Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-10-25
rOIIND In ANCIENT EGYPT
s,.onOp Relics Of Forgotten Kings
Brought to Light.
,.,osts of the Past-St0ries of Great
Babylonia, the Assyrian Mon
arch-The Old Union of Two
Great Families.
law Rulers Addressed One Another.

rsrlg IN the spring some fallaheen
-.tiny at Tel 81 Amarns-a village in
y.asr Egypt, on the right bank OF the
y f and occupying the site of an ancient
es-.otiap city-came across q cons Der
-Irfi.snumber OF small clay tablets c. vored
.,b uritipg in the peculiar cupeiforln
s.,.c,er. The announcement, naturally,
- no little comment in scholarly
,i,elss. says writer in Aerper's Weekly,
asa result of rather protracted ne
.ros.ions, the Berlin Museum has been
,or,1psts enough TO secure 100 of these
t.5lsts The mere existence OF cuneiform
'9.,..1goas ia Egypt OF undoubued au-
E.ouei,v, aud whose antiquity is attest
"A nv their having been found IN the re-
Kim. of CITY bsgsn to be built, as We
s-eF from other sources, by King
lmsp0ohis ~. and abandoued soon
sre, 6is death, about 1900 years before
~, erg-this in Itself is fact of the
..,y highest significance; but interest in
Aa5i.goysry Is greatly enhanced by the
1,g,erts OF these tGblets, which upoa ex-
animation turn ou5 to be OF extreme
historical value. They form part of the
o6eaI correspondence in the days of
lneaopais w., being letters addressed
totbskin from Burnaburfash, the king
a Bs5y.onia; from Dushratta, the king
ofNlHaui n district to the northeast os
Ns.op0.amia) and from various other
psfsUus who ara probably vassals Of high
5iya,mri.s in the service of the
Pharaoh
From the Egyption asnsls, as well as
from he cylinders Deposited by the As
vvv baTv nj
knew that the mpiros that once -four
i,ied in the land of the Nile and the land
Of ".ba two rivers" had at an early poI o
come into hostile conflict with one
another Thus, Thotmus L., who pre-
coded the above mentioned AmenOphia
b. fully 100 years, speaks OF having pene-
uatd tl the land oe "Naharinan and of
having imposed tribute, among Others
rpcu the king OF Assyria. The tables
we're turned il the twelfth csntpry, when
TgIstbpLeser l., one of the greatest Of
A5sJrian kings, undertakes a military
campaign against Egypt, which he de-
:crJes at great detail. From this time
On here are frequent coll sions which cen
tuus dough interrupted BY tong intervals
Of peace, tin the final destruction OF the
Assyu,D kingdom by her old riva! and
ueghbor 10 tbs South, Babylouia. Il is
@ DO regarded as a particularly fortunate
circumstance that the tablets recently
discovered supplement our knowledge of
ancient international poIity by telling us
something of the relation which existed
betsetn Egypt and this very Babylonia.
Col-emporaneuus with the Assyrian
dyBs,te ia the north of Mesopotamia, to
Vach ihotmus |. has reference there
ruled ia the sDdth a set of kings COM
monty known as Coss8eans, who had IN
7adt1 the land from the east, ard had
T'lsttd the scepter from the hands of
he native Bahylouian chieftains. II 70
from Cus of these CossaeRu kings,
Bu,nabgriash, that, found addressed to
Amelophis Nv. The picture here is quite
adlferent one to that Unfolded by the
relations between EyyPi and Assyris.
Con'ormably to the general character of
las BabJlOulans and OF Babylonian ru
lsfs, who were far less warlike than the
A'syrlans, we find the two monarch's on
'ne m1st friendly terms with each other.
IN these letters BHrnaburiash sends
cordial greetings to HIS royal brother, re-
isfs TO the presents which he has for
Eardsd in return FOR which Amenophjs
confirms the old agreements between the
two countries, and by way OF confirming
thtf friendship 10 appears that Pharaoh
much ke the heads of royal houses il
o1s days-hgs offered Burnaburissh an
egyptian princess for wife. Il is not
liAen.t 70 find the political reason for
5s denoustra,ive display OF friendship.
ha5y.ouia at this time was hard pressedd
ol .D' Assyrian mouarchs, and it was
natural for the COssaens to look 10 Egypt
d aslpport in the coming conflict, which,
Despite all efforts, however, ended in the
complete overthrow of the Cossaean dy-
nasty, aud in the loss for a time of tbs
yoN.eal epeudence OF Babylouia. By
'a' VIC larger number of tablets, how
ever are addressed TO Ameuophsis,
'a.1t' and son, by q ruler of whom mp
go 100 present nothing whatsoever was
@a1"n IN is Dushratta styling him
'H' AiHg of Mitanni, which appears
~ a' only another name for the Prov
.'s. NHh4-ina, roughly represented by
~'+ 'h hurdi3tap. Dnsbratta seems to
$500 on different footing with the
'a5.s W Egypt from Barnahurissh. for 10
q appearances il is the Egyptian who
's- 'a- frieudshtp of Dushratta-pe
-a.7 rs al ally against q planned attack
.''a yria-aud asks for the hand OF
D--.1a ;a's daughter. Mos OF the letters
.s.T 20 This union between The two fami-
''. 70 which, by the way, Egyptian
o-'''s all refer. The terms in which
"'' suc'ea' rulers addressed each other
.'-- 1!s iu their bombRssic style those
"y-d lu royal households in our own
s4.' ." a striking degree. Oue begins:
NV ~" 'mmurija (G surname 0fAmopophis
-.'. sae great King, the King of Egypt,
"F' her, my son-in law, whom ! love
'-' VIC loves met" speass as follows:
.Da'h-stta, King of Mitanul, toy brother,
--i1law, whom thou lowest and who
bee. Peace 20 me, peace 10 my
.l.sr ln-iaw, peace 10 thg house, to thy
Thy gobles, thy people, to thy