Tradition or Innovation? The Ugaritic-Egyptian Correspondence

Abstract

Introduction underwent a significant development, which is reflected in sources preserved on both sides.4 Beginning of the victory of the King of Upper The nature of this process from partners to and Lower Egypt, Wesermaatre Setepenre, Son of enemies and back again can also be recognized Re, (Beloved of the Gods},2 Ramesse (II) Meriin the epistolary documents, which were sent amun, given life forever, which he reached from one royal office to the other. The conclu against the land of Hatti, Naharina, against the sion of the Silver Treaty in 1258 BCE provided land of Arzawa, against Pidassa, against the land Ugarit with the opportunity to revive, once again, of Dardanaya, against the land of Masa, against the ties with Egypt and it was presumably at that the land of Qarqisa and Lukka, against Cartime that the Ugaritic Egyptian correspon chemis, Qedy, the land of Qades, against the land dence began again as well. The preserved episto of Ugarit (and) Musnatu.3 lary documents were indeed written during peri These words represent the beginning of the ods which can be described, without exaggera Egyptian description of the military campaign in tion, as the real high water marks in the relation Syria that Ramesse II undertook in the 5th year of ship between the two centres, his reign. It is right here, in the records of the Following only sporadic references to Ugarit Battle of Qades, that we find the land of Ugarit in the Memphis5 and Karnak6 stelae of Amen identified as being on the side of the Hittite king hotep II (ca. 1427-1400 BCE),7 dated to the early and Egypt, its traditional business and political part of his sole reign, and also the mention of partner, is found to be on the opposing side. But Ugarit in the Nubian topographical list of Amen the Battle of Qades represents only a tiny nevhotep III (ca. 1388-1351/1350 BCE) in Soleb,8 ertheless a very important fragment in the the earliest testimony and indisputable evidence mosaic that is the evolving relationship between of the existing relationship is provided by means the two political entities. Over more than two of the correspondence between the two royal hundred years the political and economic relacourts, preserved in the Amarna archive of the tionship between Ugarit and the land on the Nile middle of the 14th century BCE.