egend on
Phoenician coins of that city. Its king naturally would have a common
border with Abdasherah on the north, if his fortresses (or land)
were outside the northern Lebanon, which was the Amorite country,
and he was therefore regarded as a possible ally.

272 Comparing the letters from Beirut and Sidon (27 B. M., 90 B.) it
will be seen that the city whose freemen were on the side of Aziru
was Sidon.

273 If Ukri be the right reading, the town of 'Akkar in Lebanon, east of
Tripoli, would be probable. It gives its name to the district of
Jebel 'Akkar, and is at the source of the river 'Akkar, which agrees
with the mention of the "waters."

274 "Maar"(ah) is probably the Mearah of the Bible (Josh. xiii. 4), now
"el Mogheiriyeh," six miles northeast of Sidon. This conquest may
have just preceded the fall of Sidon.

275 Gebal and Batrun are ten miles apart. Ribadda's kingdom had extended
at least twenty miles along the coast; and if Beirut and Tripoli
were not independent, his land would have reached much farther--to
Simyra and Sidon.

276 This letter shows very clearly that the taking of Sidon preceded the
fall of Byblos (Gebal).

277 From 75 B. it seems that Amanabba had been sent to Gebal (probably
in consequence of the former letters from Ribadda), but it seems he
fled again.

278 In later times the small mina of Palestine was L8 6s. 8d., and the
large was L16 13s. 4d. (see Conder's "Handbook to the Bible," p.
81). This represents, therefore, at least L500 or perhaps L1,000;
but in this early age the value of money was probably higher.

279 Ribadda has said (63 B.) that his sons fell into the power of the
enemy when in ships. He also sends a list of property to Egypt (85
B.). Probably when these ships were sent his father went to Egypt,
whence he wrote (82 B.), and a copy was sent to the King. There is
one other letter in the collection, which was written from Egypt, by
Amenophis III to the King of Babylon (B. M. 1), which seems to be a
copy, unless in both cases the letters were not sent. (See
Appendix.)

280 Gebal was celebrated for its papyrus. It grew in the river Adonis,
close to the city. The enemy were now closing in.

281 The salutations in the last letters are very curt as compared with
the earlier ones.