see Uehlinger 2002: 125).
British Museum, WA
118933. © Trustees of the
British Museum.
seeking help against Tiglath-Pileser from the Delta rulers (as suggested by the fact
that he did not bring his family with him, nor sent them into safety elsewhere).
However, it is possible that Hanunu was simply seeking an exile outside the As-
syrian sphere of influence, with Egypt the logical destination. In any event, assis-
tance was not forthcoming, and Tiglath-Pileser plundered Gaza, seized the royal
family and erected symbols of Assyrian supremacy in Hanunu’s palace.
The episode concludes with Hanunu’s return from Egypt (“like a bird”, a sim-
ile used frequently in Assyrian royal inscriptions to evoke the weakness of de-
feated enemies18), his reinstatement on the throne of Gaza, and the transformation
of Gaza into an Assyrian trading station (bīt kāri). In the Neo-Assyrian period,
these bīt karrāni19 represented economical or fiscal institutions set up in harbours
or trading stations in order to conduct trade. In particular, they seem to have been
set up in areas which could not be exploited through administrative means such
as tribute, and accorded special trading privileges to the king and his merchants
(Elat 1978: 26–27).
Tiglath-Pileser’s conduct towards Hanunu seems curious given his tendency
to replace insubmissive rulers with Assyrian governors.20 Although Hanunu had
not openly defied Assyria, choosing flight instead of an armed confrontation,
18
See e.g. Sennacherib’s description of Hezekiah as “a caged bird” and, elsewhere, of fleeing
soldiers with “hearts fluttering like a pursued hatchling dove” (Melville 2006: 346 and 348).
19
See Tadmor (1994: 104 n.13) for this plural form.
20
An administrative innovation of Tiglath-Pileser’s (Radner 2006a: 43) which tightened Assyrian
control over subjugated territories. For examples, see Tadmor (1994: 43, Ann.9:8; 47, Ann.11:6;
and 63, Ann.19:9–11).
307
Tiglath-Pileser must at the very least have suspected Hanunu of attempting to

muster Egyptian support. What was the motivation behind Tiglath-Pileser’s un-
usual leniency? One possibility is that Hanunu’s reinstatement was connected
with the bīt kāri, set up to take advantage of converging trade from Egypt and
Arabia (Redford 1992: 345):21 changing the status quo, and incorporating the re-
gion into the Assyrian administrative system, may have been regarded as poten-
tially harmful to trade in the region.
It is noteworthy that Tiglath-Pileser did not pursue Hanunu into Egypt, even
though the episode might have provided a convenient opportunity for invasion. One
can only assume that he did not feel ready to confront Egypt, and that Egypt’s polit-
ical fragmentation had not seriously dented its reputation abroad. Instead, Tiglath-
Pileser concentrated on strengthening Assyrian presence in neighbouring territories;
shortly after his conquest of Gaza, he subjugated Ashkelon, Philistia’s only port cap-
ital, acquiring control over maritime trade routes between Egypt and Philistia in ad-
dition to those over land (Elat 1978: 32). We do not know what preceded Hanunu’s
return to Gaza. It seems unlikely that he was delivered to Tiglath-Pileser by the Egyp-
tians (such a co-operative gesture would surely have received a mention, as it did
under Sargon II22). Nevertheless, the possibility of Egyptian expulsion or intervention
should not be discounted. Hanunu’s return was almost certainly preceded by nego-
tiations with Tiglath-Pileser, perhaps through the Delta ruler(s) as intermediaries.
The inscription quoted above mentions an embassy from a king whose name
has unfortunately not survived. If, as has been proposed (see e.g. Tadmor 1994:
190–191, Summ.9:r.23–25 and n. 23–25), that king is indeed Shoshenq V or Os-
orkon IV (Libyan rulers at Tanis and Bubastis in the Delta; Kitchen 19862: 349, §308
and 372, §333), it is possible that Hanunu’s flight provided the impetus for diplo-
matic overtures aimed at appeasing the Assyrian threat – particularly pressing
given their location in the north-easternmost part of the Delta (Kitchen 19862: 372,
§333) – and perhaps attempting to gain an ally on the precarious political stage of
Lower Egypt, whether against other local dynasts or the Kushites who would in
due course begin their victorious march northward.23
Alternatively, is it possible that the unknown ruler was the Kushite king Piye,
then in control of Kush and parts of Upper Egypt including the cultically-signifi-
cant city of Thebes (Kuhrt 1995: 629)? The text makes a specific reference to the
lack of prior diplomatic contact (“who had not sent any message”) but an identical
claim is made by Sargon II about the Kushite king who extradited Iamani of Ash-
21
Tiglath-Pileser’s actions anticipated Sargon II’s opening of the “sealed harbour” (see “The
Sinai: a buffer zone” above).
22
See “Co-operation: the calm before the storm” below for the Kushite extradition of Iamani of
Ashdod.
23
Among the subjected rulers depicted on Piye’s Victory Stele is Osorkon IV (Kuhrt 1995:
628–629).
308
dod to Assyria (see “Co-operation: the calm before the storm” below). Evidence-
from the Nimrud Wine lists, which records the presence of Nubians at the Assyr-
ian court, implies that diplomatic and/or trade links between Assyria and Kush
were in existence as early as the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III; since the tablets have
been dated to c. 732 B.C.E. (Dalley 2004: 44), could these links be the result of con-
tact initiated by Piye and established after Tiglath-Pileser’s defeat of Hanunu?
Unfortunately, as tempting as such hypothesis may be, it remains mere specu-
lation due to the fragmentary nature of the passage, lack of complementary evi-
dence from Egypt and Kush, and the uncertainty surrounding the internal
arrangements of events in Tiglath-Pileser’s Summary Inscriptions.
Hanunu’s alliance with Egypt

