fa is close to Amyun, north of the
great pass of Theouprosopon (Shakkah). Amyun follows at once.

246 "Batruna" is the well-known town Batrun, the "Botrys" of classical
writers, which lies south of the wild pass of Ras Shakkah, where
apparently one of the battles of the war occurred (22 B. M.). When
the pass was taken, Batrun seems still to have held out with Gebal,
being no doubt provisioned by sea.

247 "Kalbi" is Kelbata, in the heart of the great pass. I visited all
these places in 1881.

248 In this case the modern name "Akka" is nearer to the spelling of
these letters than is the Hebrew. This is the case with Shiloh and
other important towns, showing the Canaanite extraction of the
modern peasantry in Palestine. The Hebrews hardly ever renamed
towns, and the nomenclature preserves the ancient Canaanite forms
found in the lists of Thothmes III a century earlier than these
letters. Many towns were named from Canaanite and Philistine gods
(Shamash, Dagon, etc.), and the forms of the names in the Karnak
lists are Aramaic, and not Hebrew.

249 "Patzil" I understand to be equivalent to the Arabic "Fadl," meaning
to do pleasure or honor to a person.

250 The Amorite chief had more than one son, as is clear in some cases.
Benmabenat (or Bumabuat) was Aziru's brother.

251 Perhaps the name survives in that of the river Kadisha, near
Tripoli.

252 Ardata (Ardi), Ambi ('Aba), and Sigata (Shakkah) were north of the
pass; Yahlia, representing I'al, rather farther north than the
others.

253 Ullaza (Kefr Khullis) was close to Batrun, on the south.

254 "Caphar Yazu," or Alu-yazu, seems to be Kefr Yashit, near the
others.

255 Perhaps "Takheda" of another letter (58 B.).

256 See letter 71 B. The sign has the meaning "oracle," "prophet." No
doubt Ribadda had his diviners, like the kings of Assyria in later
times.

257 No. 53 B. is another short letter, much injured, which mentions
Batrun; and in this a town called "Sina" is apparently noticed,
which, if the broken tablet can be so read, would be "Kefr Zina." In
54 B. a city "Zina" occurs, but seems to be a clerical error for
"Sidon." The land of Mitana is also mentioned in 53 B.

258 Neboyapiza had his own difficulties, as appears from his letters (96
B., 142 B., 43 B. M.).