New Light on the Correspondence of Abimilki, King of Tyre

Abstract

This article discusses the chronological sequence of the eleven letters of the kings of Tyre (EA 146–155, 295) and the history of Tyre in the Amarna period, as it has emerged from the re-dating of the letters. The article also suggests that Abimilki was a Tyrian prince sent as a hostage to Egypt and, following the crisis of succession, chosen by Amenhotep III to sit on the Tyrian throne. The education and cultural background to which the king was exposed in his youth, in the Egyptian court, explains the unique characteristic of the Tyrian letters within the Amarna correspondence. The article also describes the history of Tyre from the later years of Amenhotep III to the later years of Akhenaten, and the contribution of the Tyrian letters to the history of the Coast of Lebanon in the Amarna period.