Hanunu’s rule outlasted that of Tiglath-Pileser and Shalmaneser V, but events
early in the reign of Sargon II led to his downfall. In 721 B.C.E., perhaps still smart-
ing from Tiglath-Pileser’s plunder of Gaza and the deportation of his family and
personal gods24, Hanunu took advantage of the political instability which accom-
panied Sargon’s accession and joined an anti-Assyrian coalition led by Yau-bi’di
of Hamath (Tadmor 1966: 91). The rebellion, its culmination at Qarqar in Syria
and its relationship with events at Gaza are discussed in greater detail in the sec-
tion on Hamath below. However, since Hanunu’s confrontation of Sargon forms
a geographically discrete episode, it seems logical to discuss it in the context of
Hanunu’s previous dealings with Assyria and Egypt in order to discern how these
relationships may have evolved.
The narrative of Sargon’s second regnal year in the Great Summary Inscription
from Khorsabad describes the events. After smashing the Hamath-led coalition
at Qarqar, Sargon marched against Hanunu, defeating him and his Egyptian allies
at the city of Rapihu:
“Hanunu, the king of Gaza, along with Re’e, the commander-in-chief (turtānu)
of Egypt, marched against me to do war and battle at Rapihu. I inflicted a decisive
defeat on them. Re’e became afraid at the noise of my weapons, and he fled, and
his place was not found. I captured with my own hand Hanunu, the king of
Gaza.” (Lawson Younger 2000: 296)
The Great Summary Inscription is almost certainly an abbreviated version of

the description originally provided by the Annals from Khorsabad, now sadly
broken, which include the following passage:
24
See Summary Inscription 8 above. However, it is possible that Tiglath-Pileser’s account of the
sack of Gaza was exaggerated; in particular, Uehlinger has argued that it is highly unlikely
that the Assyrians ever deported a vassal king’s cult statues (Uehlinger 2002: 111).
309
“[...] he placed; he gave Re’e, his turtānu, to him (i.e. Hanunu) as his support,
and he set out against me in order to wage war and battle (on me). At the com-
mand of Aššur, my lord, I inflicted a defeat on them, whereupon Re’e fled alone,
like a shepherd whose flock has been stolen, and disappeared. I captured Hanunu
and led him away to Assur, my city, in shackles. I razed, destroyed and torched
Rapihu. 9,033 inhabitants, together with their numerous possessions, I carried
off.” (Fuchs 1994: 315, Ann.53–54) 25
Re’e is an Akkadian rendering of Raia, an Egyptian name going back at least

as far as the New Kingdom.26 This military commander was apparently dis-
patched to Hanunu’s side by an unnamed Egyptian ruler, generally identified as
Tefnakhte (Tadmor 1966: 91 and Redford 1992: 347),27 ruler of Saïs in the western
Delta. Tefnakhte’s expansion from the Delta and Lower Egypt south into Upper
Egypt, towards the territory controlled by the Kushites, helped spur Piye’s cam-
paign against Lower Egypt in c. 728 B.C.E. (see Introduction). When Piye returned
to Kush without appointing his own officials, leaving a power vacuum in the
Delta, Tefnakhte seized the opportunity to reclaim control, assuming the formal
title of Pharaoh in the process. His successor Bakenranef (c. 720–715 B.C.E.) was
eventually supplanted by Shabako during his re-conquest of Egypt (Kitchen 19862:
362–365, §324–325; 371–372, §332 and 376–377, §337–338).
What led to the alliance between Hanunu and Tefnakhte? The historical ties
shared by Egypt and Gaza (Morkot 2004: 124) and a shared interest in minimising
Assyrian influence made Egypt a natural choice for Hanunu. Unlike some other,
largely inconsequential, Delta dynasts, Tefnakhte had proven himself a resource-
ful ruler with significant military means, as evidenced by the impressive expan-
sion of his Saïs-based domain. In turn, the motivation behind Tefnakhte’s
involvement in Philistine and Syrian politics is likely to have been two-fold: to
counter Assyrian expansion and control, particularly desirable given the trade-
critical nature of the Levant and Philistia;28 and to gain potential allies on the
volatile Egyptian political stage, either to protect his position from outside threat
(namely from Kush in the south) or to aid future expansion.
25
Cf. Lawson Younger (2000: 293), who translates “Re’e... came to his assistance”, omitting the
reference to the unnamed Egyptian ruler.
26
See e.g. the 18th Dynasty tomb of Raia uncovered at Saqqara in Lower Egypt (Raven 2005); see
also Ranke (1935, I: 216, no. 23).
27
Other suggestions have been put forward, including the recent identification of Re’e’s overlord
with the Kushite king Shabako, based on new evidence from the Tang-i Var stele (discussed
in “Co-operation: the calm before the storm” below) and images of foes with Nubian features
on reliefs depicting Sargon’s 720 B.C.E. campaign (Kahn 2001: 11–12).
28
It has been suggested that Egypt may have been supplying military aid to Philistine cities be-
fore the coalition of 720 B.C.E. (Redford 1992: 347–348). If this is the case, perhaps it was the
result of links forged during Hanunu’s Egyptian exile in 734 B.C.E., or relationships already
in place at the time on which Hanunu had sought to capitalise.
310
Sargon’s specific reference to Re’e/Raia must surely mean that Tefnakhte him-
self did not lead his forces at Gaza,29 in striking contrast to Assyrian kings of this
period30 who tended to be personally involved in their campaigns. Although this
may simply reflect Egyptian practice, it may also indicate that while Tefnakhte
was willing to assist Hanunu, he may have been unwilling to confront Sargon
personally, or did not consider Hanunu’s rebellion to be significant enough to
warrant his personal attention, which was primarily focused on the Kushite threat
in the south.31 Alternatively, Tefnakhte may have been unable to leave his domain,
perhaps because of preoccupation with local affairs or poor health (it seems likely
that 720 B.C.E. marked the end of his reign; Kitchen 19862: 376, §337).
Sargon’s treatment of Hanunu was far less lenient than Tiglath-Pileser’s had
been, no doubt because this time the king of Gaza had engaged in open rebellion.
Nevertheless, Gaza and Hanunu appear to have got off relatively lightly: Sargon
boasts of his punitive measures against Qarqar, Yau-bi’di’s “favourite city”, while
Yau-bi’di himself was flayed and his co-conspirators killed on the spot. No more
is heard of Hanunu following his deportation to Assyria, but the very fact that he
was not killed immediately at Gaza hints at the possibility that he was brought to
Assur (the religious, as opposed to political, centre of Assyria) to participate in a
ritual victory celebration or the administration of a loyalty oath (adê),32 an elabo-
rate and presumably public affair whose theatrical elements are particularly well
illustrated in the surviving adê-treaties of Esarhaddon from 672 B.C.E. (SAA 2 6).
That an oath was imposed on other groups in the Sinai is evident from Tiglath-
Pileser III’s Annals which refer to “Samsi, queen of the Arabs, who broke her oath
to (the Assyrian god of justice) Šamaš” (Tadmor 1994: 81, Ann.23:18). Gaza itself
appears to have maintained its independence and was not officially annexed to
the Assyrian empire, perhaps reflecting Gaza’s strategic importance for trade in
the Sinai and Philistia, and Sargon’s reluctance to antagonise the city and its allies.
Like Tiglath-Pileser, Sargon did not use his defeat of Re’e as a prelude to an attack
against Egypt, choosing instead to increase Assyrian presence through resettle-
ment and the regulation of trade.
Developments in Egyptian policy

