Ramesses III and Neo-Hittite Cities in North Syria: Toponymic Remarks Concerning Some Foreign-Places at Medinet Habu Temple

Abstract

Under the reign of Ramses III (1185-1153 B.C.), several official texts allow us to understand better the geopolitical status of the Syro-Palestinian area, just after the invasions of the “Sea Peoples”. Among these texts, the numerous lists of foreign place-names are really important. In the temple of Medinet Habu, one of these lists enumerates some geographical names to be located in the North of Syria, in the close neighborhood of the Euphrates (Jirku 1937: 43-46 n° XXII; Simons 1937: 78-83, 164-169 n° XXVII; KRI 5, 94:1-96:4; RITAN 5, 71-74). The cities of Karkemiš, Urfa, and Emar are so quoted, as well as the State of Mitanni, corresponding to Ḫanigalbat in this period. The place-name n° 27 of this text gave place to diverse identifications. The hieroglyphic term must be definitively read Tbl. The parallel with Tabal must be also abandoned: the chronological problems are too difficult to resolve. On the other hand, the Near-Eastern sources of the second millennium B.C. indicate that a locality Tubala would have existed in the region of the Middle Euphrates, not far from the city of Emar. This identification is the best alternative. Besides emphasizing the omnipotence of the Pharaoh, the list of Ramses III represents henceforth a privileged source to understand the new balance of power between kingdoms and empires involved in the Euphrates’ area around1150 B.C