Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Banyai AT t-online.de (Michael Banyai)]

Sorry Ian, but apparently you have no idea of Assyrian history. To help you out of the impass, I am quoting following two inscriptions of Tiglath-Pileser I and Ashur-Bel-Kala, who were surely no masters of a land-locked country.


“
I road in boats of the city of Arvad, of the land Amurru, travelled successfully a distance of three double hours from the city of Arvad, an island, to the city Samuru which is in the land Amurru. I killed at sea a nahiru (dolphin), which is called a sea-horse.” Tiglath-pileser I A.K.Grayson, Assyrian Royal Inscriptions, Part 2, Wiesbaden, 1976, § 81 but also §95, §103


“
and in boats of the land Arvad he rode, killed a nahiru in the great sea.” Ashur-Bel-Kala A.K.Grayson, Assyrian Royal Inscriptions, Part 2, Wiesbaden, 1976, § 248.

Both kings boasted to have reigned over a giant empire from Amurru, and many Phoenician cities, till Babylon. I don´t know how one could call such an empire, contemporary with the biblical figure of Samuel (if historical), land-locked.

If we should understand by Kittim, Cyprus, Kition, than there would be no problem to imagine some desastruous naval clash, which led to a temporary break of Assyrian power in the West. They were just previously before masters of the Mediteranean coast immediately vicinous with Cyprus. But probably we will get some clue to who these Kittim were, directly from the royal inscriptions of these kings, if not directly, than by exclusion.

All the best,

Bányai Michael


"Ian Hutchesson" <mc2499 AT mclink.it> schrieb:
> Sorry, Michael, but I don't see what your post has to do with
> my question, which is apparently to do with ships afflicting
> a landlocked country.