Given Egypt’s political disunity and the lack of information about Hanunu’s
activities in Egypt, it is difficult to make any definitive statements about contem-
porary Egyptian attitudes to Assyria. It does appear that Egyptian contemporaries
of Tiglath-Pileser III were either unable or unwilling to enter into a conflict with
29
Cf. Redford’s suggestion that a classical tradition may preserve Tefnakhte’s traverse of the
Sinai desert to aid Gaza (Redford 1992: 347).
30
I.e. Tiglath-Pileser III, Sargon II and, later, Sennacherib and Esarhaddon.
31
As suggested to me by Karen Radner.
32
Radner (2006b: 351–357).
311
Assyria (if that was indeed Hanunu’s goal). However, Hanunu’s brief stay in
Egypt may have allowed him to establish new links (or perhaps nurture old al-
liances) with the Delta dynast(s), which he exploited when the opportunity to
rebel against Assyria presented itself again shortly after Sargon’s accession. Tef-
nakhte’s support of Hanunu in 720 B.C.E. was undoubtedly motivated by a desire
to neutralise the Assyrian threat on Egypt’s eastern border and its control over
the important trade centres in the Sinai region, although evidence indicates that
his involvement was necessarily limited due to the more pressing Kushite threat
from the south. Nevertheless, Re’e’s direct confrontation of Sargon’s forces repre-
sented another step towards open defiance of Assyria at Eltekeh.
HAMATH
Yau-bi’di rebels against Assyria
The territory of Hamath in modern Syria was integrated into the Assyrian em-
pire by Tiglath-Pileser III in two stages, the north in 738 B.C.E. and the remainder
in 732 B.C.E. In each case, the conquest resulted in the creation of two new Assyr-
ian provinces (Radner 2006a: 66, s.v. Hamattu). In 721 B.C.E., capitalising on the
internal unrest which accompanied the accession of Sargon II (Tadmor 1958a: 37),
a number of vassal city-states in Syria and Palestine formed an anti-Assyrian coali-
tion under the leadership of Yau-bi’di (or Ilu-bi’di),33 who was proclaimed king
of Hamath. The rebels were defeated by Sargon in the following year, but the sig-
nificance of the episode is reflected in the fact that Sargon’s Annals appear to have
devoted as many as 36 lines to it (and to Sargon’s confrontation with Hanunu), of
which only eight survive (Fuchs 1994: 314–315, Ann.23–57). The account in the
Great Summary Inscription is better preserved:
“Yau-bi’di, the Hamathite, a hupšu-man,34 with no claim to the throne, an evil

Hittite, was plotting in his heart to become king of Hamath. He caused Arpad,
Simirra, Damascus and Samaria to rebel against me, had unified them (lit. made
them one mouth) and prepared for battle. I mustered the masses of Aššur’s (i.e.
Assyria’s) troops and at Qarqar, his favourite city, I besieged and captured him,
together with his warriors. I burned Qarqar. Him I flayed. I killed the rebels in
the midst of those cities. I established harmony. I gathered 200 chariots, 600 cavalry
from among the people of Hamath, (and) I added them to my royal contingent.”
(Lawson Younger 2000: 296)
33
The first part of Yau-bi’di’s name invokes Yahweh (“Yahweh is behind me”: Fuchs – Parpola
2000; Lawson Younger 2000: 293 n.6). This suggests his Israelite or Judean origins. Given that
the former kingdom of Israel had been integrated into the Assyrian empire by that time (Rad-
ner 2006a: 61–62, s.v. Magiddû and Samerīna), the first option is more likely.
34
A derogatory allusion to Yau-bi’di’s inferior social status (Lawson Younger 2000: 296 n.6).
312
After putting down the rebellion in Syria, Sargon proceeded south to defeat
Hanunu and the Egyptian commander, Re’e, at Rapihu (see “Gaza” above). In ad-
dition, he took long-term measures designed to strengthen Assyria’s position in
northern Levant. In the text of the so-called Borowski stele, Sargon declares:
“I pardoned 6,300 guilty Assyrians and showed mercy on them; and I settled
them in Hamath. I imposed on them tribute, gifts and corvée work as my royal
fathers had imposed on Irhuleni35 of Hamath.” (Lambert 1981: 125)
It seems that the exiled Assyrians had been guilty of opposing Sargon’s ac-
cession (Lawson Younger 2000: 294 n.2); their resettlement on the fringes of the
empire was undoubtedly intended to have the dual effect of removing a seditious
element from the Assyrian heartland and of stabilising the volatile region of
Hamath by means of an increased Assyrian presence, although the deportees were
integrated into the existing administrative framework and given the same tax and
labour obligations as native Hamathites. While deportation may have amounted
to a lenient treatment, the decision to settle a significant contingent of apparently
disloyal Assyrians in a region with a history of anti-Assyrian sentiment (see
below) seems puzzling. Did Sargon hope that their gratitude at receiving a second
chance would extinguish their grievances? A similar strategy, apparently success-
ful, was followed in Philistia some four years later (see “Sinai: a buffer zone”
above).
Historical excursus: Egypt and Assyria in the northern Levant

