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| "While my father was down in the country of Karkamis (Carchemesh) he dispatched Lupakkis and Tessub-zalmas to the country of Amqa. They proceeded to attack the country of Amqa and brought deportees, cattle and sheep home before my father. When the people of the land of Egypt heard about the attack on Amqa, they became frightened. [34] Because, to make matters worse, their lord Bibhururiyas [35] had just died, the Egyptian queen who had become a widow, sent an envoy to my father and wrote to him as follows: "My husband died and I have no son. People say that you have many sons. If you were to send me one of your sons, he might become my husband. I am loathe to take a servant of mine and make him my husband. I am afraid!" When my father heard that, he called the great into council, saying: "Since of old such a thing has never happened before me". He proceeded to dispatch Hattu-zitis, the chamberlain, saying: "Go! Bring you reliable information back to me. They may try to deceive me: As to whether perhaps they have a prince bring reliable information to me!" During Hattu-zitis' absence in the land of Egypt my father vanquished the city Karkamis...The Egyptian envoy, the Honorable Hanis, came to him. Because my father had instructed Hattu-zitis while sending him to the land of Egypt as follows: "Perhaps they have a prince; they may try to deceive me and do not really want one of my sons to take over the kingship," the Egyptian queen answered my father in a letter as follows: "Why do you say: 'They may try to deceive me'? If I had a son, would I write to a foreign country in a manner which is humiliating to myself and to my country? You do not trust me and tell me even such a thing. He who was my husband died and I have no sons. Shall I perhaps take one of my servants and make him my husband? I have not written to any other country, I have written only to you. People say that you have many sons. Give me one of your sons and he is my husband and king in the land of Egypt." Because my father was generous, he complied with the lady's wishes and decided for sending the son." We know from further records of Mursilis that this Hittite prince, Zannanza, never reached the widow because he was murdered somewhere en route. In another letter, the Hittite king blames Ay, the successor of Tutankhamun, who renounces responsibility. The Hittites and the Egyptians go to war over this incident and a terrible plague strikes the Hittites which lasted for more than twenty years, which they say they got from the Egyptian prisoners they had brought home. The account in the "Plague Prayers" states: "...My father sent foot soldiers and charioteers who attacked the country of Amqa, Egyptian territory. Again he sent troops and they attacked it. When the Egyptians became frightened, they asked outright for one of his sons to (take over) the kingship. But when my father gave them one of his sons, they killed him as they led him there. My father let his anger run away with him, he went to war against Egypt and attacked Egypt. The Hattian Storm-god, my lord, by his decision even let my father prevail; he vanquished and smote foot soldiers and the charioteers of the country of Egypt. But when they brought to Hatti land the prisoners which they had taken a plague broke out among the prisoners and they began to die." [36] CONTINUE |