Prostration formula
Encyclopedia
In the 1350 BC correspondence
of 382–letters, called the Amarna letters
, the Prostration formula is usually the opening subservient remarks to the addressee, the Egyptian
pharaoh
. The formula is based on Prostration
, namely reverence and submissiveness. Often the letters are from Vassal
Rulers, and vassal city-state
s, especially in Canaan
, but also in other localities.
The formula is often repetitive, or multi-part, with parts seeming to repeat, and can go forward in a typical, "standard format". However, the Prostration formula may also be "duplicated" in a similar format at the end of a letter, or a foreshortened part of the formula may be entered, for effect in the middle of a letter.
of Magidda
-(Megiddo), (EA for 'el Amarna
').
See: Amarna letters–phrases and quotations
, for "7 times and 7 times" phrasing.
Biridiya letter 246, no. 5 of 7: title: "The sons of Lab'ayu
Reverse:
Biryawaza
This letter contains all the uses of "dirt, ground, chair, and footstool", seldom found in one letter.
Text corpus
In linguistics, a corpus or text corpus is a large and structured set of texts...
of 382–letters, called the Amarna letters
Amarna letters
The Amarna letters are an archive of correspondence on clay tablets, mostly diplomatic, between the Egyptian administration and its representatives in Canaan and Amurru during the New Kingdom...
, the Prostration formula is usually the opening subservient remarks to the addressee, the Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
. The formula is based on Prostration
Prostration
Prostration is the placement of the body in a reverentially or submissively prone position. Major world religions employ prostration either as a means of embodying reverence for a noble person, persons or doctrine, or as an act of submissiveness to a supreme being or beings...
, namely reverence and submissiveness. Often the letters are from Vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
Rulers, and vassal city-state
City-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
s, especially in Canaan
Canaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
, but also in other localities.
The formula is often repetitive, or multi-part, with parts seeming to repeat, and can go forward in a typical, "standard format". However, the Prostration formula may also be "duplicated" in a similar format at the end of a letter, or a foreshortened part of the formula may be entered, for effect in the middle of a letter.
Some example letters with the Prostration formula
The letters EA 242 and 246 are from BiridiyaBiridiya
Biridiya was the ruler of Megiddo in the 14th century BC. Biridiya authored five of the Amarna letters correspondence. He is also mentioned in the corpus from the city of 'Kumidu', the Kamid al lawz.-See also:...
of Magidda
Megiddo (place)
Megiddo is a tell in modern Israel near Megiddo Kibbutz, known for its historical, geographical, and theological importance especially under its Greek name Armageddon. In ancient times Megiddo was an important city-state. Excavations have unearthed 26 layers of ruins, indicated a long period of...
-(Megiddo), (EA for 'el Amarna
Amarna
Amarna is an extensive Egyptian archaeological site that represents the remains of the capital city newly–established and built by the Pharaoh Akhenaten of the late Eighteenth Dynasty , and abandoned shortly afterwards...
').
Biridiya letter 242, no. 1 of 7: title: "Request granted"
- "Say to the king-(i.e. pharaohPharaohPharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
), my lord and my SunRaRa is the ancient Egyptian sun god. By the Fifth Dynasty he had become a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the mid-day sun...
: Message of BiridiyaBiridiyaBiridiya was the ruler of Megiddo in the 14th century BC. Biridiya authored five of the Amarna letters correspondence. He is also mentioned in the corpus from the city of 'Kumidu', the Kamid al lawz.-See also:...
, the ruler of MagiddaMegiddo (place)Megiddo is a tell in modern Israel near Megiddo Kibbutz, known for its historical, geographical, and theological importance especially under its Greek name Armageddon. In ancient times Megiddo was an important city-state. Excavations have unearthed 26 layers of ruins, indicated a long period of...
, the loyal servant of the king. I prostrate myself at the feet of the king, my lord and my Sun, 7 times and 7 times. I herewith give what the king, my lord, requested: 30 oxen, [x sheep and GoatGoatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, x bi]rdsBirdBirds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
[ ... ] ... [ ...And in]deed, [the ...] ... of the [l]and are at peace, but I am at war." -EA 242, lines 1-17 (complete, but with lacunaeLacuna (manuscripts)A lacunaPlural lacunae. From Latin lacūna , diminutive form of lacus . is a gap in a manuscript, inscription, text, painting, or a musical work...
)
See: Amarna letters–phrases and quotations
Amarna letters–phrases and quotations
Amarna letters–phrases and quotations is an article for the 1350 BC Amarna letters, the correspondence to the pharaohs of Egypt.Of the 382 Amarna letters, many are direct in describing the conditions of the author in their local regions...
, for "7 times and 7 times" phrasing.