The Levant’s location and strategic and economic importance (namely its ac-
cess to trade routes and materials) made it the object of political conflict long be-
fore the 8th century B.C.E. During the New Kingdom, at the height of Egypt’s
splendour, Seti I (r. 1305–1290 B.C.E.) and Ramesse II (r. 1290–1224 B.C.E.) at-
tempted to extend Egypt’s boundaries in the north; much of the conflict between
Egypt and the Hittites, a rival power in Anatolia, centred on the city of Qadesh in
southern Syria (Kuhrt 1995: 207). Numerous stele erected in the Levant during
this period attest to Egypt’s presence in the region, even if they do not necessarily
indicate military conquest (Wilson 2005: 72–73) and even though the control
exerted by the Egyptian king was, at times, limited. The usual Egyptian practice
was to turn conquered territories into vassal states, giving the king only indirect
political control (Wilson 2005: 73).
The Levant and its vassal states acted as a buffer zone between Egypt and the
kingdom of the Hittites, and it continued to play the same role in the first millen-
nium B.C.E., providing a buffer zone between the expanding Neo-Assyrian
35
A contemporary of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III (see below).
313
empire and the now disunited Egypt, which nevertheless maintained economic
and political links with the Levant. The potential for open conflict between the
two entities escalated as a result of two factors. Firstly, Tiglath-Pileser III’s change
in policy, namely his integration of conquered territories into the Assyrian empire
as provinces under the direct control of Assyrian governors (Radner 2006a: 43),
increased Assyria’s hold on the territories on the outskirts of its empire and
brought it closer to Egypt. Secondly, Shabako’s reversal of Egypt’s political frag-
mentation placed Egypt in a position to try and revive its military heritage and
become a significant player in western Asia again, thus bringing the Egyptian and
Assyrian kings within striking distance of one another.
Yau-bi’di’s revolt was not unlike the opposition faced by the Assyrian king
Shalmaneser III (r. 859–824 B.C.E.) during his campaign across the Euphrates
river (which traditionally demarcated the limits of Assyrian influence in the
west). In 853 B.C.E., having subdued cities in north Syria, including Carchemish
and Aleppo, Shalmaneser turned south, pillaging three cities belonging to Irhu-
leni, king of Hamath, and torching “his royal city” Qarqar on the Orontes river
(Yamada 2000: 153–154). He was subsequently confronted by an anti-Assyrian
alliance supported by twelve kings, whose combined forces included 1,000
camels of Gindibu’u, “the Arab” (from the Syrian desert; Eph’al 1982: 76) and
1,000 footsoldiers “of Egypt” (Yamada 2000: 156–157).36 Egypt’s apparent provi-
sion of forces in support of the Syrian rulers provided a precedent for Tefnakhte’s
involvement in Yau-bi’di’s uprising against Sargon, and attests to Egypt’s con-
tinuing interest in Levantine affairs.
The Hamath rebellion and the role of Egypt

There is some uncertainty regarding the extent, if any, of Egypt’s and Gaza’s
involvement in the Yau-bi’di rebellion,37 although the fact that the episodes form
part of the same narrative block in Sargon’s inscriptions supports a connection.
Tefnakhte undoubtedly lent his support to Hanunu, but was the confrontation with
Sargon at Rapihu the intended goal of the alliance, or the result of plans gone awry?
Hanunu may have enlisted Tefnakhte’s help on behalf of the coalition on the basis
that Re’e would join the battle in Syria. It is possible that Re’e’s progress was in-
terrupted by Sargon’s swift intervention in the north, forcing him and Hanunu to
abandon the original plan in favour of a separate confrontation in Philistia.
36
It has been suggested that the toponym written KUR Mu-us.-ra-a-a, “Egypt”, may in fact refer
to an as yet unidentified city state on the northern Phoenician coast, rather than to Egypt (see
Yamada 2000: 158 and n. 282).
37
Cf. Redford, who treats Sargon’s defeat of Yau-bi’di as two separate and unrelated incidents
(Redford 2004: 71), while Tadmor lists Gaza among the conspirators (Tadmor 1966: 91). Dalley
suggests that “perhaps the Egyptians were involved in the rebellion from a distance” (Dalley
2004: 34).
314
Given Egypt’s historical involvement in Levantine affairs, it is not difficult to

believe that Tefnakhte might have wished to support an anti-Assyrian revolt in
order to reduce Assyria’s presence in regions which were once under Egyptian
control, and which would bring Assyria even closer to Egypt’s borders. If Hanunu
was part of the rebellion, it would surely have made better sense for Egypt to join
the main coalition, since strength in numbers would have increased chances of
success on the battlefield.
The Bible records an embassy sent to Egypt by Hoshe’a of Israel in 724 B.C.E.
The context leaves little doubt that Hoshe’a hoped to gain Egypt’s support against
Assyria:
“But the king of Assyria found treachery in Hoshe’a; for he had sent messen-
gers to So, king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had
done year by year; therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in
prison.” (2 Kings 17:4)
The identity of “So, king of Egypt” has not yet been conclusively established.
Early suggestions included Shabako, acting on behalf of Kashta or Piye (Morkot
2000: 126), as well as Re’e (in the past erroneously read “Sib’e” and hence bearing
a slight resemblance to “So”; see Kitchen 19862: 373, §333 and n. 743). More recent
proposals equate So with Sau (Saïs) and – through a process of metonymy – Tef-
nakhte, or with a ruler in the eastern Delta, Osorkon IV (via an abbreviated refer-
ence: [O]so[rkon]) (Morkot 2000: 126). The latter may be a more convincing choice
since long-standing ties existed between Israel and Osorkon’s so-called 22nd Dy-
nasty, whose power base in Tanis in the eastern Delta was well suited to providing
assistance (Kitchen 19862: 372–375, §333–334). Although Hoshe’a’s appeal was un-
successful, the mere fact that it was made implies that some Egyptian kings, at
least, were open to the idea of lending support to Levantine rulers, as evidenced
by Tefnakhte’s support of Hanunu’s anti-Assyrian cause in 720 B.C.E. Despite the
political fragmentation which preceded Shabako’s conquest, historical ties be-
tween Egypt and its old territories continued.
In two identical passages in the Bible, a reported message from Sennacherib
to Hezekiah, king of Judah, includes a reference to Judah’s reliance on Egypt “for
horses and chariots” (2 Kings 18:19–24 and Isaiah 36:4–9). Curiously, the quoted
communication follows the standard Mesopotamian epistolary formula38 but not
the Neo-Assyrian form,39 which raises the question of the reliability of the passage.
Nevertheless, there is good evidence that Egypt (and Kush) actively bred horses
for trade, and that these were particularly prized as military assets (Heidorn 1997:
38
Familiar e.g. from the correspondence of the Old Babylonian king Hammurabi (r. 1792–1750
B.C.E.): “speak to A. (the addressee); thus (says) B. (the sender)” (Huehnergard 20052: 260).
39
“The king’s word to A.” (see e.g. SAA 1 26).
315
109). It is, therefore, highly likely that such horses reached the Levant either
through established trade routes, or perhaps as Egypt’s support of the anti-As-
syrian cause in the region.
CO-OPERATION: THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

