Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Ian Hutchesson" <mc2499 AT mclink.it>]

Michael,

Further on this Musri/u (and Mehru), even Ashur-uballit 
is credited as subduing Musri. Adad-Nirari I, ARI 1, 1, 
§384, says that Ashur-uballit's sovereignity "was 
established as far away as the mountains, subduer of the 
land Musru, disperser of the hordes of the extensive 
land of the Shubaru..." Ashur-uballit's operations of 
course were constricted by Babylon, Hatti and Mitanni 
and his chief deeds were the liberation of Assyria from 
Mitannian hegemony and the extension of the realm to the 
north, obviously including Musri/u (Mehru). It's not 
strange therefore to find that Shubaru is also a 
northern realm mentioned in the context of other 
northern realms such as Lullumu and Qutu, ARI 1, §381.

Given Ashur-uballit's limited horizons, looking beyond 
them seems inappropriate to find this Musri/u (Mehru). 

We now have three different rulers who claimed to have 
subdued Musri/u (Mehru), Ashur-uballit I, Shalmaneser I 
and Tiglath-Pileser I. I don't think, given the 
political realities, that any of these is claiming 
victory over Egypt.

As to Mehru and Musru, one should note that although 
these terms are often used in the same sorts of lists 
of northern realms, they never appear together in the 
same list. This is yet another indicator that they are 
probably the same place.

And one last fact about Musru, Harrak, in "Assyria and 
Hanigalbat", 1987, p226, mentions a tablet, VAT 18012, 
which records barley rations given by the Assyrian 
administration to various groups of soldiers "probably 
stationed in Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta". Amongst them were 
51 soldiers of the land Qumana and 26 from the land 
Musru. Assyria is feeding levied soldiers. I never knew 
that Assyria levied soldiers from Egypt.



Ian


Ian Hutchesson
Rome

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mc2499(at)mclink.it