Biridiya letter 246, no. 5 of 7: title: "The sons of Lab'ayuLabayaLabaya was a Habiru, possibly Canaanite, warlord who lived contemporaneously with Pharaoh Akhenaten . Labaya is mentioned in several of the Amarna Letters , which is practically all scholars know about him...
"
- "Say to the king, my lord and my SunRaRa is the ancient Egyptian sun god. By the Fifth Dynasty he had become a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the mid-day sun...
: Message of BiridiyaBiridiyaBiridiya was the ruler of Megiddo in the 14th century BC. Biridiya authored five of the Amarna letters correspondence. He is also mentioned in the corpus from the city of 'Kumidu', the Kamid al lawz.-See also:...
, your loyal servant. I fall at the feet of the king, m[y] lord and my Sun, 7 times and 7 times. - I have heard the mes[sage] o[f] the ki[ng ...] .... (lacunaLacuna (manuscripts)A lacunaPlural lacunae. From Latin lacūna , diminutive form of lacus . is a gap in a manuscript, inscription, text, painting, or a musical work...
)
Reverse:
- and [ ... ], and indee[d ...] you ar[e ...]. May the king, my lord, know. The two sons of Lab'ayuLabayaLabaya was a Habiru, possibly Canaanite, warlord who lived contemporaneously with Pharaoh Akhenaten . Labaya is mentioned in several of the Amarna Letters , which is practically all scholars know about him...
have indeed gi[v]en their moneyMoneyMoney is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
to the 'ApiruHabiruHabiru or Apiru or ˁpr.w was the name given by various Sumerian, Egyptian, Akkadian, Hittite, Mitanni, and Ugaritic sources to a group of people living as nomadic invaders in areas of the Fertile Crescent from Northeastern Mesopotamia and Iran to the borders of Egypt in Canaan...
and the Su[SuteanThe Suteans were a tribe who lived throughout the Levant and Canaan circa 1350 BC. They are mentioned in eight of the 382 Amarna letters. Like the Habiru, they traditionally worked as mercenaries....
teansSuteanThe Suteans were a tribe who lived throughout the Levant and Canaan circa 1350 BC. They are mentioned in eight of the 382 Amarna letters. Like the Habiru, they traditionally worked as mercenaries....
in ord]er to w[age war again]st me. [May] the king [take cognizance] of [his servant]." -EA 246, 1-9, reverse 1-11 (complete, but with lacunae)
BiryawazaBiryawazaBiryawaza was king of Damascus in the middle fourteenth century BC. In the Amarna letters, he was ordered by his Egyptian overlords to take armed action against Labaya's sons ....
letter EA 195, no. 2 of 4: title: "Waiting for the Pharaoh's words"
This letter contains all the uses of "dirt, ground, chair, and footstool", seldom found in one letter.- "Say to the king, my lord: Message of BiryawazaBiryawazaBiryawaza was king of Damascus in the middle fourteenth century BC. In the Amarna letters, he was ordered by his Egyptian overlords to take armed action against Labaya's sons ....
, your servant, the dirt at your feet, and the ground you tread on, the chair you sit on and the footstool at your feet. I fall at the feet of the king, my lord, the SunRaRa is the ancient Egyptian sun god. By the Fifth Dynasty he had become a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the mid-day sun...
of the dawnDawnDawn is the time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight, while the sun itself is still below the horizon...
(over): li-me-ma (peoples), 7 times plus 7 times. My lord is the Sun in the sky, and like the coming forth of the Sun in the sky (your) servants await the coming forth of the words from the mouth of their lord. I am indeed, together with my troops and chariotChariotThe chariot is a type of horse carriage used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Ox carts, proto-chariots, were built by the Proto-Indo-Europeans and also built in Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. The original horse chariot was a fast, light, open, two wheeled...
s, together with my brothers, my 'ApiruHabiruHabiru or Apiru or ˁpr.w was the name given by various Sumerian, Egyptian, Akkadian, Hittite, Mitanni, and Ugaritic sources to a group of people living as nomadic invaders in areas of the Fertile Crescent from Northeastern Mesopotamia and Iran to the borders of Egypt in Canaan...
and my SuteanSuteanThe Suteans were a tribe who lived throughout the Levant and Canaan circa 1350 BC. They are mentioned in eight of the 382 Amarna letters. Like the Habiru, they traditionally worked as mercenaries....
s, at the disposition of the archersArchers (Egyptian pítati)The Pítati were a contingent of archers in the Egyptian Empire, often requested and dispatched, to support the Egyptian vassalage in Canaan, or northern Canaan...
, wheresoever the king, my lord, shall order--(order me to go)." -EA 195, lines 1-32 (complete)