Egypt sends a gift to Sargon II
Sargon II’s defeat of Egyptian forces under the command of Re’e at Rapihu in
720 B.C.E. elicited no reaction from Tefnakhte in the form of a gift or tribute (Dal-
ley 1985: 34), indicating perhaps the relatively low importance which Tefnakhte
attached to the encounter. However, the so-called Great Summary Inscription from
Khorsabad records tribute (maddattu) of raw gold ore40, horses and camels received
from “Pir’ū, king of Egypt, Samsi, queen of Arabia and It’amra, the Sabean (i.e.
Arab)41” in 716 B.C.E.42 “Pir’ū” does not represent a name but, rather, an Akkadi-
anised version of the Egyptian title pr-aA, literally “great house”,43 referring to a
palace and, by extension, to the man who occupied it – the pharaoh (a word in
the same etymological relationship to the original Egyptian as Pir’ū). A prism
fragment from Nineveh sheds light on the pharaoh’s identity:
“Šilkanni, king of Egypt – a remote [place] – the fear of the splendour of Aššur,
my lord, [overwhelmed him and] he brought to me as his present (tāmartu) 12 big
horses of Egypt, their like not to be found in Assyria.” (Tadmor 1958b: 7844)
Šilkanni has been identified with Osorkon IV (c. 730–715 B.C.E.), whose rule
over Ro-nefer, Tanis and Bubastis in the north-eastern Delta was eventually ended
by Piye’s successor Shabako (Kitchen 19862: 372, §333). If, as has been advocated
by some scholars, Osorkon is indeed the biblical king So to whom Hoshe’a of Is-
rael appealed for help against Shalmaneser V in 724 B.C.E. (2 Kings 17:4; see
“Hamath” above), the sending of a gift to Sargon may represent a shift in Os-
orkon’s political allegiances. Although Hoshe’a’s appeal to So went unanswered,
it seems reasonable to assume that he must have had some expectation of success,
perhaps based on Egypt’s historical involvement in the Levant (and hence its
vested interest in hindering Assyria’s expansion in the region). Why So ignored
40
Hurās. u eper šadîšu (see Fuchs 1994: 198 n.1, Prunk.27). Cf. Lawson Younger (2000: 296), who
inexplicably translates “herbs of the mountain”.
41
Fuchs (1994: 424, s.v. Arubu).
42
Fuchs (1994: 344, Prunk.27).
43
Mattila – Weszeli (2002: 996).
44
Tadmor notes a discrepancy of one year between Šilkanni’s gift (716 B.C.E.) and the gift sent
by Pir’ū (715 B.C.E. according to the Khorsabad Annals), which he attributes to scribal error.
By contrast, Fuchs interprets the two references as two separate gifts by different individuals
(Fuchs 1998: 130–131).
316
the appeal is unknown; he may have lacked the necessary resources (Kitchen
19862: 375, §334), or the willingness to engage the Assyrians and risk retaliation
from a state with vastly superior military capabilities. Whatever the reason, Os-
orkon sought to profit from his non-aggression towards Assyria with a friendly
overture towards Sargon, an action no doubt motivated by political pragmatism
and the pressing threat of Kushite expansion.
The terminology used to describe Osorkon’s gift is significant. Tāmartu (de-
rived from the Akkadian amāru, “to see”) was a gift sent by a foreign ruler to the
Assyrian king as part of diplomatic contact – with envoys hoping to be granted
an audience and thus see the king – which could remain informal or culminate in
a formal adê treaty (Radner 2007: 216). The term was therefore entirely appropriate
given that Osorkon IV was not under Sargon’s dominion and that his gift was
merely a part of standard diplomatic overtures. By contrast, both the Great Sum-
mary Inscription and the extended version of the same passage in the Annals
(Fuchs 1994: 198, Prunk. 27 and 110, Ann.123–125) employ maddattu (a derivation
of nadānu, “to give”), a term which designated tribute exacted from Assyria’s vas-
sals (Radner 2007: 219). However, this appears to be driven by context, as the
Egyptian king is mentioned together with the Arabs Samsi and It’amra, at least
one of whom had at some point been Assyria’s vassal.45 The use of maddattu, prob-
ably technically correct as a reference to Samsi, was extended to Osorkon by as-
sociation, although it may also have been a deliberate exaggeration intended to
enhance Sargon’s reputation (Elat 1978: 22).
The tribute sent to Sargon was carefully selected. Instead of the exotic animals –
camels, hippopotamus, antelope, elephant and monkeys – sent by Egypt to Shal-
maneser III, as recorded on the famous Black Obelisk now housed in the British Mu-
seum (Elat 1978: 22), Osorkon sent Egyptian horses, a highly valued commodity in
the Assyrian army, as evidenced for example by a reference to “large Egyptian horses,
trained to the yoke” in Sargon’s Annals (Dalley 2004: 43). In choosing a gift with a
practical application to Sargon’s military machine (whose success relied heavily on
its cavalry and chariotry; Heidorn 1997: 106–107), rather than simple curiosities for
his palace, Osorkon sought perhaps to demonstrate his potential value as an ally at
a time when he himself was in need of one: in 716 B.C.E., the Kushite threat from the
south was growing, and Shabako’s re-conquest imminent. Osorkon may have hoped
that Sargon’s need for horses, as well as a shared interest in countering the growing
power of the Kushites, would gain him an ally in the days to come.
Moreover, Osorkon’s gift follows closely on the heels of Sargon’s resettlement
of the Brook of Egypt and the appointment of the sheikh of Laban as the official
45
“Samsi, queen of the Arabs, who broke her oath to (the Assyrian god of justice) Šamaš” (Tad-
mor 1994: 81, Ann.23:18). There is no reason to suppose that the loyalty oath which Samsi
owed to Tiglath-Pileser III was not renewed following Sargon II’s accession, and that Samsi
and her tribe did not, therefore, owe a formal allegiance to Sargon as well.
317
in charge (Tadmor 1958b: 78),46 measures which reinforced Assyria’s presence on

