from the neighbourhood of the Jordan promises good
results as the reward of future research for geographical details:

"To Yanhamu, my lord: Mut-Addi is thy servant at thy feet. I told
thee before, and it is so indeed; Ayab hath fled in secret, as did
also previously the king of Bihishi before the commissioners of
the king his lord. Is Ayab now in Bihishi? [He is there] truly as
the lord king liveth, truly as he liveth. For two months he has
been there. Behold, Benenima is present, Tadua is present, Yashua
is present; ask them whether he hath fled from Shadi-Marduk, from
Astarti. When all the cities in the land of Gari were in
rebellion, Adma (Udumu), Aduri, Araru, Mishtu, Migdal, Ain-anab
and Sarki were taken, then later Hawani and Yabesh. Behold,
moreover, as soon as thou hadst written a letter to me I wrote to
him (Ayab) that thou hadst returned from thy journey (to
Palestine?). And behold he came to Bihishi and heard the command."

The names Ayab and Yashua recall Job and Joshua to our minds.

The great alacrity shown in this letter was, as we already know, most
acceptable to Yanhamu. Another Syrian chief, whose name has been
obliterated, complained bitterly that Yanhamu had refused him a passage
through his territories, although he showed the royal summons to Court.
This, indeed, may have been an indirect favour to his correspondent. Very
amusing is a group of three synoptic letters, written by one scribe for
Biri ... (the name is imperfect) of Hashab, Ildaya ... of Hazi, and
another. These vassals had evidently taken the field together. They recite
their tale like a chorus of schoolboys repeating a lesson.

"Behold, we were besieging the cities of the king my lord in the
land of Amki (_i.e._, cities that had fallen away and had ceased
to pay tribute). Then came Itakama, the Prince of Kinza (Kadesh),
at the head of Hittites. Let my lord the king write to Itakama,
and cause him to turn aside and give us troops that we may win the
cities of my lord the king, and thenceforth dwell in them."

Itakama was specially unpopular with his neighbours. Apparently he was one
of the more powerful allies of Aziru, and as such his special task was to
press as hard as possible on the foes of the Amorites in southern
Coele-Syria. Perhaps, however, Aziru and Itakama did not come together till
each for a time had fought his battles alone. The Hitti