the border with Egypt. Such activities must have caused concern to Osorkon given
his location in the eastern Delta, and his gift may have been a gesture of goodwill
intended to appease the rising Assyrian threat (Kitchen 19862: 376, §336), as well
as a personal offering of some of the goods now making their way from Egypt
into the Sinai via the recently re-opened harbour/trading station (Lawson
Younger 2000: 293; see “The Sinai: a buffer zone” above).
Iamani’s flight to Egypt and Kush

Almost a decade after Sargon’s suppression of Hanunu’s rebellion and his de-
feat of Egyptian troops under the command of Re’e, events in another Philistine
city, Ashdod, led to an unprecedented intervention by Kush in Assyrian affairs.
The episode, which probably dates to 711 B.C.E.,47 is described in some detail in
Sargon’s Great Summary Inscription, in a passage which immediately follows the
uprising of Yau-bi’di of Hamath:
“Azuri, the king of Ashdod, plotted in his heart to withhold tribute (biltu),
and he sent (messages) to the neighbouring kings, hostile to Assyria. Because he
committed crimes against the people of his country, I abolished his rule. I placed
Ahimiti, his favourite [brother], as king over them. The Hittites (i.e. the Ash-
dodites), who always speak treachery, hated his rule.“ (Lawson Younger 2000:
296; Fuchs 1994: 219, Prunk.90–95)
The text makes it clear that although Ashdod was not yet annexed as an As-
syrian province, it was a tribute-paying48 vassal city under the ultimate control of
the Assyrian king (Elat 1978: 32),49 who possessed the power to replace a poten-
tially rebellious ruler with a more compliant one. However, the choice of replace-
ment (the deposed king’s brother) speaks volumes about Sargon’s anxiety to
maintain the appearance of political independence and ensure a positive reception
of the new ruler. It seems that Sargon did not wish to antagonise the local popu-
lation, especially given the region’s volatile nature and anti-Assyrian tendencies
(evidenced by “neighbouring kings, hostile to Assyria”).
46
Such interpretation assumes that the description of events follows a chronological order as
opposed to a purely geographical grouping.
47
There is some disparity between the dating of Sargon’s campaign against Ashdod in the An-
nals: while the Khorsabad texts place it within Sargon’s 11th regnal year, inscriptions from Nin-
eveh attribute the campaign to his 9th year (712 B.C.E.), despite the fact that the Eponym
Chronicles (which briefly list significant events on an annual basis) record the 9th year as one
of military inactivity. Fuchs has argued convincingly that the Nineveh Annals moved the Ash-
dod campaign to the 9th regnal year in order to disguise Sargon’s inactivity in that year, and
that the campaign should therefore be dated to 711 B.C.E. (Fuchs 1998: 126).
48
The term biltu (from Akkadian wabālu, “to bring”), is synonymous with maddattu, “tribute”
(discussed above). See Radner (2007: 219).
49
Ashdod was annexed as a province as a result of the rebellion (Radner 2006a: 58).
318
The inscription continues:

“Iamani, who had no claim on the throne, who was like them, and had no re-
spect for rulership, they elevated over them. In the ebullience of my heart, I did
not gather the masses of my troops, nor did I organise my camp. With my warriors
– who never leave my side in (hostile or) friend[ly territory] – I marched to Ash-
dod. Now when this Iamani heard from afar the approach of my campaign, he
fled to the border area of Egypt which is on the border with Meluhha, and his
place was not found... The king of Meluhha – who in... land of Urizzu, an inac-
cessible place, a way... whose ancestors [from the] distant [past] until now had
never sent their messengers to the kings, my ancestors, in order to inquire about
their well-being – heard from afar of the might of the gods Aššur, [Nabû], (and)
Marduk. The fearful splendour of my majesty overwhelmed him and panic over-
came him. He put (Iamani) in handcuffs and manacles, fetters of iron, and they
brought (him) the long journey to Assyria (and) into my presence.” (Lawson
Younger 2000: 296–297)
Sargon’s interference was not well received by the people of Ashdod, and the
puppet king Ahimiti was overthrown in favour of a man sympathetic to their
cause, albeit with no claim to the throne. It is noteworthy that the Ashdodites did
not attempt to reinstate Azuri; was this because he had been dispatched by Sargon,
or because he had indeed “committed crimes against the people of his country”,
making him unpopular with his subjects as well as with his Assyrian overlord? In
any event, the newly installed king, Iamani, may have shared his subjects’ distaste
for foreign meddling but he was not willing (or able) to confront Sargon’s forces
which, even if not led by Sargon himself,50 must have made a formidable opponent.
In a scene reminiscent of Hanunu’s flight from Gaza before Tiglath-Pileser III, Ia-
mani fled south to territory outside the Assyrian influence: Egypt and Kush.
The Tang-i Var stele

The Khorsabad inscriptions of Sargon represent the first record of a Kushite
king in official Assyrian sources (although, as discussed below, there is evidence
of previous contact between the two powers) (Morkot 2000: 203). Until recently,
the unnamed Kushite king from Sargon’s inscription was thought to have been
Shabako. However, the publication in 1999 of an inscribed stele from Tang-i Var
50
Despite Sargon’s claims, it appears that he did not lead the campaign in person but dispatched
his turtānu instead, as attested in Isaiah 20:1 which refers to a tartan (i.e. turtānu) “who was
sent by Sargon of Assyria, came to Ashdod and fought against it and took it” (Tadmor 1966:
94). Similarly, the Eponym Chronicle for 712 B.C.E. records Sargon as being “in the land” (i.e.
Assyria). However, note Fuchs’s suggestion that the Ashdod campaign took place at a later
date (see n. 47 above), which would render the Eponym Chronicle irrelevant as corroboration
of Isaiah 20:1.
319
(located in modern Iran) shed new light on the king’s identity and forced scholars
to re-evaluate their understanding of the highly problematical chronology of
Egypt’s 25th Dynasty. The Tang-i Var inscription thus serves as a reminder of the
importance of an inter-disciplinary historical approach, especially when studying
periods such as Egypt and Kush in the late 8th century B.C.E. – so poorly docu-
mented that a single textual source from a geographically remote region can dra-
matically alter our reconstruction of contemporary events.
The inscription, dated to 706 B.C.E. (Kahn 2001: 1), celebrates Sargon’s military
campaigns, including that against Ashdod, and while it adds no new details to
the episode, it refers specifically to “Šapataku’, king of the land of Meluhha”
(Frame 1999: 40, l. 20). Šapataku’ has been identified with Shebitku, Shabako’s
successor who was previously believed to have acceded to the throne around 702
B.C.E. (Kuhrt 1995: 624) and hence thought to have played no part in the Iamani
episode. Although some doubt still surrounds the exact date of Shebitku’s acces-
sion and the nature of his relationship with Shabako (in particular, whether there
was a period of co-regency or whether control over Egypt and Kush was split be-
tween Shabako and Shebitku, respectively; Kahn 2001: 1), it now seems that
Shabako, who had been in power during Ashdod’s insurgency in 711 B.C.E., died
in 707 or 706 B.C.E. and was then replaced by Shebitku. Iamani, who had been
living on Kushite-controlled territory since 711 B.C.E., was extradited to Assyria
shortly thereafter (Kahn 2001: esp. 18).
Iamani’s extradition to Assyria

Iamani’s exact destination is unclear since the phrase used to describe it, ana
itê māt Mus.uri ša pāt. māt Meluhha (Fuchs 1994: 220, Prunk.102–103), is difficult to
˘˘
interpret. Fuchs, following Borger, tentatively translates it as “zur Grenze Ägyptens
im Bereich des Landes Meluhha” (Fuchs 1994: 348, Prunk.101–104)51 and suggests
that the reference in the passage to Urizzu (i.e. Upper Egypt, an area which, in
711 B.C.E., was under Kushite control) means that Iamani was extradited from
there and did not in fact reach Kush itself, remaining instead in the border region
between Lower and Upper Egypt (Fuchs 1994: 451, s.v. Mus.ur). However, the
terms Mus.ur (meaning Egypt in general and Lower Egypt in particular; Fuchs
1994: 451, s.v. Mus.ur) and Meluhha (Kush) may be employed here in a purely ge-
˘˘
ographical sense rather than as a means to designate spheres of Egyptian and
Kushite influence, suggesting that Iamani reached a point somewhere north of
Kushite territory (Redford 1985: 7 and n.17), within traditional Egyptian borders
but now subject to Kushite rule.
What brought Iamani to this location? Following his installation on the throne
of Ashdod, Iamani contacted sympathetic Philistine cities as well as rulers in
51
Meluhha is the Neo-Assyrian name for Kush (Lawson Younger 2000: 297 n. 9).
˘˘
320
Judah, Moab and Edom in an attempt to form an anti-Assyrian coalition, who

proceeded to send gifts to “Pir’ū, king of Egypt”, repeatedly requesting his assis-
tance (Fuchs 1998: 73–74, VII.b:25–32). The pharaoh in question has been identified
as Bakenranef, Tefnakhte’s successor at Saïs, whose trade links with the western
Mediterranean attest to his involvement in Levantine affairs (Redford 1985: 6 and
n. 16) (although not necessarily in local politics). Nevertheless, the coalition’s ap-
peals to Bakenranef were unsuccessful (much like Hoshe’a’s appeal to So, dis-
cussed above), either because the Delta ruler lacked military resources or because
he preferred not to antagonise Assyria (Tadmor 1966: 94). Return to Ashdod can-
not have been an appealing option and Iamani chose to head in the opposite di-
rection, towards the domain of the Kushite kings, in the hope of obtaining aid or
at least a safe haven outside the Assyrian sphere of influence.
Iamani’s flight is elaborated upon in another text from Khorsabad, the so-
called Small Summary Inscription, which states that Iamani abandoned his family
(much like Hanunu had done) and fled to the border between Egypt and Kush,
where he “lived like a thief” (Lawson Younger 2000: 297). If we take this expres-
sion at face value, rather than as a derogatory allusion by the Assyrians to Iamani’s
dishonest and contemptible conduct, it implies that he was living there furtively,
without the support or shelter of the Kushite king. However, evidence from the
Tang-i Var inscription suggests that Iamani’s extradition took place as late as
707/706 B.C.E. and that his exile lasted a number of years; it seems unlikely that
his presence would go undetected for so long, or that he would have been able to
survive for a prolonged period in unfamiliar foreign territory without local sup-
port. It follows that Iamani’s exile in Kush probably had official approval52 until
circumstances changed in the wake of Shabako’s death and Shebitku’s accession.
The evolution of Kushite attitudes to Assyria

If Shabako did in fact offer shelter to Iamani, it suggests that his attitude to
Assyria was neutral or perhaps even passively hostile since, while he did not pro-
vide Iamani with military support, neither did he expel him from his domain. Ia-
mani’s extradition by Shebitku therefore indicates a change of strategy by the new
king, who chose to make formal diplomatic contact accompanied by a gesture
which left little doubt as to where his loyalties lay. Nevertheless, this same king
openly confronted Sennacherib at the battle of Eltekeh only a few years later. How
can we explain this apparent volte-face?
One possibility is to discount the Tang-i Var inscription: while Shebitku may
indeed have been the ruler at the time of its composition in 706 B.C.E., it is possible
that Iamani had been returned by his predecessor, Shabako, whose action was
52
The reference in the Shabako scarab to “the Sand-Dwellers” who “come of themselves as cap-
tives” may thus be to Iamani and his entourage, although other interpretations remain equally
possible (see Kahn 2001: 4 n. 20).
321
then erroneously credited to the current king, Shebitku (Frame 1999: 54). This
would make Shebitku’s conduct vis-à-vis Assyria less inconsistent and would fit
in with other evidence of friendly relations between Kush and Assyria in the pe-
riod before Shebitku’s accession. Sargon’s inscriptions claim that diplomatic con-
tact on the part of Shebitku was a historically unprecedented event (“the king of
Meluhha... whose ancestors from the distant past until now had never sent their
messengers to the kings, my ancestors, in order to inquire about their well-being”).
However, as discussed in the section on Gaza above, there is evidence of Kushite
presence in Assyria as early as the reigns of Tiglath-Pileser III and Piye (Dalley
2004: 44), suggesting friendly relations between the two regions. It seems likely,
therefore, that Sargon’s claim was a standard literary device designed to heighten
the prestige of the Assyrian king and the narrative’s dramatic qualities (Morkot
2000: 203).
In addition, a clay sealing stamped with the seal of Shabako, originally attached
to a papyrus roll which has not survived, was found at the palace of Sennacherib in
Nineveh (Tadmor 1966: 94 n. 34). Since it now appears that Shabako died before
Sennacherib’s accession in 705 B.C.E., it must once have formed part of Sargon’s
correspondence, indicating that Sargon and Shabako enjoyed a diplomatic relation-
ship, although the exact nature of that relationship is unclear. It has been postulated
that the two kings may have entered into a formal agreement which included
arrangements for the extradition of asylum-seekers (Tadmor 1966: 94 n. 34), leading
to Shabako’s return of Iamani, but there is currently no evidence to support this.
While the theory of scribal error may be tempting, it is entirely possible that
Iamani’s extradition took place after Shebitku’s accession and that the abrupt shift
in his loyalties can be attributed to human nature or to changing political circum-
stances. Perhaps Shabako and Shebitku enjoyed friendly relations with Sargon
but relations with Sennacherib proved more strained. Furthermore, if Iamani was
extradited under Shebitku, why did Shabako provide political asylum to Iamani,
effectively harbouring an enemy of Assyria? Perhaps he wanted to remain as neu-
tral as possible in order to keep his political options open, maintaining a friendly
relationship both with Assyria and with Iamani, the representative of the anti-As-
syrian element in Philistia. In addition, Shabako may have been honouring the
rights of fugitives which were traditionally respected in Egypt (Tadmor 1966: 94
n. 34); given the Kushites’ propensity for absorbing elements of Egyptian culture,
this is not unthinkable. Unfortunately the scarce nature of current evidence allows
us to do little more than speculate at present.
CONCLUSIONS
The second half of the 8th century B.C.E. proved to be a period of vital impor-
tance to the interaction of Egypt, Kush and Assyria, setting in motion events which
eventually pitted the Egyptians and Kushites against Assyria in open confronta-
322
Fig. 2
Map of the Ancient Near
East (taken from Morkot
2000: 116‒117).
tion at the battle of Eltekeh in 701 B.C.E. The surviving sources, particularly in
Egypt, are so scarce that reconstructing the history of this period with any cer-
tainty is extremely difficult. Nevertheless, it is worth the attempt, since by
analysing the origins of a conflict we are better able to understand whether it was
an inevitable outcome, or whether events could have taken a different turn: could
Egypt and Assyria have co-existed peacefully and without interfering in each
other’s affairs?
Assyria’s ideology of military conquest and the imposition of firmer control
on subdued territories not only brought it within Egypt’s historical sphere of
influence but made Egypt a potential target, although there is no evidence dur-
ing the 8th century B.C.E. of attempts to invade Egypt. But although Egyptian
rulers provided support to the anti-Assyrian element in surrounding regions,
such support was necessarily limited while Egypt lacked strong central rule.
This changed with Shabako’s re-conquest of Egypt and his submission of hith-
erto independent Delta rulers, as evidenced by the immeasurably stronger
Egyptian presence at Eltekeh (“troops, archers, chariots and cavalry... a force
without number”; Melville 2006: 346 – see Introduction) compared to the one
thousand infantry sent to provide support at the battle of Qarqar in 853 B.C.E.
Eventually, in the 7th century B.C.E., the struggle over the buffer zone between
Egypt and Assyria evolved into a struggle over the control of Egypt itself, as
323
Fig. 3
Map of Egypt (taken from
Redford 2004: 73).
Assyria solidified its dominance over western Asia and turned its attention to
new pastures.53
To what extent Shebitku’s decision to aggressively oppose Assyria can be at-
tributed to his personal inclinations, as opposed to political strategy and reason,
is impossible to determine. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the circumstances
which existed around 701 B.C.E. were propitious to such an enterprise, while the
Kushites’ programmatic adoption of Egyptian political and cultural heritage pro-
vided additional motivation to revive Egyptian influence abroad. Since the As-
syrian kings considered themselves similarly entitled to territories in the Sinai
and beyond the Euphrates, the scene was set for an inevitable collision between
the two powers.
53
Recent discussions (with previous literature) include Kahn (2004), Kahn (2006) and Radner
(2008).
324
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Before the Assyrian Conquest in 671 B.C.E.

viving contemporary sources relating to Kushite political history comprises royal

are inherently selective in their choice and presentation of historical events, it

THE SINAI: A BUFFER ZONE

The “gatekeeper” of Egypt

“[...Han]unu of Gaza feared my powerful weapons and [escaped to Egypt].

Tiglath-Pileser must at the very least have suspected Hanunu of attempting to

Hanunu’s alliance with Egypt

The Great Summary Inscription is almost certainly an abbreviated version of

Re’e is an Akkadian rendering of Raia, an Egyptian name going back at least

Developments in Egyptian policy

“Yau-bi’di, the Hamathite, a hupšu-man,34 with no claim to the throne, an evil

Historical excursus: Egypt and Assyria in the northern Levant

The Hamath rebellion and the role of Egypt

Given Egypt’s historical involvement in Levantine affairs, it is not difficult to

CO-OPERATION: THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

in charge (Tadmor 1958b: 78),46 measures which reinforced Assyria’s presence on

Iamani’s flight to Egypt and Kush

The inscription continues:

The Tang-i Var stele

Iamani’s extradition to Assyria

Judah, Moab and Edom in an attempt to form an anti-Assyrian coalition, who

The evolution of Kushite attitudes to Assyria

Baker, Heather D. (ed.)

Parpola, Simo (ed.)

Vera Chamaza, Galo W.

Waters, Matt – Zadok, Ran

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